Owning Your Research: Family Tree Software, GEDCOM and Backups
If your tree lives only on a website, you don't fully control it. How to keep your own copy with desktop software and GEDCOM files, and how to back up years of work.
Many people build their family tree entirely on a website like Ancestry, MyHeritage or FamilySearch. That's convenient, but it means your years of work depend on a company's servers, policies and your subscription. Experienced genealogists keep their own copy. Here's how.
Why keep your own copy?
- Subscriptions lapse, and some features stop working when they do.
- Companies change. Websites are bought, sold, redesigned and occasionally shut down.
- Accidents happen. A tree can be deleted, merged incorrectly, or changed by someone else in a shared tree.
- You own your work. A copy on your computer can be shared, printed, published and passed on however you choose.
Desktop family tree software
Genealogy software stores your tree on your own computer. Popular programs include:
- RootsMagic (Windows and Mac), which can sync with Ancestry and work with FamilySearch
- Family Tree Maker (Windows and Mac), which can sync with Ancestry trees
- Legacy Family Tree (Windows)
- Ancestral Quest (Windows and Mac), which works with FamilySearch
- Reunion and MacFamilyTree (Mac)
- Gramps (free and open source, Windows, Mac and Linux)
Features, prices and syncing options change, so compare current versions before you buy. Most offer a free trial or a free basic edition. The best program is the one you'll actually use consistently.
What is a GEDCOM file?
GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication) is the standard file format for exchanging family trees. Almost every genealogy website and program can export and import GEDCOM files. A GEDCOM file contains people, relationships, events, places, notes and sources, but usually not the photos and document images attached to them.
That makes GEDCOM the universal backup and moving format: you can download your tree from one site and open it in another program.
Downloading your tree
Most sites let you export your tree as a GEDCOM file from the tree settings or "export" option. Do it regularly. Remember that media (images, documents, photos) usually need to be downloaded separately, so save important record images to your own computer as you find them.
Moving between programs
GEDCOM transfers aren't perfect. Different programs store notes, sources and custom facts differently, and some details can be lost or garbled. Before you move permanently, test: export, import into the new program, and spot-check a few people with complex sources.
A backup routine
- Export a GEDCOM of your online tree every month or two, and after any big research session.
- Back up your software's own file, which keeps more than a GEDCOM does. Most programs have a backup command.
- Back up your media folder: record images, photos and scanned documents.
- Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one off-site or in cloud storage.
- Check your backups once in a while by opening one.
Shared trees vs. personal trees
FamilySearch Family Tree, WikiTree and Geni host a single shared tree that anyone can edit, aiming for one profile per person in history. Ancestry and MyHeritage host personal trees that belong to their owners. Many researchers use both: a personal tree (and a desktop copy) for their own research, and a shared tree to collaborate. If you contribute to a shared tree, keep your own copy too, since others may change what you entered. See How to Use Online Family Trees.
Privacy
When you share a GEDCOM file, remove or privatize living people first. Most programs have an option to exclude living individuals or hide their details. Be cautious about sharing others' personal information without their consent.
Passing it on
Decide who will receive your research, and tell them where it is and how to open it. Consider printing a family history book or report from your software; paper outlasts many file formats. See Writing Your Family History.