idea Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes

AlfredBaldenweck — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:28:18 GMT

Pro 3.5 at time of writing

Please let us create map series off of Map Notes (without having to re-add them to the map)

Steps to reproduce this issue:

Create new map in new project
Add map notes
Populate one of the map notes (point, line, or polygon) with at least two records
Insert layout
Add map from step one in a map frame to layout
Try to add map series
1. Can't.
Add a non-map note feature layer to map
Try to add map series
1. Success

Strangely enough, if you add the same map notes in again as a new layer, it works just fine for them.

This is super weird. I use map notes all the time for a quick "I need to draw something" and occasionally that something has to be printed in a map series. I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but I shouldn't have to re-add my map notes to use them in a map series. Could we please change this behaviour?

Re: Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes - Status changed to: Under Consideration

AubriOtis — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:33:39 GMT

Re: Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes

PaulPrevedoros1 — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 02:00:58 GMT

Isnt the issue that to create a map series, you must have a map. On the creation of a map that has no map data then none of the elements that make a featureclass to a feature layer are applied to the map ie Spatial Reference extent etc. Your map notes would be essentially dimensionless and thus the creation of a map series in undefined space is moot.

That is why it works when you add data the defines the map space. I suspect that if you define spatial reference extent in the failing scenario, the map series will work.

Just a thought

Re: Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes - Status changed to: In Product Plan

AubriOtis — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:43:22 GMT

Re: Allow Spatial Map Series to be based on Map Notes - Status changed to: Implemented

AubriOtis — Tue, 19 May 2026 18:40:51 GMT

Implemented in ArcGIS Pro 3.7