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What is a GEDCOM file?

A GEDCOM file (extension .ged) is the standard way to move a family tree between genealogy programs. It is a plain-text file listing every person, every family and how they connect, in a format almost all family tree software can read and write.

What GEDCOM stands for and where it came from

GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. It was created in the 1980s by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose genealogy work is now run as FamilySearch, so that family history data could be exchanged between different computer programs.

Several versions exist. The one you will meet most often is GEDCOM 5.5.1, which became the de-facto standard and is supported by practically every genealogy program and website. In 2021 FamilySearch released GEDCOM 7.0, a modernised version with a stricter specification and a way to bundle media files; adoption is increasing but 5.5.1 remains the safest choice for compatibility.

What is inside a GEDCOM file

Every line starts with a level number, then a tag (a short code such as NAME or BIRT), then a value. A higher level number means the line belongs to the line above it. People and families get IDs between @ signs, like @I1@, which other records point to.

Here is a tiny but complete example — one couple and their daughter:

0 HEAD
1 GEDC
2 VERS 5.5.1
1 CHAR UTF-8
0 @I1@ INDI
1 NAME Arthur /Bennett/
1 SEX M
1 BIRT
2 DATE 1928
2 PLAC Leeds, England
1 DEAT
2 DATE 2001
1 FAMS @F1@
0 @I2@ INDI
1 NAME Margaret /Lee/
1 SEX F
1 FAMS @F1@
0 @I3@ INDI
1 NAME Susan /Bennett/
1 SEX F
1 BIRT
2 DATE 12 MAR 1956
1 FAMC @F1@
0 @F1@ FAM
1 HUSB @I1@
1 WIFE @I2@
1 CHIL @I3@
0 TRLR

Notice that relationships are stored through families, not directly between people. Susan is not linked to Arthur; she is a child in family @F1@, and Arthur is a partner in it. That is how GEDCOM represents remarriages and half-siblings cleanly: each couple is its own family.

How to export a GEDCOM from other software

Almost every desktop genealogy program and online family tree service can export a GEDCOM, though the wording and location of the option vary and change over time. In general:

• Look in the program's File menu, or in the online tree's settings, tools or tree management page, for an option called Export, Download tree or Export GEDCOM.
• Online services often prepare the file in the background and offer a download link when it is ready, which can take a few minutes for large trees.
• If you are offered a version choice, pick 5.5.1 unless you know the receiving program supports 7.0.
• If there is a privacy option, decide whether to exclude or mark living people (see below).

If you cannot find the option, search the service's help pages for "export GEDCOM" — it is one of the most common support questions.

What can get lost in a transfer

GEDCOM moves the core of a tree reliably — names, dates, places and relationships — but some things often don't survive the trip:

• Photos and documents. A GEDCOM file usually only references media by file name; the images stay behind and must be copied separately.
• Sources and citations. They are part of the standard, but programs structure them differently, so they may arrive simplified, duplicated or missing.
• Custom tags. Many programs add their own non-standard tags (they usually begin with an underscore, like _MILT). Another program may ignore them.
• Formatting and special characters in notes, especially in older files that use ANSEL or another non-UTF-8 character set.
• Hints, DNA matches and links to records inside an online service are not part of the family tree data at all.

Keep your original file after importing, and spot-check a few families in the new program before deleting anything.

Privacy: remove living people before sharing

A GEDCOM file can hold full names, birth dates and birthplaces of living relatives — the same details banks use to verify identity. Before uploading a GEDCOM to a public site or sending it to a distant cousin, use your program's option to exclude or privatise living people, or remove them yourself. A common rule of thumb is to treat anyone born within the last 100 years with no recorded death as living.

Using GEDCOM on this site

The family tree maker on this site reads and writes GEDCOM, and it all happens in your browser — the file is never uploaded.

• Export: Print & export → Export GEDCOM downloads your tree as a GEDCOM 5.5.1 file containing names, sex, birth and death dates, notes, and all family links (partners, parents and children). Photos are not included.
• Import: the Open button accepts .ged files as well as this site's own .json backup files. From a GEDCOM it imports names, sex, birth and death dates, notes and families; birth and death places are added to the person's notes so they are not lost.

Opening a file replaces the tree currently on screen, so save a backup first if you want to keep it.

Frequently asked questions