FamilySearch Help is where beginner and advanced family history researchers can go to get answers to questions they encounter as they seek to find their ancestors. In a blog post from June 2021, we highlighted the new features and accessibility of the revamped Help Center on FamilySearch. An earlier blog post detailed how the simplified menu is your one-stop-shop for all of your help questions.
Based on user feedback, FamilySearch engineers have reorganized the Help material in order to make some great help resources more visible. These changes come after extensive user testing and feedback. Your comments have been valuable.
The process for accessing FamilySearch Help has not changed. The user will first go to www.familysearch.org, sign in, then click on the Help icon in the upper right of the screen. This icon is the circled question mark.
The biggest difference that users will notice is the refresh of the graphics and a new navigation for the pages. As always, the open text field where questions can be entered, is still located at the top of the Help and Learning page. Possible answers to questions will then be shown with the option to rephrase or add additional information. Sometimes it is best to ask your question with a single word or two. Phrases and complete sentences may not bring the results that will be most helpful. Clicking on Find help by topic will display major topics that will help narrow a search.
Large panels near the top of the Help and Learning page lead users to popular topics, such as Getting Started activities, Resetting a Password, and seeing the Top Ten Asked Questions (because your question may have already been asked). Just below this section will be found recent updates and changes to FamilySearch. There is a link to view additional important information about using the entire FamilySearch web site.
Scrolling down the page takes the user to the Self-Help Resources where additional learning and searching can take place. Linking off from this section is the popular Classes and Videos where users can select and view recorded webinars and other videos to help enhance their research and knowledge.
An important goal of the Help pages is to, ultimately, help you find Community and one-on-one help resources. With over 5,000 FamilySearch Centers worldwide, there is likely one near you where you can go to get help in a friendly environment and where additional resources are available to search.
This redesign of the FamilySearch Help will allow for future upgrades with minimal disruption and more flexibility to add new features to the site. Rest assured that nothing has gone away, just put in its proper place and with ease of discovery.
Stay tuned to the FamilySearch Blog where we will post additional articles about individual features of the revamped Help resources. We want everyone to have a great experience in getting the help they need to connect with their family.
