Troubleshooting FAQs in GIS software

The list below includes helpers for common troubleshooting questions.

On this page:

Interface & Organization

If your data is moved from its original location (i.e., the path no longer leads to the same data set), then your data link is said to be “broken.”
- To fix this issue in ArcGIS Pro, see Broken Links.
In ArcGIS Pro, see Using Bookmarks for Map Views.
In QGIS, see Using Bookmarks for Map Views.
When in doubt, right-click. You can generally find what you’re seeking in the menu that pops up.
For your data layers’ properties, see All About Layer Properties in ArcGIS Pro and in QGIS.

Yes! And please do! We demonstrate the steps in the Starting a New Project & Basic Settings tutorial (under Accessing Global Settings and Options).
See Which Esri Extensions is My Software Licensed to Use?

Regardless of your software, try these:
- Check the data types of the fields in each table upon which your join is based. Table joins require those fields to be of the same data type.
- Convert both tables to a GIS-native file type. Attribute tables within feature classes, shapefiles, etc, are GIS-native. As are standalone tables within geodatabases and geopackages. CSVs and Excel sheets, however, are not.
- Check for “leading spaces” or other invisible characters in your join fields. Trim these as needed.
- Last resort (but it often works): Open a brand new, clean project file. Add your tables, then join.
The short version: Whether you’re using field values as a basis for a join or for other purposes, best practices include
- Adding a clean table into your GIS software. By “clean” we mean “without Excel formulas” as cell values.
- Preferably, adding a standalone table as a CSV, then export it as a GIS-native table type.
- If you add an Excel sheet to a map project, it should definitely be devoid of any formulas and definitely export it as a GIS-native table type.
A little bit more information: We know that numeric characters can look like number values while being stored as text strings. Excel does the same by populating cells with numeric values but those values are stored as formulas.

In ArcGIS Pro, see Adding Rasters to a Map Project (pyramids & statistics).
If a shapefile is missing its .prj (or any vector dataset has the wrong CRS), you can “define the projection/CRS” to repair it. (Note that this is not the same as reprojecting a dataset.)
For ArcGIS Pro, see Defining the Projection of a Vector Feature Class. For QGIS, see Defining the Projection of a Vector Dataset.

For ArcGIS Pro, see Changing the Maximum Sample Size (Quantitative Symbology Options).
If you are trying to calculate geometry attributes with unprojected input features, you will not see all of the geometry property options until you specify the CRS for the calculation. (For example, you’ll see the option to calculate geodesic area, but the option to calculate area.) This is because the default CRS for geometry calculations is that of the input feature class. Once you specify a projected CRS for the calculation, the other options will be available.
Check that there are no spaces in your file names, in your folder names, or (really) anywhere in your paths.
Start a new project. Add your data layers (wherever you left off) and continue your work. Sometimes it just helps to have a clean workspace.

YES!
In ArcGIS Pro the short answer is right-click on the tool’s name and you’ll find the batch processing option (if one exists for the tool). For more, see Batch Processing (almost) any tool in ArcGIS Pro.
For QGIS, the same process is an option, and most tools also have an “Execute as a Batch Process” option within the tool’s dialogue box. For more, see Batch Processing (almost) any tool in QGIS.
See Setting up Parallel Processing.
You can review your processing history and re-execute tools (and/or modify their inputs). For ArcGIS Pro, see Accessing Geoprocessing History & Results.