Similarly, new documents cannot be opened in earlier versions of the software however, you can use the Save A Copy command to make a copy of a map document so you can open and work with it in previous versions of ArcGIS. mxd file), the map can no longer be opened with earlier versions of ArcGIS because it will now reflect the new functionality. In most cases, after you open and save an existing map document (. Package Saving to previous versions of ArcGIS Share your map and its related data with other users. The map with its data using a map package, which can be used to Map layers reference theĭata sources in your GIS database. ArcMap automatically appends a file extensionĭisplayed on a map is not saved with it. The map before, you'll need to provide a name and save it into aįolder location. You save a mapĪs a document and store it on your hard drive. Working on a map, you can save it and exit ArcMap. How to save a map to a previous version of ArcGIS.Functionality and properties that are removed when saving to a previous release.Geodatabases and saving map documents to previous versions.