idea Allow multiple basemaps in Pro in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Allow multiple basemaps in Pro

JanetBrewster1 — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:32:47 GMT

Please allow us to have multiple basemaps in Pro maps!

Sometimes I like to overlay imagery with topo maps, one of which has a transparency. Sometimes I like to compare multiple basemaps and quickly flip between them. But most of all, it's just a pain to have to constantly add a different basemap ONE AT A TIME.

This worked really well in ArcMap. Why did you all take it away??

In "Questions", I see that there is a workaround by adjusting one's organization account. Well, not everyone has access to admin rights. And I should not have to rely on my organization to give me access to basemaps. This is pretty basic stuff, Esri!

Re: Allow multiple basemaps in Pro

tikola — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:26:19 GMT

Are all basemaps part of Living Atlas? At least few I found there immediately. So just take same map as a layer of your normal data and adjust it there. I just take Newspaper map which belongs to Esri global basemap category in a top of my normal basemap and adjusted its transparency and it worked well.

So yes basemaps are part of your organisational/system settings and you have to choose just one. However does it make any difference if same layer is picked up somewhere else in ArcGIS Pro rather than from basemap menu? In functionality sense it makes no difference - just opening the data is different process.

Re: Allow multiple basemaps in Pro

JesseWickizer — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:30:10 GMT

When I want to keep a map's basemap and add another, here's what I do:

Copy the existing basemap layers in the Contents pane.
Change the basemap from the basemap gallery and the current basemap is replaced.
Right-click the map name in the Contents pane and paste to add the previous basemaps back into the map.