ARCHIVED: About ArcGIS for Desktop license levels

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The ArcGIS for Desktop integrated suite of geographic information system ( GIS) software is available in three license levels: Basic (formerly ArcView), Standard (formerly ArcEditor), and Advanced (formerly ArcInfo). All license levels share the same core applications (ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and ArcToolbox), user interface, and development environment. Each license level also provides additional GIS functionality as you transition from Basic to Advanced. UITS provides support for only the Basic and Advanced license levels.

To determine which desktop GIS license you need, see ArcGIS for Desktop: Pricing.

Some departments or research groups purchase licenses for a single product level (such as Advanced), and use that product level exclusively. To save money, some groups also share a pool of licenses (for example, both Basic and Advanced) among co-workers. Users in this situation must have appropriate privileges to change the license levels and must know how to do so.

If you need to change your ArcGIS product level, see Change the product level in ArcGIS Desktop.