topic Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS in ArcGIS Pro Questions

How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

TanishqTanmay — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 14:51:57 GMT

I have the ArcGIS Pro license and have it installed on my computer. I run all python scripts on my University's High-Performance computing (HPCC) server which is a cloud based platform. Now, I want to install ArcPy module on my server. Is it possible to do that?

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

DanPatterson — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:28:02 GMT

you can't, Pro must be installed

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

Robert_LeClair — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 21:30:58 GMT

@DanPatterson is correct. The ArcPy package is part of the default Python distribution that is provided by ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Server. You can learn more about it here.

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

Brian_Wilson — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:02:43 GMT

When you try to install the arcpy module on a machine without Pro, it stops with "unable to locate a valid ArcGIS product" etc.

@Robert_LeClair Can you install a licensed copy of arc pro on the server to get the DLLs and then run arcpy there? Obviously Pro is a Windows product so this would not work on a Linux server. But what about Windows?

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

Robert_LeClair — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 17:19:17 GMT

I don't see why not. If you're installing ArcGIS Pro on the server, then the ArcPy modules are installed there as well. Then you can run your code on the server.

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

JoabelBarbieri — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:10:21 GMT

This is so stupid. You have to install a monster (Pro) to use arcpy in a server. Absurd! You could just sign in or point to lic srv and be done with it...Esri being Esri

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

Robert_LeClair — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:26:54 GMT

From the Esri Technical Support FAQ - "Can ArcPy be used without installing ArcGIS Pro?" - "It is possible to use ArcPy without having ArcGIS Pro installed on the machine. However, another application must be installed to be able to use ArcPy, such as ArcGIS Server. ArcPy is a site package that is part of the default Python distribution in the arcgispro-py3 Python environment with ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Server. If neither ArcGIS Pro nor ArcGIS Server is installed locally on the machine, ArcPy cannot locate its license."

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

VenkataKondepati — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:42:46 GMT

Agreed — I’ve run into the same limitation.

Today, ArcPy is tightly coupled to a local ArcGIS Pro or Server install and a valid license, which makes cloud-native and CI/CD use cases unnecessarily hard. Decoupling ArcPy into a headless, service-friendly library with a separate license model would unlock true cloud execution, scalable automation, and modern DevOps workflows.

That shift would be a big win for enterprise GIS teams trying to move beyond desktop-bound processing.

Re: How to use ArcPy without installing ArcGIS

JoshuaBixby — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 15:10:05 GMT

The answer to this need used to be ArcGIS Engine, but that product was never migrated to ArcGIS Pro runtimes, and now Esri is retiring it this March.