What is a GEDCOM file?
A GEDCOM file is a plain text file that stores a family tree in a standard form, so that one program can hand its tree to another. The name is short for GEnealogical Data COMmunication.
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What it is for
If you have ever wanted to move a tree from one website to another, or from a website into a desktop program, GEDCOM is how you do it. It was created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to let researchers share family data between programs, and it is still the common language of family history software. The version most programs use is 5.5.1, and a newer version, 7.0, was released in 2021.
What is inside
It is just text, so you can open one in any text editor. It is built from lines that start with a number showing how deeply nested they are. Here is a tiny, invented example:
0 @I1@ INDI
1 NAME Eleanor /Whitfield/
1 SEX F
1 BIRT
2 DATE 12 MAR 1984
2 PLAC Leeds, England
1 FAMC @F1@
0 @F1@ FAM
1 HUSB @I2@
1 WIFE @I3@
1 CHIL @I1@INDI records are people, with names, dates and places. FAM records are families: they list a husband, a wife and their children by ID, and that is how parents, children and partners get connected.
What is usually missing
Photos, scanned documents and long notes are often left out or only referred to by file name, because GEDCOM is a text format. Some sites also add their own extra fields that other programs ignore. For a poster you mainly need names, dates, places and the family links, which GEDCOM carries well.
How to open one
You can open a GEDCOM in family tree software such as Gramps or RootsMagic, upload it to genealogy websites, or use it in Gedcom Art to make a poster. See how to get a GEDCOM file if you do not have one yet.
Privacy: living people
A GEDCOM file can contain names, birth dates and places for people who are still alive. Think before you share or upload one. Gedcom Art reads your file on your own computer and never uploads it, and it hides details of people who may be living by default.
Frequently asked questions
What does GEDCOM stand for?
GEnealogical Data COMmunication.
Is a GEDCOM file the same as a family tree?
It is a saved copy of the people and relationships in a family tree, in a form other programs can read. It is the data, not a picture of the tree.
Can I edit a GEDCOM file by hand?
It is plain text, so you can, but it is easy to break the links between people. It is safer to edit the tree in a family tree program and export a new file.
Ready to see your family on the wall?
It takes a few minutes, and you can try it with a sample family first.