How to Open a GEDCOM File (Free Online Viewer)

A GEDCOM file (.ged) holds your family tree in a universal text format, but double-clicking one usually gets you a wall of code instead of a family tree. To actually see the people, dates, and places inside, you need a program that reads GEDCOM. The fastest way is a free online GEDCOM viewer like TreeAlive: nothing to install, no account, and your file is read entirely in your browser. Here is how.

Step-by-step instructions

Find your GEDCOM file

Locate the file on your computer. It ends in .ged and is usually in your Downloads folder if you just exported it from a genealogy site. A .zip containing the GEDCOM works too. Don't have one yet? See how to get a GEDCOM file.

Go to treealive.com

Open treealive.com in any modern browser on your computer, tablet, or phone. There is nothing to install and no account to create.

Upload the file

Click "Upload your tree" and choose your .ged or .zip file. The file is read in your browser and never stored on our servers.

Pick a starting person

TreeAlive lists the people found in your file. Choose yourself or an ancestor to center the tree on. You can switch to someone else later.

Explore your tree

TreeAlive finds each birthplace, marriage, and migration in your file and places them on an animated historical map. From there you can play the Time Machine, walk through Journey Mode, and browse every location it found.

Tip

Prefer a desktop program? Free tools like RootsMagic Essentials and Gramps also open GEDCOM files, and Ancestry or MyHeritage can import one into an online tree. And because a GEDCOM is plain text, Notepad or TextEdit will open it in a pinch, though you'll see raw tags rather than a family tree.

See what you'll create

🎬 Watch a sample video Watch an ancestry journey unfold across the map over hundreds of years. Watch video →

🗺️ Explore the Time Machine Click any ancestor to see their world on a real historical map from their era. Explore example →

Ready to see your ancestors' journey?

Upload your GEDCOM file and watch their migrations come alive on the map.

Upload Your GEDCOM Free · No account needed · Nothing stored