Starting May 8th, 2026, most Esri Community members will no longer be able to add freeform tags to their posts. Esri Community MVPs and Esri staff accounts will initially be excluded from this change; however, both user types will undergo the same discontinuation during phases that follow.
Historical freeform tags—those already published on content—are not immediately being removed. They will be removed entirely on a future date as a final step in this process.
This update reflects changing best practices for many online communities to optimize content for cleaner navigation and improved findability. Our team has carefully audited tag use in this Community to determine that this removal will benefit our users.
See How to use tags and labels for definitions of tag use.
What isn’t changing: Predefined labels will continue to be used throughout Esri Community where they are made available, and new labels will continue to be added as needed.
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between freeform tags and predefined labels?
A: Freeform tags (or just “tags”) are a single keyword or a phrase intended to describe the topic, theme, or subject of a post. Any member can add them to a post they’ve authored, and there is no limit to how many can be included at a time. Predefined labels (or just “labels”) are used to help categorize posts based on their themes or content. Labels are added by Esri Community Admins at the request of Place Managers or User Group Owners, and members can select from an available list of label options when publishing posts.
Q: Why remove tags but not labels?
A: The open-ended nature of tags is susceptible to misspellings, duplicate versions of the same tags, and numerous incorrect uses. As a result, freeform tags in Esri Community now exceed 100,000 with few options for correcting errors or imposing organization. On the other hand, label creation involves Place Managers, User Group Owners, and Esri Community Admins who provide oversight to ensure thoughtful selection that supports desired outcomes. Labels provide a more consistent, organized means of searching for and categorizing posts.
Q: Will tags that have been created in the past be removed, or does this change just prevent the creation of new tags?
A: During initial stages of this update, the ability to add new tags will be turned off for users in a phased approach, but historical tags will remain with posts they have been added to. Historical tags will eventually be removed entirely. The Esri Community team will provide updates to groups impacted by specific phases of this process.
