Sakdulur

What is GEDCOM? Exporting your family tree

Updated

GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication) is the common file format of family tree software. A .ged file holds people, families and how they are related, so a tree made in one app can be opened in another. This guide explains what it contains and how to export your tree.

1. What a GEDCOM file contains

GEDCOM 5.5.1 is the version almost every genealogy app reads, including MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamilySearch and Gramps. It is a plain text file, so it is also a durable archive of your research.

  • People (INDI records): names, sex, birth and death dates and places, and notes.
  • Families (FAM records): a couple and their children, with marriage and divorce events.
  • How children are linked to parents, including adopted and foster children.
  • Approximate dates written as ABT (about), BEF (before) or AFT (after).

2. When to use GEDCOM

  • To move or copy your tree to another genealogy app or website.
  • To keep an independent backup in an open format.
  • To share your research with a relative who uses different software.

3. Exporting from Sakdulur

In Sakdulur, open the tree, go to its settings and choose Export. Pick the whole tree or one branch (a person and their descendants, their ancestors, both, or the relatives a few steps around them), then choose a format:

  • GEDCOM (5.5.1): for MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamilySearch, Gramps and other family tree apps.
  • Spreadsheet (Excel): one row per person; opens in Excel, Google Sheets or WPS.
  • Full backup (JSON): everything Sakdulur stores about the tree.
  • Image (PNG) or Print / save as PDF: a picture of the tree to share or print.

4. Good to know

Files (GEDCOM, Excel and JSON) can be downloaded by the tree's owners; every member can save or print the tree as a picture. GEDCOM 5.5.1 has no code for every relationship type, so step, guardian and milk parents are exported as parent links with a note naming the kind, and some details may look different after importing into another app. Sakdulur does not import GEDCOM files.

Questions

What is a .ged file?

A .ged file is a GEDCOM file: a plain text file with the people, families and relationships of a family tree, readable by almost every genealogy app.

Can I export my family tree from Sakdulur?

Yes. Tree owners can export the whole tree or one branch as GEDCOM, an Excel spreadsheet or a full JSON backup, and anyone in the tree can print it or save it as an image.

Which apps can open a GEDCOM file?

Almost all genealogy apps and websites, including MyHeritage, Ancestry, FamilySearch and Gramps.

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