Back up Family Tree Maker without losing the archive

The short answer

Treat Family Tree Maker as a working genealogy database, not as the whole archive. Keep one clearly named master tree, make dated Family Tree Maker backups that include media, export a separate GEDCOM for portability and preserve source files outside the program.

Family Tree Maker can connect an Ancestry tree, local media, source citations and reports in one working system. The difficult part is knowing what each copy protects. A synced online tree, an automatic backup, a full Family Tree Maker backup and a GEDCOM export are not interchangeable.

This guide explains the roles without pretending that one file preserves everything.

Decide which tree is authoritative

Before changing sync settings, moving computers or merging trees, identify the copy that contains the newest trusted work.

Record:

• the tree filename;
• the computer and folder where it lives;
• the Family Tree Maker version that last opened it;
• whether it is linked to an Ancestry tree;
• the date and result of the last successful sync;
• the location of its media folder;
• the date of the last full backup and restore test.

If relatives also edit an online tree, agree how those changes reach the master. Two people making structural changes in different copies can create conflicts that no filename can explain later.

Understand the four copies

The working Family Tree Maker tree contains the database you actively edit.

The linked Ancestry tree supports online access, records and collaboration. It should not be assumed to contain every local program element in a form that can reconstruct the original file.

A full Family Tree Maker backup is intended to restore the working tree in Family Tree Maker. Software MacKiev states that automatic backups do not include media or the information needed to relink a tree to Ancestry, so they should not be the only backups.

A GEDCOM export is the portable exchange copy. It can move core genealogical data between compatible programs, but it is not a complete replacement for the native backup and normally does not contain the media files themselves.

Make a full restorable backup

Use the program's backup command and include media. If the tree is linked to Ancestry and the installed version provides the option, include the information that allows a restored file to resume syncing.

Use a filename that identifies the tree, date and application version:

`Carter-Family_master_FTM2024_2026-08-30.ftmb`

Keep the new backup somewhere other than the working tree's normal folder. A second folder on the same disk protects against accidental editing but not against disk failure, loss or theft.

For the exact current menu and options, follow Software MacKiev's official backup instructions. Menus can vary by version.

→ Back up Family Tree Maker with media step by step

Export a separate GEDCOM

Create a GEDCOM after major research or structural changes. It gives you a software-independent text representation of people, relationships, events, notes and citations that the exporting program supports.

Keep it beside a short export note:

• source program and version;
• export date;
• GEDCOM version and character encoding if shown;
• whether living people were included or privatized;
• whether the whole tree or a selected branch was exported;
• known fields that did not transfer in a test import;
• location of the related media folder.

A GEDCOM is valuable because another compatible program can interpret it. It is not sufficient as the only backup because program-specific features and media may not travel with it.

→ Understand what a GEDCOM preserves—and what it leaves behind

Keep media outside the database too

Photographs, certificates, audio and document images should have stable filenames and a controlled folder structure outside the genealogy program.

For each important media file, preserve:

• the original downloaded or scanned file;
• a source ID connecting it to the citation;
• provenance and repository information;
• a working derivative if you cropped or enhanced it;
• permission or privacy restrictions;
• a backup separate from the computer.

Do not rename or reorganize the live media folder immediately before a backup or sync. First confirm how the current tree links to those files, make the backup and test a small controlled change.

→ Organize digital genealogy files without breaking context

→ Repair missing Family Tree Maker media links

→ Learn when GEDCOM photos transfer and when they do not

Use Ancestry sync as a workflow, not a backup claim

Sync can be useful for record discovery, online collaboration and keeping a linked tree aligned. It does not remove the need for a local backup or an independent export.

Before a major sync:

1. finish edits on one side;
2. review the sync change list;
3. stop if the proposed changes are unexpectedly large;
4. make a full local backup;
5. sync while the connection and computer are stable;
6. review several people, relationships, citations and media items afterward;
7. record the date and result.

If the linked trees disagree, do not repeatedly press sync hoping the conflict will resolve itself. Preserve both current states and follow the official support path for the installed version.

→ Compare Family Tree Maker and Ancestry by workflow

Moving to a new computer

Do not move only the visible tree file. Prepare a migration package containing:

• the full Family Tree Maker backup with media;
• a separate GEDCOM export;
• the controlled media archive;
• the version and licence information you are entitled to retain;
• a note describing the Ancestry link and last successful sync;
• a checksum or file list for the package.

Restore the backup using the current official instructions. Open the restored tree before deleting or retiring the old installation. Check people, relationships, sources, media and reports—not merely whether the tree opens.

→ Move Family Tree Maker to a new computer step by step

A simple backup rhythm

After each research session: allow the normal working backup, then confirm the session log and source files were saved.

After a major merge, import or cleanup: make a manual full backup before and after the change.

Monthly: copy a verified backup and GEDCOM to separate storage.

Twice a year: restore a test copy and inspect a sample of media, sources and relationships.

Before changing computers or updating software: make a fresh full backup, GEDCOM and media inventory.

What Wiserta adds around the software

Family Tree Maker stores and presents genealogy data. Wiserta's role is the surrounding research system: stable source IDs, research logs, questions, digital folders, backup records and a readable family archive.

That distinction matters. Your family history should remain understandable even if a relative uses different software or no genealogy program at all.

Official references

• Software MacKiev: backing up a tree file
• Ancestry: uploading and downloading trees
• FamilySearch: what is a GEDCOM file?

Wiserta is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Software MacKiev, Family Tree Maker, Ancestry or FamilySearch. Product and company names belong to their respective owners.