Why is ArcGIS Pro so slow?

[ClintonJenkins1]

I like ArcGIS Pro. It is clearly a step forward in many ways. But why is it so slow for what are very simple things that should be nearly instantaneous. For example, if I want to adjust the symbology of something, ever single step causes the program to whir and think for about ten seconds, even when the layer is turned off! What exactly does it have to think about when the layer is not even rendering?

Almost every action in the program seems to generate some unknown processing demand. I can understand if the map is updating or a tool is running, but it seems to be for everything. This really drags down productivity and leaves me frustrated. If it wasn´t for this, I´d probably start switching to Pro completely. With all these lags though, it is impossible.

None of the data are on the network. Windows 10 machine, 32GB ram, fast video card not even close to maxed out. Most data are on SSD drives. 

[MarcoBoeringa]

I do also recommend to regularly clear out the geoprocessing history in Pro. Just like in ArcMap, Pro accumulates a lot of junk in the geoprocessing history, which can significantly bloat the project file (this was also a problem in ArcMap, I once had an mxd of > 50MB due to this), and slow down save and open times of projects.

[AdrianMarsden]

We currently view Pro as Alpha release quality and have no plans to move away from Desktop, it simply isn't fit for the job.  It looks good, the interface brings back lost features from ArcView 3.x project files and it has potential.  It just is so slow

[JeffBishop]

Totally agree, there are some very nice features but man it creeps. 

I am running an 8 core Xeon 2.4 GHZ, 32 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro RTX300.

My cheesy admin laptop is faster with ArcMap! 

[JeffBishop]

Please vote up here: https://community.esri.com/ideas/18217 

[FilipKuzman]

I am using Pro 2.5 and still can't believe how buggy and slow it is. It crashes almost every second day and it is really not productive to work with it because it is so sloooow. In some cases to open Geoprocessing tool, it takes up to 3-5 minutes. Open, not run... And I am supposed to convince people to use ArcGIS Pro. How? I really like the concept, idea, everything. And even this is acceptable if we would see some feedback from ESRI that this will be addressed. When? Does anybody work on this? Or we have to wait until version 10 to get stable and fast software...

[MIRSACAIZAWL]

Has the 2.6 updates solved all these slow issues? 

[DanPatterson]

What's new in ArcGIS Pro 2.6—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation 

https://community.esri.com/community/arcgis-ideas/blog/2020/07/28/ideas-in-arcgis-pro-26-a-large-gat... 

Lots of improvements, some related to the speed at which things are done for sure

[IngridMans]

Right after my upgrade to 2.6, I've noticed much slower performance, including for simple tasks like rendering a single layer on a map or closing a project. Not really sure what to try.

[LouisHill1]

I discovered two "fixes" for me.  Combined, they made a world of difference in reducing the 'lag time' I experienced.  Before I took these steps, there was a 20-30 second delay in ArcGIS Pro between switching tools (edit --> clear selected --> save) or switching commands.

1) Updated Graphics Card driver (mine was 6 months out of date)

2) Add ArcGIS Pro to the Windows 10 Defender "exclusion list"

FYI, I'm running WIN 10 Pro, Intel i7-9700 3.00GHz CPU (8 cores 4.7GHZ max), 64-bit OK, 500GB SSD, AMD Radeon ProWX3200

[Anonymous User]

Adding Pro to the Windows Defender exclusion list makes a HUGE difference in the general responsiveness of the application.  Highly recommend doing this.