This is an old post, but in case anyone is still having this problem (or encounters this problem), you will notice that in data view you can see your map/data, but in layout view it's gone. If this happens, don't try and ajdust the map scale or zoom in/out, simply click on layout view at the bottom of the display, then right click on the display screen and then click on Full Extent (it has the globe icon next to it). This should bring your map/data into full view on the display screen. Do this everytime your layout disappears. Works everytime!
Kelly: I read a solution. If your data disappears once you are in layout view right click on the layout and select full extent. However, when I tried to do it and right-click on the layout there was not full extent icon. I also tried to go to the full extent icon outside layout view and didn't work either. I manage a computer lab with ArcGIS 10.2.2 and Business Analyst, and the behavior seems random but it is there for several computers. So, I am back to the same problem.
More suggestions?
If it is a projection issue or if there are features in the map which are literally one the other side of the world then you'll get a lot of 'negative space'. Check you scale. If it is less than 1: many millions then try the following.
While in Layout view.
Go to the table of contents and right click on one of the layers.
Open up the Attributes of a particular layer (perhaps a polygon such one that delineates a boundary) that you are using and then select one (or more) of the records.
Right click on the this and then choose Zoom to Selected.
Zoom out.
This keeps happening to me when I attempt to print my layout view. The whole page seems to disappear. If I click on the dataframe and choose select all elements, then choose zoom to selected elements I find my map data at 2% on the layout toolbar and a million miles to the left of the data frame????
I have no idea why
I've tried everything above but no luck. I've seen it mentioned (in another thread I think) that it happened to someone when they started messing around with their print settings.
This was also the case for me as I'm working with a 50x50" layout.
What worked for me was File >> Page & Print Setup >> and then make SOME kind of change there (e.g. add 0.1" to the width). As soon as I hit okay, everything comes back, then I go back and undo that change.
This happens when the original creator of the template or map hid some element way off to the side (a bad practice IMHO). It also happens when you change the size of a page/frame significantly, because some element like scale text may be outside your view. Sometimes one element just moves way, way off the map frame. If you can find and select the map frame element, you can edit its X and Y properties to bring it back onto the page. It is easier to just delete all the other misplaced elements.
ArcPro 2.4.1 My map doesn't show in layout view or my map, so I turned off all the layers except the map. I found that when I imported my .mxd from ArcMap, ArcPro included the base map to be clipped with my DataFrame, instead of excluded. The fix is here.
Esri would you turn this off by default, PLEASE?
Map Series | Layout Properties
I think I was having a similar issue recently. I would set a scale field in the attribute table of a grid layer. When I set the scale of the data driven pages to use that scale, my map, data and layout, would be blank. I could not use the globe button or zoom to a layer.
Solution: I went into the properties of the Basemap Layer at the top of the Table of Contents and set the coordinate system to the correct one. (I think Data Pages changed the CS). Fixed!!
You can toggle draft mode when you are in Layout view either via the Layout tool bar or by right clicking and selecting "Toggle Draft Mode".
For more info:
http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//0103000001q3000000.htm