idea Basemap label control in Layout in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Basemap label control in Layout

ErikStrand — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:31:25 GMT

ESRI's default basemap layers (I frequently use the Human Geography basemap) are incredibly useful. Unfortunately, getting these to appear visually in layouts and exported maps is a huge pain. A couple of primary pain points:

Labels do not jitter based on visual extent/map frame boundaries. Exported layouts frequently show labels that are partially cut off.
Labels appear and disappear based on zoom and extent. This is helpful for exploration, but in production, it's often helpful to have tighter control over which labels do and don't show up. (see screenshot - street labels appear in Map view, but disappear in Layout view at similar zoom)

I would benefit greatly from a feature allowing increased control over label appearance - placement, size, and inclusion/exclusion. The current workarounds are to build custom label layers, manually edit in Illustrator, or edit label JSON to exercise greater control - all are significantly time-consuming.

Re: Basemap label control in Layout

Laura — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:16:16 GMT

Have you used the basemap editor? https://vtse.arcgis.com/

Re: Basemap label control in Layout

CraigWilliams — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:21:06 GMT

Label placement for vector tiles is quite simplified and geared towards performance. The type of control you're looking for is best achieved with feature data in the map and using the Maplex label engine.

Re: Basemap label control in Layout

ErikStrand — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:27:33 GMT

Yes, I've used basemap editor and have found workarounds using the Maplex engine with feature data. However these are both fairly complex (especially VTSE) and time-consuming for what often end up being very minor edits, such as a slight jitter on 1-2 labels that are actually visible in a layout extent.

Is there a middle ground that offers basemap layers in a more dynamic way as needed? Perhaps not a change to the default vector tile structure so as to not tank performance, but maybe a quick way to export vector tile labels within a given extent into a separate feature layer, or something. A happy medium that allows for clean export-ready maps using vector tile inputs without sacrificing the performance-oriented placement structure globally.