How to get a GEDCOM file from FamilySearch

The FamilySearch Family Tree is one shared tree for everyone, so it has no export button of its own. Certified desktop programs can copy your branch into a file on your computer and save it as GEDCOM.

Steps

1. Install a FamilySearch certified program such as RootsMagic or Ancestral Quest. Both have free editions.
2. Sign in to FamilySearch from inside the program and choose the person you want at the center of the poster.
3. Import that person's ancestors, as many generations as you want on the poster.
4. Use the program's File menu to export the tree as a GEDCOM (.ged) file.
5. Open that file here and pick your chart.

Good to know

• Living people are private on FamilySearch, so you may need to add your own parents and grandparents by hand first.
• Eight generations of ancestors is up to 255 people; a fan chart shows them all on one poster.
• Menu names can change between versions. Look for Export, Share or GEDCOM in the File or Tree menu.

Turn the file into a poster

Open your .ged file in the poster maker. It reads the file in your browser, suggests the person at the center and shows a fan chart straight away. Switch to a pedigree chart or a descendant chart, then see it on a wall in 3D before you order.