Introduction
- 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.
- 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.
- Use source control – Check in your .csproj references using relative paths (e.g.,
..\..\DeveloperKit10.8\DotNet\ReferenceAssemblies).
- Test on clean VM – Validate your add-in on a machine without Visual Studio to ensure all required ArcObjects dependencies are correctly packaged.
- 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.