ArcGIS Desktop Installation – Install ArcMap for Single User on Windows 10

arcgis-desktoparcmapinstallation

I want to install ArcMap 10.8.1 not for all users of a Laptop but only for a single user. Is there a way to do so on Windows 10?

Best Answer

Short answer, no. ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) only allows Per-Machine installation while ArcGIS Pro allows Per-Machine and Per-User installations.

The answer can be inferred through Esri's documentation. Reading through Installing ArcGIS Desktop on your computer, there is no mention of either per-machine or per-user installation, but the screenshots only show a per-machine installation. It isn't explicit, but the inference is accurate. Reading through Install ArcGIS Pro, per-machine and per-user installations are explicitly mentioned.

You can make either a per-machine installation (the default) or a per-user installation of ArcGIS Pro. A per-machine installation allows any user to run ArcGIS Pro on the computer on which it is installed. A per-user installation allows only the user who installs it to run the application.

Regardless of what the documentation states, what really matters is how the installer is configured because that is reality regardless of what a web page says. One can use PowerShell and WindowsInstaller COM to get a definitely answer.

PS C:\> $MsiPackages = @() # Array of paths to Pro and ArcMap installers
PS C:\> foreach ($MsiPath in $MsiPackages) {
>>     $MsiDb = (New-Object -ComObject "WindowsInstaller.Installer").OpenDatabase($MsiPath, 0)
>>     $MsiSql = @(
>>        "SELECT Property, Value FROM Property WHERE"
>>        "Property = 'ProductName' OR"
>>        "Property = 'ProductVersion' OR"
>>        "Property = 'ALLUSERS'"
>>     ) -join " "
>>     $MsiDbView = $MsiDb.OpenView($MsiSql)
>>     $MsiDbView.Execute()
>>     while ($MsiRecord = $MsiDbView.Fetch()) {
>>         "$($MsiRecord.StringData(1)), $($MsiRecord.StringData(2))"
>>     }
>>     ""
>> }
>>
ALLUSERS, 1
ProductName, ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.2
ProductVersion, 10.8.28388

ProductName, ArcGIS Pro
ProductVersion, 2.9.32739
ALLUSERS, 2

According to ALLUSERS property - Win32 apps:

  • An ALLUSERS property value of 1 specifies the per-machine installation context.
  • The value ALLUSERS=2 enables the system to reset the value of ALLUSERS, and the installation context, dependent upon the user's privileges and the version of Windows.

So, according to the Windows Installers themselves, ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) can only be installed Per-Machine while ArcGIS Pro can be either Per-Machine or Per-User.

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