Preserving Your Family Tree: Tips for Backup and Recovery

When managing a family tree on , it is crucial to ensure that your information is secure and accessible for future generations. This guide will walk you through the best practices for backing up your family tree and what to do if you suspect your tree has been deleted.

Understanding Your Current Setup on

Your main family tree on might be public or private, depending on your preferences. Additionally, you may have smaller, private trees for allied families that are interconnected with the main tree. These smaller trees have been gradually added to the main tree and are currently in a dormant state. It is unknown whether Ancestry will delete these dormant trees after a certain period of inactivity. In some cases, deleting an account permanently removes trees, but the main account remains intact with no data recovery.

Account and Family Tree Management

Given that deleting a family tree is not common, the best strategy is to either let your subscription expire or simply not add new documents or photos. Your existing data, including people, relationships, and facts, will remain accessible within the account. You can continue to maintain and expand your family tree without the limitations imposed by the subscription. However, if you need to, you can always resubscribe to regain access to all existing documents and photos stored in the Ancestry database.

Back Up Your Family Tree

It is recommended to regularly back up your family tree for added security. provides an easy way to export your tree as a GEDCOM file directly from the website. This file contains the basic information, including people, relationships, and the tree structure. Although it does not include documents and photos, it serves as a comprehensive record of your family tree. To create a GEDCOM file, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account.2. Navigate to the tree you want to back up.3. Click on the "Download" button (it looks like a cloud with a downward arrow).4. Save the file to a secure location on your computer or an external storage device.

What to Do if Your Family Tree Has Been Deleted

If you find that your family tree has been accidentally or forcefully deleted, there are a few steps you can take to recover or recreate it:

Contact Ancestry Support: Reach out to support with your account and tree information. They may have records of deleted trees and can help you recover data. Check Backup Files: If you have previously created and saved GEDCOM files, you can import them back into Ancestry to recreate your family tree. Recreate from Scratch: Starting from the basics, use the information from your backed-up files to rebuild your family tree. This process may be time-consuming but ensures the integrity of your data.

Conclusion

By understanding the intricacies of managing and backing up your family tree on , you can ensure that your heritage is preserved and accessible for future generations. Regular backups and a solid plan for recovery are key to maintaining a robust and secure family tree on this valuable platform.