Introduction

  1. Keep your SDK installer backup – Store the downloaded EXE on a network share or DevOps artifact repository. Esri may remove older versions from My Esri over time.
  2. Do not mix versions – Develop against the exact SDK version that matches your deployment environment. If your users run ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.1, download SDK 10.8.1.
  3. Use source control – Check in your .csproj references using relative paths (e.g., ..\..\DeveloperKit10.8\DotNet\ReferenceAssemblies).
  4. Test on clean VM – Validate your add-in on a machine without Visual Studio to ensure all required ArcObjects dependencies are correctly packaged.
  5. Monitor Esri GeoNet – The ArcObjects SDK forum is active and helpful for version-specific quirks.

Sign in to My Esri
Use your organization’s account (the one linked to your ArcGIS Desktop licenses).

Important Note
ArcObjects SDK 10.8 is the final release that supports ArcMap, ArcCatalog, and other ArcGIS Desktop applications. Esri has since shifted focus to the ArcGIS Pro SDK (modern 64-bit, ribbon-based). New development should target ArcGIS Pro unless maintaining legacy systems.