Starting ArcMap

You can access ArcMap from the Start button on the Windows taskbar. Alternatively, you can double-click on an ArcMap document (.mxd file) to start ArcMap with the desired map.

Selecting the map on startup

When you start ArcMap from the Windows taskbar, ArcMap will display a Getting Started dialog box in which you can pick an existing map or choose to create a new map.

You can use this dialog box to open an existing map document or create a new one by clicking on New Maps.

From within ArcMap, you can also create a new map by:

• Clicking the New Map File button on the main menu.
• Clicking File > New or clicking CTRL+N.

Tip:

You can turn on or off the Splash Screen and the Getting Started dialog box by clicking Customize > ArcMap Options and toggling the options on the General tab.