A GEDCOM is the standard file every genealogy program can produce —
one file holding everyone in your tree, their dates, places and
relationships. You keep building your tree wherever you build it
today. Witness only ever reads the file.
Your tree software
Whichever one you use — choose it below
Export
A GEDCOM file
.ged file
Upload
Witness
Reads it — never writes back
Refresh when you make corrections
Fix what is wrong where you built it, export again, and bring the new file
back through Update from a newer file. Witness merges it
and shows you what changed.
Where do you keep your tree?
Exporting from Ancestry.com
You must be the owner of the tree — if someone else built it, they’ll need to export it and send you the file.
Sign in at ancestry.com and click the Trees tab at the top of the page
Select the family tree you want to export
Click the tree name in the upper-left corner (or the three dots on the left toolbar) and choose Tree Settings
Find the Manage your tree section on the right side
Click Export tree
The button will spin and read “Generating a GEDCOM file” — a large tree can take a minute or two
When it finishes, click Download your GEDCOM file
The .ged file saves to your device — note where it lands (usually Downloads)
Your subscription can be lapsed and export still works — Ancestry retains your tree after cancellation.
FamilySearch does not offer its users a GEDCOM export. Its Family Tree is one shared, collaborative tree rather than a personal tree you own, and getting data out is done through FamilySearch’s API — which is open to certified partner programs. So the route runs through one of those, and it is free.
Free certified partner software
A certified partner program pulls your tree from FamilySearch and exports a GEDCOM of its own, which Witness reads normally.
Download RootsMagic Essentials (free, Mac and Windows) from rootsmagic.com
Install and open it, then choose Create a new file and name it
When asked what to do next, choose to import information from FamilySearch Family Tree
Sign in to FamilySearch when prompted
Choose how many generations to import, then click Import (a large tree takes several minutes)
When the import completes, go to File → Export, accept the defaults, and click OK
Name the file and save it as a .ged
Ancestral Quest and Legacy Family Tree are certified alternatives with a similar import-then-export pattern.
Choose Entire File (or select specific individuals)
Set the output format to GEDCOM
Click OK, name the file, and save
RootsMagic
Open your database in RootsMagic
Go to File → Export
Select the people to include (typically Everyone) and review the privacy options
Click OK, name the file, and save as .ged
Legacy Family Tree (Windows)
Open your family file in Legacy
Go to File → Export To → GEDCOM File
Review the options, click Select File Name and START EXPORT
Name the file and save
Gramps (free, open source)
Open your tree in Gramps
Go to Family Trees → Export
Choose GEDCOM as the format and follow the prompts
Drop your file in for a sneak peek.
Your file is read here, in your own browser. It is not uploaded, and
nothing about your family is sent anywhere — there is no account yet for
it to be sent to. Close the tab and it is gone.
Your tree
0 people ·
0 families ·
0 places
Who was alive during…
Chosen from the places and years your own record keeps — a family in
Maine is not asked about the same moments as one in Nebraska.
Their story
The earliest name in your record
Witness writes a generational story down your own line, from the
record and nothing else. It opens with your free month.
Tree health
Things that contradict themselves
This is a quick read of the few things a raw file can answer on its
own. Witness runs twenty-four checks over your whole tree, and shows
you which record each one came from.
What happens next: we send a link to confirm your
address, and you choose the same file once more. It has not left this
browser — that second copy is the one Witness keeps for you.