Troubleshooting ArcGIS Pro like an Esri Canada Support Analyst: Part 2 (Named User Licensing)

Welcome to the second post in our Troubleshooting ArcGIS Pro like an Esri Canada Support Analyst series. While part 1 focused on troubleshooting performance, crashes and data issues, the goal of this blog post is to help you troubleshoot Named User Licensing issues in ArcGIS Pro. I’m sure that you’ve at least encountered one of the error messages discussed in this blog post at some point in your ArcGIS career. 

Before reading through the blog post, you must first confirm that you’re using the Named User License type in ArcGIS Pro. ArcGIS Pro is set to Named User License type by default, but you can still confirm that from the Settings page in ArcGIS Pro as demonstrated below:

In the following section, I’ll demonstrate the most common errors/issues that you may encounter when accessing ArcGIS Pro using the Named User License type. Each error has an explanation on what the cause is and how to resolve it.

Error: “ArcGIS Pro was not able to download license from the licensing portal.” or “Your account is not licensed for ArcGIS Pro. Please....”

Cause: The username was not assigned ArcGIS Pro license from the licensing portal ArcGIS Online/Portal for ArcGIS.

How to fix it: Have the portal Administrator assign ArcGIS Pro license to username from ArcGIS Online.

Error: “The username you entered is not a member of this organization”

Cause: When the licensing portal is set to a specific organization URL and the username is not a part of that organization.

How to fix it

: In the ArcGIS Pro settings, Under the Portals options, right-click http://www.arcgis.com/ or your organization’s URL and select 'Set as active portal'. This should allow you to sign in.

Issue: When ArcGIS Pro closes without error messages.

Possible cause: License may be unavailable/ expired.

How to fix it: Verify in the Licensing tab in ArcGIS Pro settings that there is a valid license. If not, contact Administrator/Customer Service.

Issue: “Authorize ArcGIS Pro to work offline” is NOT checked but disabled.

Cause: “Prevent members from taking ArcGIS Pro offline” is enabled in ArcGIS Online.

How to fix it: Sign ArcGIS Online Organization Account as Administrator > Organization > Licenses > Disable “Prevent members from taking ArcGIS Pro offline”

Issue: Unable to return offline Pro license - The setting “Authorize ArcGIS Pro to work offline” is checked but disabled.

Cause: The user is not signed in to the licensing portal online.

How to fix it: Go to Project > Portals. Find the portal connection containing the key on the icon; this is the licensing portal. Right click > Sign in.

If you still have issues with your Named User Licensing or if you have other related questions, please contact us in Technical Support. We’re happy to help!

Open from 8am-8pm EST

Phone us 1-877-441-0337 or email support@esri.ca

Useful Links:

Essential ArcGIS Pro licensing terms: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/licensing-glossary.htm

ArcGIS Pro Named-User license: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/named-user-licenses.htm

Assign ArcGIS Pro licenses in ArcGIS Online: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/assign-named-user-licenses-in-arcgis-online.htm

Sign-in troubleshooting: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/sign-in-troubleshooting.htm

FAQ: What are some common questions about ArcGIS Pro Licensing? https://support.esri.com/en/technical-article/000012574

Credited for helping with the content: Bradley Thompson & Josphat Mutunga