How to Export Your Family Tree as a GEDCOM File

What a GEDCOM file is

GEDCOM (short for Genealogical Data Communication) is the common language of family history software. It is a plain text file, usually ending in .ged, that lists every person in your tree with their names, dates, places, relationships, notes and source citations. Because every major website and program can read and write it, it is the way to move a tree from one place to another, and the file I ask for when you order a chart.

Two things it does not contain: photographs and record images. Some programs include links to where those were stored, but the pictures themselves stay behind. For a printed ancestral chart that makes no difference, because the chart uses names, dates and places only.

Ancestry

Ancestry builds the file for you and offers it as a download from the tree's settings page.

Log in to Ancestry and open the Trees menu at the top. Choose the tree you want.
Click the tree name at the top left of the tree view and choose Tree Settings.
On the right, under Manage your tree, click Export tree.
Wait while Ancestry prepares the file. A small tree takes seconds; a large one can take a few minutes. Stay on the page.
When the button changes to Download your GEDCOM file, click it. The .ged file saves to your Downloads folder.

There is a longer version of these steps, with Ancestry’s own video, in How to Download a GEDCOM File from Ancestry.com.

MyHeritage

MyHeritage prepares the export in the background and emails you a link rather than downloading it straight away.

Log in to your family site.
Hover over Family tree in the top menu and click Manage trees.
Find your tree in the list and click Export to GEDCOM in the Actions column on the right.
You are asked whether to include photos. Either answer is fine for a chart. Click Begin the export.
Watch for an email from MyHeritage, usually within a few minutes. Open it and use the download link to save the .ged file.

Findmypast

Findmypast has the quickest export of the big websites: one click from your list of trees.

Log in and click Family tree (labelled “My Family Tree” on some versions of the site) at the top of the page.
If you have more than one tree, choose the option to view all trees.
To the right of the tree’s name are three icons: Settings, Export tree and Delete tree. Hover over them to see the labels and click Export tree.
The .ged file downloads immediately to your computer.

FamilySearch

FamilySearch is the exception. Its help centre is blunt about it: “You cannot download GEDCOM files from Family Tree.” Family Tree is one shared tree for everyone, so there is no “your tree” to export. An experimental export tool was offered for a while on FamilySearch’s Labs site, but it has since been withdrawn.

The working route is a desktop program that connects to FamilySearch. All of these are free:

Install one of RootsMagic Essentials (free edition), Ancestral Quest Basics or Legacy Family Tree 10. All three are FamilySearch-certified.
Open the program, create a new empty file, and use its FamilySearch menu to sign in with your FamilySearch account.
Find yourself in Family Tree and choose the option to download ancestors. Set the number of generations you want (six or more for a chart).
When the download finishes, use the program’s own Export GEDCOM command (the RootsMagic steps are below).

If that feels like too much, you can skip the GEDCOM altogether and fill in the simple spreadsheet I send with every order instead. Six generations is only 63 people at most.

RootsMagic 11

Open your database, then go to the Files page, choose Export Data, then GEDCOM File.
Pick a folder and type a file name.
In the export dialog, under People to export, choose Everyone (or use Select from list to pick just one branch).
Under Privacy options, if it asks whether to Privatize living people, say no. See the note below on why.
Click OK. The .ged file is written to the folder you chose.

Family Tree Maker 2024

Open the tree, then choose Export from the File menu.
Choose Entire file (or Selected individuals for one branch).
In the Output format list choose a GEDCOM option; GEDCOM 5.5 is the one every other program reads.
If it asks whether to Privatize living people, say no. You do not need Include media files.
Click OK, confirm the destination, give the file a name and click Save. The steps are the same on the Mac version.

Legacy, Family Historian, Gramps and MacFamilyTree

Every desktop program follows the same pattern: a GEDCOM option under the File menu’s Export command.

Legacy Family Tree 10: File → Export To → GEDCOM File.
Family Historian 7: File → Export → GEDCOM File. Family Historian stores your tree as a GEDCOM already, so this is mostly a copy.
Gramps: Family Trees → Export, then choose GEDCOM as the format.
MacFamilyTree 10: File → Export → GEDCOM.

Before you send the file

Four things worth a minute’s check, because they are the ones that most often need a follow-up email:

If the export asks whether to privatise living people, say no. That option replaces every living person’s name with the word “Living”, so you, your parents and often your grandparents would come out blank on the chart. The file goes only to me, and it is deleted six months after your order as set out in the Privacy Policy.
Know who goes in the centre. The chart radiates out from one person or one couple. When you upload the file you are asked to confirm their full name and date (or year) of birth, both people for a couples chart, so I can find exactly the right person in the file. Everyone else on the chart is worked out from there.
Names and dates come across exactly as typed. A name entered as “MCEWAN” arrives in capitals; “abt 1852” arrives as “abt 1852”. You do not need to tidy any of this before sending. I run a data-integrity check on every file and highlight anything that needs your decision before the proof is drawn: a surname spelt two ways, a date that does not fit the generation, a parent missing from a line. You confirm what should appear on the chart before it goes to print.
Gaps are fine. If a line stops at a great-grandparent, choose the incomplete-chart layout and the empty segments are designed in rather than left as holes. You do not need to fill them in before ordering.

What happens to the file when you order

As soon as your payment is confirmed you receive a welcome email. Attached to it are a data-collection spreadsheet (in Excel and CSV versions), a step-by-step guide to filling it in, and your invoice. The spreadsheet goes to everyone, because at the point of ordering I do not know whether you will send a GEDCOM or type the names in; use whichever suits you.

The email also gives you a username and password for your own private client portal. There are two ways to send your data:

Upload it in the portal (recommended). Choose the .ged file, confirm the full name and date of birth of the person or couple at the centre, and click upload. The portal also lets you check your delivery address and send me a secure message.
Reply to the welcome email with the .ged file or the completed spreadsheet attached.

I then read the file, pull out the six generations from your centre person or couple, run the data-integrity check described above, and come back to you with anything that needs a decision. Once that is settled, I lay the names out on the design you chose and send a digital proof for your approval before anything is printed. The file itself is used only for your chart, never shared, and deleted six months after the order.

Frequently asked questions

What is a GEDCOM file?

A GEDCOM (.ged) file is the standard text format for exchanging family tree data. Almost every genealogy website and program can export one and import one. It contains names, dates, places, relationships, notes and source citations, but not the photographs or record images themselves.

Will my photos be included in the GEDCOM export?

No. A GEDCOM is a text file. Some programs include links to where the photos were stored, but the image files themselves are not embedded. For a printed ancestral chart this does not matter, because the chart uses names, dates and places only.

Can I export a GEDCOM directly from FamilySearch?

Not from the website itself. FamilySearch’s help centre states that you cannot download GEDCOM files from Family Tree. Instead, use a FamilySearch-compatible desktop program such as RootsMagic, Ancestral Quest or Legacy Family Tree: sign in to FamilySearch from inside the program, download your branch, then export a GEDCOM from the program.

How many generations do I need in the file for a printed chart?

A six-generation circular chart needs you (or the couple in the centre) plus five generations of ancestors: parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents and great-great-great-grandparents. Exporting your whole tree is fine; the extra people are simply ignored. Gaps are fine too, because an incomplete chart layout is designed for them.