How to download your FamilySearch tree
Bring your ancestors from FamilySearch Family Tree onto your own computer. RootsMagic is FamilySearch Certified, and the
free edition, RootsMagic Essentials, downloads people from Family Tree into a RootsMagic file. From there you can work
offline, keep your own sources and notes, and export a GEDCOM file for any genealogy program.
Watch it, step by step
See the whole download in RootsMagic 12, from a new file to your ancestors on your computer, in under two minutes.
Playing the video loads it from YouTube.
Step by step
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Install RootsMagic Essentials
Download RootsMagic Essentials free for Windows or Mac and install it. If you already have RootsMagic, open it.
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Start a new file from FamilySearch
Select the page and click . (If no file is open, the page has it too.) Choose , then .
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Name the file
Enter a name for your new RootsMagic file, choose where to put it (a recent folder, or ), and click .
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Sign in to FamilySearch
Your web browser opens the FamilySearch sign-in page. Sign in there, entering the security code if you use two-step verification. RootsMagic waits with a message that closes by itself once you’re signed in. If you closed the browser, click .
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Choose who to download
Choose the starting person: (your own record in Family Tree) or , such as an ancestor’s ID. Then choose how many generations of ancestors and descendants to bring in, and click .
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Let it download
RootsMagic brings each person and family from Family Tree into your new file, counting as it goes. A large download can take a while.
What you can do with it
When it finishes, your ancestors are in your new RootsMagic file, ready to use offline. Here’s what you can do next.
Make a GEDCOM file
Select the page, then , then . Export everyone or just the people you choose, with privacy options for living people.
Share changes back
Compare people with Family Tree and share people, events, notes, and sources either way. Free in Essentials.
Print and research
Print pedigree charts and family group sheets, and see WebHints from FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast.
Get your FamilySearch tree on your computer
Download RootsMagic Essentials free, then follow the steps above. When you're ready for more, the full version is a one-time purchase of $29.95.
Questions
Yes.
RootsMagic Essentials, the free edition, downloads from FamilySearch Family Tree and can share changes back. You need a free FamilySearch account.
Download your ancestors into RootsMagic first. Then select the File page, click Export Data, and choose GEDCOM File. The GEDCOM file opens in almost any genealogy program.
Yes. RootsMagic is FamilySearch Certified. You can compare each person with FamilySearch Family Tree and share people, events, notes, and sources in either direction, at your own pace.
More about RootsMagic and FamilySearch.
Yes. Turn on FamilySearch support (Settings page, General settings, Enable FamilySearch Support), then open Publish > FamilySearch Central and use the Import button.