Assigning field value based on location without join – Two different feature layers

What is the difference between join data from another layer based on spatial location and join attributes from a table?

Join by location, or spatial join, uses spatial associations between the layers involved to append fields from one layer to another. Spatial joins are different from attribute and relationship class joins in that they are not dynamic and require the results to be saved to a new output layer.

What is a spatial join in ArcGIS?

A spatial join matches rows from the Join Features values to the Target Features values based on their relative spatial locations. By default, all attributes of the join features are appended to attributes of the target features and copied to the output feature class.

How do I turn off multiple fields in ArcGIS?

Click the Fields tab. Check or uncheck the box next to a field. Click the Turn all fields on or off button, hold down CTRL and click a check box, or press CTRL+SPACEBAR when a field is highlighted in the list.