Getting your family out of FamilySearch as a GEDCOM
Short answerFamilySearch Family Tree does not offer a direct GEDCOM download. Its short-lived Family Tree Export page now says GEDCOM export is no longer supported there. The route that works is a family tree program from the FamilySearch Solutions Gallery, such as RootsMagic or Ancestral Quest, that can pull your ancestors from Family Tree; you then export a GEDCOM from that program.
Steps
Pick a compatible program
Open the FamilySearch Solutions Gallery and choose a family tree management program that works with Family Tree. RootsMagic and Ancestral Quest are two long-standing ones.
Sign in to FamilySearch from it
Inside the program, connect your FamilySearch account so it can read Family Tree.
Bring your ancestors in
Use the program's FamilySearch tools to add yourself and your ancestors from Family Tree to a new local file. These programs work person by person or generation by generation, so start with your own line.
Export a GEDCOM
Use the program's export command (usually File, then Export) and choose GEDCOM 5.5.1.
Why FamilySearch is different
FamilySearch Family Tree is one shared tree for the whole world: you do not own a private copy of your branch, so there is no personal tree file to download. Living people are private on FamilySearch and are not part of what other users can see. That is why getting a file means copying the people you need into your own program first.
FamilySearch's help also notes that GEDCOM 5.5.1 has no place for some Family Tree data, such as reason statements, so expect those to be left out.
Uploading is a separate thing
FamilySearch does accept GEDCOM uploads, but they go to its Genealogies collection, a separate database from the shared Family Tree. Uploading a file does not change Family Tree.
Then bring it into Family Trees
Once you have a .ged file, import it at familytreesapp.com/family/import. Family Trees is a private tree: only you and the relatives you invite can see it. See importing a GEDCOM into Family Trees.
Questions
Is there a download button for my FamilySearch tree?
Not any more. FamilySearch's Family Tree Export page, which once offered up to eight generations as GEDCOM 7, now says GEDCOM export is no longer supported there and points to compatible apps instead.
Which programs can copy my ancestors from FamilySearch?
FamilySearch lists compatible family tree programs in its Solutions Gallery. RootsMagic and Ancestral Quest have worked with Family Tree for years. Check the gallery for the current list before buying anything.
Will living relatives come through from FamilySearch?
Living people in Family Tree are private, and you generally see only the living people you added yourself. Add living relatives in Family Trees directly, or invite them to fill in their own branches.
Sources
Links go to other sites. Checked 19 October 2026.
Questions? Email support@familytreesapp.com and a person will reply.