Family Tree Maker 2024: A Tour of Key Features for Genealogists

For decades, the popular Family Tree Maker software has been a powerful program for documenting, organizing and furthering research. Now it has a highly anticipated update: Family Tree Maker 2024.

The software’s functions are divided into eight “workspaces,” accessible from the tabs at the top of the screen within the app: Plan, People, Places, Media, Sources, Publish, Web Search, and (new in the 2024 edition) Connect. Like a makerspace that you might find at a school or library, each section offers a different set of tools and a place to sort, tinker with, and build on your research.

New users (or returning users who have stepped away from the software for a while) might feel intimidated by a program with so many features. To help, we’ll walk through Family Tree Maker’s workspaces below, sharing tips for each.

Note: The screenshots here reflect the Mac version of Family Tree Maker. Though the displays may look different between PC and Mac versions, the functionality is largely the same.

Plan Workspace: Building, Importing and Syncing Family Trees

You don’t have to start from scratch in Family Tree Maker—the Plan workspace gives you multiple ways to create a new tree. Though you may not spend much time here, this section will help you jump-start your family tree file, back up your data, and (if you’d like) sync it with Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.

Starting a new tree

There are four ways to start a new tree in Family Tree Maker:

1. Enter information “by hand” into Family Tree Maker
2. Import a tree via a GEDCOM or FTM (Family Tree Maker) file
3. Download a tree from Ancestry.com or FamilySearch
4. Restore a file using TreeVault

Alternatively, you can open a tree that already lives on your hard drive.

By default, FTM files are usually stored in this location: C:\Users\[user name]\Documents\Family Tree Maker

Creating multiple trees

You may want to create separate files for each branch of your family, or create one file that has everyone. I recommend the latter—that way, you can easily navigate widely without having to switch files.

Note you can have multiple tree files open at once; right-click Options, then select Open Tree in New Window.

Syncing with Ancestry.com or FamilySearch

Sign in to Ancestry.com and/or FamilySearch to view import and syncing options. To sync your tree with either website, you’ll need to start a new tree in Family Tree Maker. Or, in Ancestry.com’s case, you can export a Family Tree Maker file as a new Ancestry.com tree; you can’t sync two existing trees; one needs to be a new file.)

There are limits. FamilySearch “syncing” is actually just an import; changes you make in Family Tree Maker will not be reflected in the FamilySearch Family Tree. And not all data can be transferred between Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com. For example:

• Audio and video files in Family Tree Maker don’t sync with Ancestry.com.
• Notes can only be attached to people on Ancestry Member Trees. Notes in Family Tree Maker that are attached to sources or media won’t be carried over to Ancestry.com.
• File names and descriptions have different character limits in Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com, meaning long titles or descriptions in one program may be shortened in the other.

Why would you want to sync trees? This helps you work efficiently on either of those other sites. Syncing your Ancestry.com tree also means you’ll maintain access to attached records even if you let your subscription lapse. Family Tree Maker can also serve as your “research hub,” linking out selectively to online trees and allowing you to easily search database. (See Web Search below.)

Note you can’t sync Family Tree Maker, Ancestry.com and FamilySearch. To encompass all three, you’d need to import a branch of the FamilySearch Tree as a new Family Tree Maker file, then sync that FTM file with a new Ancestry.com tree. Edits you make on Family Tree Maker or Ancestry.com would be reflected in both places, but the FamilySearch Tree would remain unchanged. (You’d have to manually make changes again on FamilySearch.)

Backing up your tree

Family Tree Maker creates an automatic backup whenever you close the program. However, the auto-backup doesn’t include media files or the data needed to relink a tree to Ancestry.com. So you’ll still want to regularly back up your file manually from File > Backup, ideally to an external hard drive or USB drive. You can also back up data using the TreeVault service; see the section on the Connect workspace.

