Written by Generation Archives. We make a tree app that exports GEDCOM, so the steps in the middle describe ours. The advice about versions and backups applies to any program.

How to export your family tree as GEDCOM, and make it a real backup

Published by Generation Archives on November 5, 2026.

An export is the one feature you hope never to need and are glad to have. It lets you move to a different program, give a copy to a relative, or keep a safe copy in case something happens to the service you use. This guide explains how to export a tree as GEDCOM, which version to choose, what the file will not contain, and how to make that export part of a backup routine rather than a one-off.

Why export at all

Backup. Services change, accounts get closed, and computers fail. A file on your own drive does not depend on any of them.
Moving. If you ever switch programs, GEDCOM is the common language. See what is GEDCOM.
Sharing with someone who uses different software. A cousin with a desktop program can open a .ged file even if they do not use your app.
Checking your own work. Opening the exported file in a text editor shows exactly what is stored.

Which format should you choose

Generation Archives exports four things. The first three are data formats and the last is a picture.

Export	What it is	When to choose it
GEDCOM 5.5.1	The long-standing version, read by nearly every program	The safe default, especially for moving to older or desktop software
GEDCOM 7.0	The newer version, from 2021	When the program you are moving to supports it
GEDZIP	A GEDCOM 7.0 file packaged as a zip. It carries links to pictures, but not the image files	When the destination supports GEDZIP and you want picture links preserved
PDF, PNG, or JPEG	An image of the whole tree	Printing and posters. These cannot be imported into another program

If you are unsure, choose GEDCOM 5.5.1.

How to export in Generation Archives

Sign in and open the tree you want to export.
Click Import / export on the tree toolbar.
Choose the export you want: GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, or an image.
Save the file to a folder you control.

That is all. Exporting does not change your tree.

You can try the demo first to see where the button is. Demo changes stay on your device and are not saved to an account.

What the file contains

A GEDCOM export typically holds:

People and their names
Birth, marriage, death, and other events with dates and places
Parent, child, and spouse relationships
Notes
Source text, depending on the program

What the file does not contain

This is the part to understand before you rely on an export as a backup.

Photos and files. GEDCOM is text. It may point to where a photo was, but the picture is not inside. A GEDZIP file carries picture links, not the image files. Keep your original photos in a folder you control. How to organize family photos shows a simple way to do that.
Layouts. Where people sit on the canvas, named layouts, and colors are specific to the app.
Photo tags. The boxes you drew around faces belong to the app.
App-specific features. Anything the destination program does not understand may be dropped or turned into a note.
Collaborators and permissions. Who you invited is not part of the file.

For this reason, a GEDCOM is a backup of the structure of your tree, not of everything you see on screen. Treat it as one part of a backup, not the whole thing.

Check the export before you trust it

An export that you have never opened is a hope, not a backup. Do these three checks the first time you export, and again after any big change.

Open it in a plain text editor. You should see lines starting with 0, 1, 2, with tags such as INDI, FAM, NAME, BIRT. If it looks like gibberish, something is wrong.
Check the size. A tree of a few hundred people produces a file of a few hundred kilobytes at most. A file of a few bytes is empty.
Test import into a different program, or into a new tree, and compare the number of people. How to import a GEDCOM has a checklist.

Make the export a backup

One file in one folder is not a backup. A backup is a copy somewhere else, made on a schedule, that you have tested.

A simple routine:

Export after each work session that adds a lot, or at least once a month if you work steadily.
Name the file with the date, such as whitfield-2026-11-05.ged, so you can tell versions apart.
Keep the last several exports, not just the latest. If a mistake is made on Tuesday, you want the file from Monday.
Store copies in two different places, such as your computer and an external drive or a cloud folder.
Keep photos in a separate folder that is also backed up.
Once a year, open an old export and check that it still opens.

How to back up your family tree explains the 3-2-1 rule that this routine is based on.

Privacy when you hand over a file

A GEDCOM file contains everything in the tree it was made from, including living people, unless the app lets you exclude them. Once someone has the file, you cannot control where it goes. Before you send it to a relative or upload it to another service:

Check who is in the file. Are living relatives included? Should they be?
Check the notes. Notes can contain private stories or details you added long ago.
Decide whether a picture would do. If someone only needs to see the tree, a PDF may be better than a data file.
Use a trusted way to send it. Do not post a GEDCOM publicly.

See how to share a family tree safely for more.

Moving to or from other programs

If you are leaving or joining another program, there are specific notes on Family Tree Maker and Gramps. Those pages cover which GEDCOM versions they read and what to check afterward.

Frequently asked questions

Does exporting delete anything?

No. An export is a copy. Your tree stays as it was.

Is the export free?

Yes. Generation Archives is free to use, and exporting does not cost anything. Hosting uploaded media beyond the starter credit is paid, and linking photos from a public address is free. See pricing.

Will my photos be in the file?

No. GEDCOM and GEDZIP do not contain the image files. Keep your originals somewhere safe.

Can I open the file in a spreadsheet?

You can open it in a text editor. A spreadsheet will not read the structure well. If you want a spreadsheet, some programs offer CSV as a separate export.

How often should I export?

Often enough that losing everything since the last export would not hurt much. For an active tree, monthly is reasonable. For a tree you rarely change, after each change.

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