How to export a GEDCOM file from your genealogy site or software

Websites and programs rename their menus from time to time. If a label below doesn't match your screen exactly, look for the closest equivalent; the overall route rarely changes. Not sure what a GEDCOM file actually is? Start with our plain-English explanation.

Before you start

• You usually need to own the tree. Online services generally only let the owner of a tree export it. If a relative owns it, ask them to export it and send you the file.
• Photos stay behind. A GEDCOM file holds names, dates, places, relationships and usually notes and sources. Photos and scanned documents aren't included; at most the file contains links to them. For a poster you don't need them anyway.
• If asked for a version, choose GEDCOM 5.5.1 unless the program receiving the file asks for something else. It's the most widely supported version.
• If asked for a character set, choose UTF-8 (Unicode). It keeps accents and non-English letters intact.
• Treat the file as private. It contains details about living relatives. Store it somewhere sensible and don't post it publicly.

Ancestry

1. Sign in and open the tree you want to export from the Trees menu.
2. Open the tree's Tree Settings. You'll find it in the menu attached to the tree's name or in the "More" options of the tree view.
3. On the settings page, look for the Manage your tree section (on the right-hand side on a computer) and choose Export tree.
4. Wait while Ancestry generates the file. Small trees take seconds; trees with thousands of people can take several minutes.
5. Click Download your GEDCOM file.
6. The download arrives as a .zip archive. Unzip it (on Windows, right-click and choose Extract All; on a Mac, double-click it) to get the .ged file inside.

Only the tree's owner can export it, but you don't need a paid membership to export a tree you own.

MyHeritage

1. Sign in, open the Family tree menu at the top of the site and choose Manage trees.
2. Find the tree you want and choose Export to GEDCOM from its actions.
3. You'll be asked whether to include photos. For a poster you can leave them out, which makes the export smaller and faster.
4. Start the export. Small trees download straight away; for larger ones MyHeritage may prepare the file in the background and email you a download link when it's ready.
5. Save the .ged file somewhere you'll find it again.

FamilySearch

FamilySearch Family Tree works differently from the services above. It's one large shared tree that everyone contributes to, rather than a private tree you own, and it doesn't currently offer a simple "download my tree" button. Instead, FamilySearch points users to certified partner programs, listed in its Solutions Gallery under family tree management apps, that can copy people from Family Tree into a database on your computer. From there you can export a GEDCOM file.

1. Install a FamilySearch-compatible desktop program. RootsMagic and Ancestral Quest are long-standing options, and both have a free edition.
2. In that program, sign in to your FamilySearch account and import yourself, or the person you want at the center of your poster, with the number of generations of ancestors or descendants you need.
3. Export a GEDCOM file from the program. The RootsMagic steps are below.

These imports don't always bring across every source citation or photo, but names, dates, places and relationships are what a poster needs.

RootsMagic

1. Open the database you want to export (use File > Open if a different one is loaded).
2. Choose File > Export and pick GEDCOM as the format if you're asked.
3. Choose who to include: everyone, or a selected group such as the ancestors or descendants of one person.
4. Review the options. Choose GEDCOM 5.5.1 if a version is offered, and note the setting for privatizing living people: if it replaces living people's names with "Living", those people will appear that way on your poster.
5. Confirm, choose a folder and file name, and save. RootsMagic shows a progress counter while it writes the file.

Gramps

1. Load your family tree, then choose Family Trees > Export… (or press Ctrl+E). The Export Assistant opens; click Next.
2. Select GEDCOM as the output format and click Next.
3. On the options page, check the filters. "Do not include records marked private" is on by default. Under living people, keep the option that includes them if you want their names on a poster. A person filter lets you export, for example, only the descendants or ancestors of the active person.
4. Choose a file name ending in .ged and a folder, then click Next.
5. Check the summary and click Apply, then Close.

Gramps suggests filling in your researcher details in its preferences first, so that the file's header is complete. Exporting never changes your Gramps database; it only writes a copy.

Other programs

Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, MacFamilyTree, Family Historian, Heredis and most other desktop programs keep the option in the File menu, usually as Export or Export to GEDCOM, sometimes under a Share menu. For an online service not listed here, search its help center for "GEDCOM": if it supports exports, that article will tell you where the button is.

Common problems and how to fix them

The download is a .zip file

Unzip it first and use the .ged file inside. Ancestry always delivers its exports this way.

The file is called something like tree.ged.2 and won't open

Extracting the same archive twice can add a number after the extension. Rename the file so that it ends in .ged.

People appear as "Living" or "Private"

The export applied a privacy filter. Export again with living people included. If you don't want their details printed, TreeKeepsake can hide the dates and places of living people while keeping their names.

Accented names look garbled

Letters such as é turning into é mean a program has misread the file's character set. Re-export with UTF-8 if the option exists. TreeKeepsake recognizes the common GEDCOM encodings, including the older ANSEL character set used by many genealogy programs.

Part of the tree is missing

Check whether the export used a filter, such as selected people only or a limited number of generations, and export again with everyone included.

The file is very large

That's fine. You choose who sits at the center of the poster and how many generations to show, and only those people are drawn.

Turning the file into a poster

In TreeKeepsake, choose Import a GEDCOM file and select your .ged file. It's read on your device and never uploaded. Then pick the person at the center, a chart type and the number of generations, and the preview appears straight away. Our guide on making a family tree poster covers the design side.

Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, RootsMagic, Ancestral Quest, Gramps and the other names above are trademarks of their respective owners. TreeKeepsake is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.