How do I delete a person from Family Tree?

Article Id: 927
October 18, 2024
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Before you begin

You can delete a name in Family Tree under these circumstances:

  • The person is deceased; you created the profile; no other contributor has changed it.
  • The profile is for a living person that you added to Family Tree.

The message "Why can't I delete this person?" means that you cannot delete the name. The message appears when another contributor edited the profile.

If you cannot delete a record, please do not remove information in order to hide it. Instead, contact FamilySearch Support.

If you find a profile that another changed in order to hide the record, please use the "Report Abuse" feature. An internal team can review the situation and take appropriate action.

What to expect

When you delete a person, these changes occur:

  • Family Tree removes any relationships to other individuals.
  • No one can modify the profile.
  • You can only search for the person by ID number.

Latest Changes allows you to restore a deleted profile or relationship.

Steps (website)

  1. Sign in to FamilySearch, and click Family Tree. Then click Tree.
  2. Find the profile that you want to delete.
  3. Click the name. In the details that pop up, click the name again.
  4. Click the Details tab.
  5. On the right, find Tools.
  6. Click Delete Person. If Delete Person is grayed out, consider these alternatives:
    • If the person never existed, contact FamilySearch Support.
    • Delete relationships.
    • Replace relationships.
    • Merge duplicate records.
    • Edit incorrect data.
    • Add source information.
  7. Review the information in the Delete Person window.
  8. Provide a reason that you want to delete the profile.
  9. To indicate that you reviewed the relationships and included a reason statement, check the boxes.
  10. Click Delete.

Steps (mobile app)

  1. In the Family Tree mobile app, navigate to the Person page of the person whose record you want to delete.
  2. In the top right portion of the screen, tap the 3 dots.
    • Android: Tap Delete Person.
    • Apple iOS: Tap More, and then tap Delete Person.
    • If you get a message that you cannot delete the profile, you can submit a request to FamilySearch Support.
  3. Review the information in the Delete Person window.
  4. Enter a reason statement.
  5. Tap Delete.

Steps (Family Tree Lite)

Family Tree Lite does not provide an option to delete a Family Tree profile.

How do I restore a deleted record for a person in Family Tree?
How does Family Tree protect the privacy of living people?
How do I merge possible duplicates in Family Tree?
How do I merge duplicates of living or confidential people that I added to Family Tree?

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