People Workspace: Adding and Editing Profiles to Family Trees

You’ll spend most of your time in this multifaceted workspace, where you can review, add, edit or delete data. Note that Family Tree Maker automatically saves the changes you make; you don’t need to hit a Save button.

Tree Tab

1. Index of names

From the index, view all the people in your tree at a glance. You can change their order (e.g., sorting by surname or given name) or search for a specific person using the Find box. The second icon on the right lets you add more information (such as birth or death date) to listings in the index, especially useful for distinguishing between same-named people.

2. Tree Viewer

This shows you a person and their family members in either Pedigree View (showing only ancestors) or Family View (a traditional family tree, showing all immediate relatives). Click the home icon to re-center the tree on whomever you’ve designed as your tree’s home person. Use the slider to zoom in and out.

3. Family group view

As its name implies, the family group view shows a person within the context of a family group sheet (i.e., the person, their spouse, and their children) including relevant birth, death and marriage information and the names of each spouse’s parents. Click the small black arrow to hide the bottom panel.

4. Editing panel

Select a person from the index or Tree Viewer, and the editing panel provides a quick summary of their details. The five icons underneath the name inventory the person’s facts, media, notes, web links, and tasks. You can quickly edit each field, add a source citation (using the small icons), or jump to the relevant location in the Places workspace.

Note that you can’t add facts here—just view or edit existing ones; in general, you can view the places, sources and media you’ve added—as well as which people are connected with each—in those respective workspaces. You also may not see all of a person’s facts; the view shows only the most common types

Person Tab

Double-click a person’s name or click the Person tab with a person highlighted to see all their facts. Then click an existing fact from the person’s timeline to see its details. The fields you see will vary by type—for example, an enumeration date and place for a census record.

The fact is the basic unit of Family Tree Maker. You can create facts for not only birth, marriage and death, but also for events such as immigration, military service and residence. Click Add Fact (the blue plus icon) to review the templated options, then follow the prompts for adding information.

In addition to dates and places, you can add source citations, media items, and notes to facts. From the Fact detail screen, you can edit each or (for sources and media items) view how it’s used across your tree. You can also designate a photo as a person’s profile picture.

Beside Facts, you can also attach the following to a person:

• Notes: A free-flowing text field, complete with formatting options and spell-check
• Media: Photos, video or audio of this person
• Web Links: For example, the person’s profile in a world tree such as Geni
• Tasks: A to-do item for this person, along with a due date and a priority level

As a reminder: The notes and media you add here are separate from those you add to specific facts or sources.

Tips for entering genealogy data

Here are some quick best practices as you add information to person profiles. Find more here.

• Use a template for dates. The genealogical standard is DD MMM YYYY (e.g., 4 July 1776). Also decide how you’ll handle dates for which you only know the year or the month and year.
• Use a template for place names. A typical US place name is entered as Town/Township/City, County, State (e.g., Victoria [town], Knox [county], Illinois). If most of your work is in the United States, you probably don’t need to add country information. Click Tools > Resolve Place Names to have Family Tree Maker identify any irregular locations.
• Decide between adding historical jurisdictions or modern ones. Whichever way you go, it’s best to be consistent and stick to one standard or the other. If you use historical place names (i.e., the place name as it’s mentioned on a record), you could add a note about modern place name in the fact’s details or description.

Places Workspace: Tracking Ancestral Hometowns, Addresses and Other Locales

Put your ancestors on the map! This view allows you to visualize the locations you’ve added to facts in your tree in a new way.

Select a place in the pane on the left, and the map in the middle should display that location. This view places your ancestral locations in a modern context. The more-precise your location, the more-helpful the map view will be. You can also list locations by the people tagged to them; click a name to see not just the mapped places, but also a line connecting them. Click the drop-down to toggle different map views: Road, Aerial, Bird’s eye, or Streetside.

The right column indicates which people in your tree are connected to the place being mapped. Double-click a name to jump to the relevant Person View or the “Linked to This” pinpoint icon to jump to a specific event.

