The GEDCOM upload page has a new look and some important updates.
In the past, uploading a GEDCOM file added your family tree to a read-only collection called the Pedigree Resource File. Now, when you upload a GEDCOM file, you create an online tree that you can build, edit, and manage on your own or with an invited group of collaborators.
Here's what’s new.
Your tree can be edited online without the need to delete and reupload your file
Your uploaded GEDCOM now becomes a dynamic, working family tree. Instead of uploading your GEDCOM file to the FamilySearch website as a backup or a copy of the research you've conducted somewhere else, you can keep building your tree, editing it, and improving it over time.
In this new tree that you create, only you and the people you invite can edit. Other users can view the information and use it in their research. But only invited collaborators that you approve can make changes.
You can use all the tools and records on FamilySearch
As you edit your tree, you will still have full access to everything FamilySearch offers, including record hints, historical records, memories, and all the same tools you use in the FamilySearch Family Tree.
You choose who can see, edit, and help manage your tree
While only you and your invited collaborators can make changes, others on the FamilySearch website can still view the deceased people in your tree and use your discoveries in their own research. In this way, your efforts can inspire and help others. If you have privacy concerns, you can set your tree to private.
You can also invite up to two other users to help manage your tree. These co-owners can continue the work if you’re ever unable to do it yourself. It’s a way to ensure that your tree lives on, even after you’re gone.
How to request early access
This updated GEDCOM functionality is being released over time to an increasing number of users. If you would like to request access, please go to FamilySearch Labs, and choose the User Owned Tree Feature (CETs) experiment.
Third-party integration coming soon
In the future, you will be able to create an online tree, connect an existing online tree, and sync with many popular third-party genealogy software products.
Questions and comments
We'd love to hear what you think. To send us feedback, use the Feedback button, which is located on the left side of the page.
For more extensive comments and support, join the CET Feedback—Early Access group in the FamilySearch Community. There, you can interact with a knowledgeable team of support, engineers, and other users of this new upload experience.
The community is also a great place to share ideas, report bugs, or identify other problems. In the community, you can provide screen shots and add details that will help us reproduce the bug or understand your idea.