RootsMagic 12 Release Special: Save $10! New users $29.95 · Upgrades $19.95
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RootsMagic Essentials: free family tree software

Build your family tree on your own computer, free. RootsMagic Essentials runs on Windows and Mac, has no time limit and no subscription, and lets you add as many people as you like.

Download Free Compare with the full version

Every download starts as Essentials. Enter a registration key anytime to unlock the full version of RootsMagic, with no need to reinstall.

RootsMagic 12’s new Tree view: Leroy Leander Harris with his parents, grandparents, and children

Download RootsMagic 12 Free

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Getting started with RootsMagic 12

See how to install RootsMagic, choose Essentials or enter a key, start your family tree, add your family, and bring in a tree you already have, in about four minutes.

Playing the video loads it from YouTube.

What you can do for free

Build your tree

  • Unlimited people, events, notes, and sources
  • Pedigree and family views
  • Duplicate checks as you add people, plus merging

Document your research

  • Source templates based on Evidence Explained (4th edition), with suggestions as you type
  • Photos, documents, audio, and video for any person, family, or event
  • Reuse sources and citations

Work with online trees

  • Download from FamilySearch and share changes back
  • Upload or download an Ancestry tree, including media
  • WebHints from Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast

Bring your data with you

Print the essentials

  • Pedigree charts and family group sheets
  • Descendant lists, scrapbooks, and more

Take it with you

  • Run RootsMagic from a USB flash drive on Windows or Mac
  • Built-in backup and restore

Ready for more? The full version adds

  • TreeShare: keep RootsMagic and your Ancestry tree in sync, and accept Ancestry hints
  • Narrative reports, box charts, timelines, calendars, and many more reports
  • Wall charts as large as you need, saved to PDF or SVG
  • Save reports to PDF, Word, and Excel
  • Research tasks and research logs
  • DNA matches with Leeds Method clustering
  • Maps, geocoding, PlaceClean, and DataClean
  • Advanced search, Find Everywhere, and search and replace
  • Up to 4 files open at once, with drag-and-drop between them
  • Custom fact types and sentences
  • Publish online with MyRootsMagic
  • Personal technical support from our team

Unlock everything for $29.95. It’s yours to keep, with no subscription, and updates to RootsMagic 12 are free. Bought an earlier version of RootsMagic? Upgrade for $19.95.

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Essentials and RootsMagic compared

Both editions run on Windows and macOS, and both include the direct imports.
Feature Essentials (free) RootsMagic
Your family tree
Unlimited people, events, notes, and sources✓✓
Import GEDCOM, Family Tree Maker, Legacy, PAF, and TMG files✓✓
Run from a USB flash drive✓✓
Open up to 4 files and drag people between them—✓
Research and sources
Source templates based on Evidence Explained✓✓
Photos, documents, audio, and video✓✓
Merge duplicate people✓✓
SmartMerge for obvious duplicates—✓
Research tasks and research logs—✓
DNA matches and Leeds Method clustering—✓
Advanced search and Find Everywhere—✓
Maps, geocoding, and PlaceClean—✓
Online connections
Download from FamilySearch and share changes back✓✓
Upload or download an Ancestry tree✓✓
WebHints from Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast✓✓
TreeShare: keep RootsMagic and Ancestry in sync, and accept Ancestry hints—✓
Publish online with MyRootsMagic—✓
Reports and charts
Pedigree charts, family group sheets, and descendant lists✓✓
Narrative reports, box charts, timelines, and calendars—✓
Wall charts as large as you need—✓
Save reports to PDF, Word, and Excel—✓
Help and extras
AI Prompt Builder—✓
RootsMagic Community, knowledge base, and webinars✓✓
Personal technical support from our team—✓

This is a summary. See the complete feature list for everything in each edition.

Download Essentials Free Buy RootsMagic: $29.95

Questions about RootsMagic Essentials

Yes. RootsMagic Essentials is free to download and use, with no time limit and no subscription.

As many as you like. Essentials has no limit on people, events, notes, or sources.

Yes. RootsMagic Essentials runs on both Windows and macOS, natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. More about RootsMagic for Mac.

Every download starts as RootsMagic Essentials. Buy a registration key and enter it in the program to unlock the full version of RootsMagic, with no need to reinstall.

Yes. You can download data from FamilySearch and share changes back, upload or download an Ancestry tree, and see WebHints from Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. Keeping RootsMagic and Ancestry in sync (TreeShare) and accepting Ancestry hints need the full version.

Yes. Essentials imports GEDCOM files from any genealogy program, and imports Family Tree Maker files directly, including Family Tree Maker 2024. It also imports directly from Legacy, PAF, The Master Genealogist, and Family Origins, on Windows and Mac.

Personal help from our support team comes with the full version of RootsMagic. Everyone, including Essentials users, can get free help from the RootsMagic Community, our knowledge base, our webinars, and the online documentation.