Media Workspace: Uploading Photos, Document Images, Audio Files and Videos

Review and manage the photos, videos, etc., that you’ve uploaded throughout the program. From the Media workspace, you can edit items, see how they’re used throughout your tree, and manage linked people, facts and sources. Media can be attached to people, facts, or sources, depending on need.

When you link media items to a person or a source citation, you can either link to the media file from its current location (e.g., on your desktop) or copy the file to the media folder for your tree. The latter makes it easier to find the files and back them up. By default, the tree’s media folder is in the same location as the tree file itself and called [Tree Name] Media.

You can customize a file’s captions, add descriptions, and designate a “Category” (e.g., Document, Video, Photo). The Filename and Location field helps you keep track of items on your desktop.

Sources Workspace: Managing Citations, Records and Documents

This workspace collects sources that you’ve cited throughout your tree and allows you to manage them from one convenient place. Click the Add icon to make a Source Citation, or your source at left to view and edit information about it. (You can also add source citations in the Person workspace.)

Your sources are listed in the Source Groups column. Click one to see where it’s been cited in your tree and/or jump to the associated fact. Note there’s a difference between a source (e.g., the 1940 Census of the United States) and a source citation (a single reference to a source, added to a fact; e.g., a single page of the 1940 census).

Family Tree Maker has customizable source templates to help you document many types of sources. Select a record group, then narrow down through the derivative options until you get to a specific template. For example: a church record found in an online database.

You can also easily identify facts that don’t have source citations attached. From the Publish workspace, click Collection > Charts & Reports > Source Reports. The Undocumented Facts Report lists all unsourced facts.

Publish Workspace: Exporting Family Tree Charts and Reports and Creating Books

The Publish workspace has so many options that it can be overwhelming. Among the most-useful publication types are the Genealogy Reports that show either a person’s ancestors (Ahnentafel Report) or descendants (Descendant Report). The most-useful, at least for printing on letter-size pages, is probably the standard Pedigree Chart.

You need to specify the starting person for your report. By default, this is the person you’ve viewed most recently in the People workspace, but you can select someone else from the drop-down.

Click Create Chart or the Detail tab to view a preview. The icons allow you to customize the report by adding images, headers or footers, or text boxes. You can also edit fonts, borders, and the background. Depending on the report type, you might also select the number of generations—you don’t need to include everyone.

Web Search Workspace: Easily Look for Records on Genealogy Websites

Get help finding your ancestors—not just documenting them—by plugging their info into genealogy databases and search engines. Family Tree Maker can search Ancestry.com and FamilySearch for historical records pertaining to people in your tree.

Have the target person selected from the People workspace, then select where you want to look for them in Web Search. The tool automatically imports data from the profile and enters it into Ancestry.com’s or FamilySearch’s relevant search fields. As when searching directly on those websites, you may want to add or remove search terms to narrow or broaden your results.

You can also have Web Search crawl RootsWeb and general search engines for references to family members. Your search fields are more limited here—just name, birth year and death year.

Your results appear much as they would on the actual website. If one seems like a match, you’ll be prompted to log in to your FamilySearch or Ancestry.com account. You can’t directly add records from Ancestry.com to your Family Tree Maker tree, but you can click the Share button to easily send the record to yourself.

You’ll likely have far too many results to manage. (Unlike on FamilySearch or Ancestry.com, you can’t search within specific collections.) Use the filters at left to winnow down your results.

Connect Workspace: Sharing Your Work and Collaborating with Relatives

New in Family Tree Maker 2024, the Connect workspace allows users to invite guests to their tree, plus take their research on the go with the FTM Connect app for smartphones and tablets. Family members can even provide feedback on your work using virtual sticky notes.

In addition, you can create an “Antenna Tree” that continually backs up your file to Family Tree Maker’s cloud database. Note you’ll need the paid TreeVault service ($1.50/month for Basic; $2/month for Media Plus) to use the tools here.

Related Reads

A version of this article appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine.