Backups and restoring

1 min readUpdated 1 October 2026

Your family lives on your device, so a copy somewhere else matters. Family Trees can back itself up automatically to a folder you choose, such as one in iCloud Drive.

  1. Open Backup

    Tap the gear at the top of the Album to open Settings, then choose Backup.

  2. Choose a folder

    Tap Folder and pick where backups should go: a folder in iCloud Drive, on your device, or on a drive connected to your iPad or Mac. Family Trees writes only to that folder, and puts the first backup there straight away.

  3. Turn on automatic backups

    With Back up automatically on, Family Trees saves a complete backup once a day when something has changed, and keeps the newest 10. Tap Back Up Now whenever you want an extra copy, or Share a Backup… to send one to another app or device.

  4. Restore from a backup

    On a new device, or after reinstalling, choose Restore from a backup on the Start with you page. Later, open Backup in Settings and tap Restore from a Backup…. Choose a backup file, and Family Trees shows what it contains before anything changes.

    The family comes back as a new tree. Free keeps one tree, so there it can take the place of the one you have, once you confirm.

Tips

  • A backup is one .zip file with people, relationships, dates, notes, photos and recordings, and a GEDCOM copy that other family tree apps can open.
  • Backups in iCloud Drive are stored by Apple under your Apple Account. Family Trees never uploads them anywhere else.
  • Your device’s own backup, to iCloud or to a computer, also includes Family Trees.
  • A GEDCOM export is another good safety copy, though it doesn’t include photos. See Importing and exporting GEDCOM.

Still stuck? Email support@familytreesapp.com and a person will reply.