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How to export a GEDCOM file from Ancestry

Ancestry lets tree owners download their tree as a GEDCOM file. Here is where the option lives and what comes along with the download.

Updated

Before you start

You can only export a tree you own. If someone shared their tree with you as an editor or guest, the export option will not be available to you — the owner has to run the export and send you the file.

The export runs on Ancestry's servers and can take a little while for a large tree. You do not have to keep the page open the whole time, but you do have to come back to it to download the finished file.

Exporting the tree

The export lives in your tree's settings rather than in the tree view itself.

  1. Sign in to Ancestry on a desktop browser and open the Trees menu in the top navigation.
  2. Select the tree you want to export.
  3. Open Tree Settings — you will find it under the tree name at the top of the page.
  4. Go to the Manage Tree tab.
  5. Click Export Tree and wait while Ancestry prepares the file.
  6. When the button changes to Download Your GEDCOM File, click it and save the .ged file to your computer.

What the file contains

The GEDCOM includes people, relationships, dates, places, and the notes and source citations attached to your tree. It is a complete picture of the structure of your research.

Photos, scanned records, stories, and audio are not included in the GEDCOM — they stay on Ancestry. Historical records you have attached are exported as citations, not as copies of the record images.

Living people

Ancestry may mark living individuals as private. Depending on how your tree is configured, living people can appear in the export with limited detail. Check the file before you share it with anyone, especially if it will be posted publicly.

Turning the file into a poster

Once the .ged file is on your computer, drop it into PrintMyTree. The file is read in your browser, so your family data never leaves your device. Choose a root person, pick how many generations to show, select a theme, and export a print-ready PDF — or order the poster printed and shipped.