How to export a GEDCOM file from RootsMagic
Short answerIn RootsMagic, open the database and choose File, then Export. Pick everyone or only selected people, choose the GEDCOM version and character set (GEDCOM 5.5.1 and UTF-8 are the safest for moving to another app), decide whether to privatize living people, then export and save the .ged file. RootsMagic can also export GEDCOM 7 in recent versions.
Steps
Open the database
Start RootsMagic and open the database you want to export.
Choose File, then Export
The GEDCOM export window opens.
Choose the people
Export everyone, or select from a list, for example one person and their ancestors.
Set the options
Choose the GEDCOM version and character set, the kinds of information to include, and whether living people should be privatized.
Save the file
Export, then choose a folder and a file name ending in .ged.
Which options to pick
Menus differ between RootsMagic versions, so follow the labels on your screen. When you are moving a tree to another app, these settings travel best:
| Option | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GEDCOM version | 5.5.1 | Read by nearly every program. Family Trees reads 5.5.1 and the common GEDCOM 7 structures. |
| Character set | UTF-8 | Keeps accented and non-Latin names intact. |
| Privatize living | Off, for your own move | Privatizing replaces names and facts for living people, which you would then have to retype. |
| People | Everyone | Export all, then decide in the new app what to keep. |
RootsMagic and FamilySearch
RootsMagic is one of the programs that can read FamilySearch Family Tree, which makes it a practical route from FamilySearch to a GEDCOM file. See getting your family out of FamilySearch.
Questions
Does RootsMagic include photos in a GEDCOM export?
It can include links to media files, but not the files themselves. Copy the photos separately, then add them in Family Trees after importing.
Should I export GEDCOM 5.5.1 or 7 from RootsMagic?
Use 5.5.1 unless the program you are moving to asks for GEDCOM 7. Version 5.5.1 is the most widely supported.
RootsMagic stores step and adopted children. Do they come across?
Yes. RootsMagic writes the child's relationship to each parent as _FREL and _MREL, and Family Trees reads those to mark parents as birth, adoptive, step or foster.
Questions? Email support@familytreesapp.com and a person will reply.