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Export a GEDCOM file from your current program
Every genealogy site has an export option, usually under the tree's settings or the Tools menu. Look for Export tree, Download GEDCOM or Share, then GEDCOM. You get a file ending in .ged.
Want the photos too? If your program offers GEDZIP (.gdz), export that: it is a GEDCOM 7 file with the photos packed inside. If not, zip the .ged together with the media folder your program exported alongside it.
On Ancestry it is under Trees, Tree Settings, Export tree. On MyHeritage it is under Family Tree, Manage trees, Export to GEDCOM. On FamilySearch, use a partner program such as RootsMagic to download your part of the shared tree.
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Drop the file into the GEDCOM viewer
Open the free GEDCOM viewer and drop your .ged file onto the upload box, or click it to choose the file. GEDCOM 5.5, 5.5.1 and 7.0 all work. Nothing is installed, and you do not need an account to view your tree.
Drop a GEDZIP (.gdz) or a .zip of the .ged and its media folder in the same place to bring the photos. Each photo goes to the right person, and they are added to the tree once you save it to a free account.
Drop in a .ged or .gdz file from any genealogy program. - 3
Give it a few seconds
The viewer reads your file, maps the families and works out the generations, then opens your tree by itself. There is nothing else to click.
Files with more than 60 people ask first: sign in to import everyone, or carry on with the 60 people closest to the first person in the file.
Reading the file and building the tree. - 4
Explore your imported tree
Your tree opens with every generation laid out. Life facts, residences, occupations, notes and source citations from the file are kept on each person, not just names and dates.
Sign in to save it to your account. From then on you can edit it, add photos and stories, and invite relatives.
The tree, built from the file, ready to explore. - 5
Have a spreadsheet instead?
In a saved tree, the Import button above the tree takes a GEDCOM file, a GEDZIP (.gdz) or .zip with photos, a spreadsheet (CSV) or a JSON file, and works out which one you dropped in. Starting from a list of names? Download the spreadsheet template in that window, put one person on each row, and upload it. Fill in the optional parent and spouse columns and the tree is drawn for you too.
Bulk-add people from a spreadsheet. - 6
Take your tree with you any time
Export opens a list of formats. GEDCOM gives you a standard .ged file with everything in it, including facts and sources, in version 5.5.1, which every genealogy program opens. Your family history is never locked in.
Beneath it, GEDCOM 7.0 gives the same tree in the newest version, and With photos downloads a GEDZIP (.gdz): GEDCOM 7.0 with every family photo packed inside.
Export as GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0 or with photos whenever you like.
Common questions
Is my GEDCOM file private?+−
Yes. The file is only used to build your tree. It is not published anywhere, and your tree stays private unless you choose to share it.
Which GEDCOM versions work?+−
GEDCOM 5.5 and 5.5.1, which is what Ancestry, MyHeritage, RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Gramps, Legacy and most others export, and GEDCOM 7.0, the newest version.
Can my photos come too?+−
Yes. Upload a GEDZIP (.gdz) or a .zip of the .ged with its media folder instead of the .ged on its own. Each photo goes to the right person, and their main photo becomes their profile picture once the tree is saved to a free account.
Will my sources and notes come across?+−
Yes. Facts, notes and source citations are imported onto each person, and exporting gives them back, so moving your tree here costs you nothing.
Can I turn the imported tree into a PDF?+−
Yes. Use Export and choose PDF for a printable copy, or PNG for an image.
Related guides
Create your family tree
Start a family tree in your browser in under a minute, with no account and no email. Add yourself, then parents, partners and children, and save it free.
Facts and sources
Build a timeline of each person's life (where they lived, worked and served) and back each fact with a source like a census, certificate or family bible.
Download and print
Export your family tree as a PNG image, a printable PDF, a GEDCOM file (with or without photos) or a CSV spreadsheet, in a couple of clicks.
Screenshots show a made-up example family. Last updated 4 October 2026.