The October 2025 update to ArcGIS Online has arrived, along with some exciting new features for editing in Map Viewer. We’ve rolled out two brand‑new tools – Split and Merge – plus a tricked-out selection experience that makes it easy to fine‑tune exactly which features you’re working with. Need to carve a single feature into two? Check. Merge multiple features into one? Got it. Adjust your selection on the fly? Piece of cake. In this article, we’ll show you how to get started. So grab a pumpkin spice latte and let’s dive in.
Editing in Map Viewer
If you’ve edited data in Map Viewer before, you already know your way around. Click the Edit button to open the Editor pane and you’ll find a handy toolbar across the top of the pane.
Initially, you see tools for selecting features on the map. As you drill in, the options vary. The toolbar is contextual, meaning it only shows the tools you might actually need for the job at hand. With this update, we’ve souped it up with more options for advanced geometry editing- like Split and Merge, along with a handful of tools for quickly refining your selection. Let’s take a closer look:
New Split Tool
The Split button appears on the toolbar when you’re editing a single feature. Click Split, select a draw tool, then sketch a shape on the map to define where the split will occur. The feature is then divided into two separate features. For example, you might split a large parcel into two smaller ones based on a recent property division.
Before submitting your changes, you can review and update the attributes for either of the new features.
New Merge Tool
The Merge button appears on the toolbar when you’re editing two or more features in the same layer. You can also access it from the list of selected features. Click to open the Options menu (…) for the layer, then select Merge these features. In this example, we’ll merge two adjacent parcels into a single feature to reflect a recent property consolidation.
Before merging, you can review each feature and choose which set of attributes to keep. Hover over a feature in the list and watch it light up on the map. This helpful visual cue enables you to confirm exactly which feature you’re working with before finalizing your edits.
New Selection Tools
Refining your selections in Map Viewer just got easier. A new drop-down on the toolbar gives you three handy new tools to hone your selection:
- Replace selection – Swap your current selection for an entirely new one.
- Add to selection – missed a feature? Add it to the current selection without starting over.
- Remove from selection – Grabbed too many features? Quickly trim the extras.
Summary
We’re always working to expand editing capabilities in Map Viewer. With the latest update, we’ve added new options for completing more advanced editing tasks- like splitting and merging features. We’ve also dropped in handy new tools for quickly fine-tuning your selection on the map. We hope these updates help you take your editing in Map Viewer to the next level. As always, hop on over to Community to share your feedback, keep an eye out for more exciting enhancements coming your way, and have a very mappy Halloween.
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