GEDCOM viewer: open a .ged file as a family tree
Drop in a GEDCOM file from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch or any other family-tree program and see the whole family drawn as a tree. Free, no account, and nothing leaves your browser.
No file to hand? to see what a GEDCOM file looks like as a tree.
What a GEDCOM file is
A GEDCOM file (.ged) is a text file that holds a family tree: each person with their dates and places, each marriage, and which children belong to which parents. It is the format family-tree programs use to swap trees with each other, which makes it the way to take your tree out of one program and look at it, or move it, somewhere else. Opened in a text editor it is a long list of lines like 1 BIRT and 2 DATE 12 MAR 1955: complete, but not something anyone can read as a family. This page draws it.
What you see when it opens
Every person in the file as a card, with the lines between parents, partners and children. A second marriage shows both marriages side by side, each with its own children, and a divorce is drawn as a dashed line. Tap a card for the person’s dates, places and notes, search for anyone by name, and ask how two people are related. Cards are labelled from the point of view of the person the tree is open on, such as “Father’s brother” or “Cousin”; choose another person and the labels change to match.
Where to get a .ged file
Where to find your file
Ancestry Download a GEDCOM from Ancestry
- On ancestry.com, open your tree and choose Tree Settings from the tree’s name menu.
- Under Manage your tree, choose Export tree, wait for the file, then Download your GEDCOM file.
- Open that .ged file here. Photos and record images aren’t in the file; names, dates, places and notes are.
MyHeritage Export a GEDCOM from MyHeritage
- On myheritage.com, open Family tree → Manage trees.
- Next to your tree choose Export to GEDCOM; the file is emailed to you or downloads at once.
- Open that .ged file here. Photos stay on MyHeritage; everything else comes across.
FamilySearch How to get your file
FamilySearch no longer lets you download your tree directly. Its certified apps can:
- Install RootsMagic Essentials (free, Mac and Windows) and sign in with your FamilySearch account.
- Import from FamilySearch starting at yourself. Choose several generations of ancestors and descendants.
- Choose File → Export, pick GEDCOM, and turn off “privatize living people”.
- Open that .ged file here.
You only need to do this once. After that, the tree lives here.
RootsMagic Export a GEDCOM from RootsMagic
- Open your database and choose File → Export.
- Pick GEDCOM, choose who to include, and turn off “privatize living people” so they aren’t left out.
- Open that .ged file here.
Gramps Export a GEDCOM from Gramps
- In Gramps, open your tree and choose Family Trees → Export…
- Set the format to GEDCOM, pick a file name, and save.
- Open that .ged file here.
What comes across from any app: every person, every marriage (second marriages too), parents and children, dates, places, and notes. What doesn’t: photos, because GEDCOM files don’t carry them. A zip from Bargad brings the photos back as well.
Opened in your browser, not uploaded
The file is read and drawn by your browser, on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server, so a tree with living relatives in it never leaves your hands. Close the tab and it is gone. Family trees are personal; that is the point of doing it this way.
Want to keep it?
A viewer forgets the tree when you close the tab. If you want to keep it, tap Keep it: save to your free account in the opened tree. You say which person is you, the tree is kept in your browser, and saving it to a free Bargad account is one more tap. From there you can add the people the file is missing, invite relatives to add what they know, send one family link to the family group, and download it again as a GEDCOM file whenever you want, so nothing is locked in. See the import page for backups and zip files, or how to make a family tree if you don’t have a file yet.
Questions
What is a GEDCOM file?
A GEDCOM file (.ged) is the plain-text format family-tree programs use to swap trees. It lists every person, with their dates and places, and says who is married to whom and whose child each person is. Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, RootsMagic, Gramps and most other family-tree apps can export one.
How do I open a .ged file?
Drop it on the box at the top of this page, or tap the box and choose the file. The tree appears at once, drawn around the best-connected person in the file; search for anyone else by name. You don’t need to install anything or sign in.
Is my GEDCOM file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read by your browser, on your device, and drawn there. It is never sent to Bargad or anyone else, and closing the tab forgets it. Nothing is stored unless you choose “Keep it”, and even then the tree stays in your browser until you sign in and save it.
Which programs’ files can it open?
Files from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch (through RootsMagic), RootsMagic, Gramps and other programs that export standard GEDCOM, in the 5.5.1 and 7 versions. Second marriages, divorces, step-children, adopted and foster children are drawn as the file describes them.
Does it show photos?
No, because GEDCOM files don’t carry photos; the format only points to picture files on the computer that made it. You see names, dates, places and notes. A tree you keep can have photos added to each card afterwards.
How big a file can I open?
Up to 25 MB. A tree you keep can hold up to 2,000 people for now; the viewer will show you a bigger one, but keeping it will ask you to split it.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The tree opens full screen; drag to move around, pinch to zoom, and tap a person for their details. On an iPhone or Android phone, the easiest way to get a .ged file there is to save it from your email to Files or Downloads first.
Can I print the tree or send it as a picture?
Yes. In the opened tree, the picture option makes an image of what’s on screen, or a printable page you can save as a PDF, with names big enough to read.