https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/double-click-shapefile-or-file-gdb-in-windows/idi-p/952306 <P>This seems like it ought to be a very small task and very helpful.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Please <STRONG>register ArcGIS Pro&nbsp;(ArcMap or ArcCatalog) </STRONG>in the Windows registry as the application to open if you <STRONG>double-click </STRONG>on a <STRONG>".shp" shapefile</STRONG> or&nbsp;<STRONG>file geodatabase&nbsp;</STRONG>icon in <STRONG>Windows Explorer </STRONG>(or My Computer, as it is often called.)&nbsp; And enable ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap and ArcCatalog to open and display a shapefile if it is used as a <STRONG>command line parameter</STRONG>.&nbsp; Perhaps you could make this a configurable setting, so that the user can select whether they want Pro, ArcMap or ArcCatalog as the default.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>There's only been one ESRI app to ever actually do this.&nbsp; That was ArcExplorer 2.0.&nbsp; However, ESRI has deprecated this product and you can't find it on their website anymore.&nbsp; I still install it on my computers from my local copy, so that I can have a quick view of a shapefile if I'm browsing a disk in Windows Explorer and I don't want to take the time to go find and start up Pro/ArcMap/ArcCatalog.</P> Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:28:15 GMT DavidWheelock 2026-03-02T18:28:15Z https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/double-click-shapefile-or-file-gdb-in-windows/idi-p/952306 <P>This seems like it ought to be a very small task and very helpful.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Please <STRONG>register ArcGIS Pro&nbsp;(ArcMap or ArcCatalog) </STRONG>in the Windows registry as the application to open if you <STRONG>double-click </STRONG>on a <STRONG>".shp" shapefile</STRONG> or&nbsp;<STRONG>file geodatabase&nbsp;</STRONG>icon in <STRONG>Windows Explorer </STRONG>(or My Computer, as it is often called.)&nbsp; And enable ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap and ArcCatalog to open and display a shapefile if it is used as a <STRONG>command line parameter</STRONG>.&nbsp; Perhaps you could make this a configurable setting, so that the user can select whether they want Pro, ArcMap or ArcCatalog as the default.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>There's only been one ESRI app to ever actually do this.&nbsp; That was ArcExplorer 2.0.&nbsp; However, ESRI has deprecated this product and you can't find it on their website anymore.&nbsp; I still install it on my computers from my local copy, so that I can have a quick view of a shapefile if I'm browsing a disk in Windows Explorer and I don't want to take the time to go find and start up Pro/ArcMap/ArcCatalog.</P> Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:28:15 GMT https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/double-click-shapefile-or-file-gdb-in-windows/idi-p/952306 DavidWheelock 2026-03-02T18:28:15Z