What is a GEDCOM file?

A plain-text file for exchanging family trees. It lists people, the families that join them, events and, if the author was careful, sources. The usual extension is .ged. It is the closest thing genealogy has to a universal save file, not a photo album or a DNA kit.

Which GEDCOM version should I export?

Choose 5.5 or 5.5.1 for a first move between tools: almost every program still reads it. GEDCOM 7 is cleaner for some multilingual and media cases, but support is not yet universal. If a menu offers both, keep a 5.5.1 copy for compatibility.

What information usually survives a GEDCOM transfer?

Names, sex, spouse and child links, and the birth, marriage and death events you typed, plus many notes. Source citations transfer when both programs map them strictly. Live hints, DNA match lists and most photograph albums do not travel inside the .ged.

Why did my photographs disappear after I imported a GEDCOM?

Many programs write only a link to a local file, or they leave media out entirely. Export pictures into a folder you control and re-attach them after import. A GEDCOM is a skeleton with labels, not a backup of the whole product experience.

How can I tell if an export failed?

Open the .ged in a text editor and look for people you recognise. A tiny file after a large tree is a failed export. You should see INDI and FAM tags and dates you typed. If names with accents became question marks, re-export as UTF-8.

Should I import a GEDCOM on top of an existing tree?

Not unless the tool has an explicit merge workflow. Import into a new empty tree, check a family you know well, then merge deliberately. Importing onto an existing file is how people create duplicates and circular relationships.

Does GEDCOM include my DNA matches?

No. Matches live in the testing company's database. The file can hold people you created from those matches; it does not hold centimorgans or shared segments. Keep the raw DNA file separately from the .ged.

Why does every serious genealogy program still use GEDCOM?

Because it is the practical test of whether you own your research. If you cannot export a readable .ged, your tree is locked to that product. Keep a dated copy next to your certificates and update it when you add a generation.

What a GEDCOM File Is and How to Use It | Blog

What a GEDCOM file contains, how to export and import a family tree, which details get lost, and why every researcher should keep a portable copy.