Frequently asked questions
Short answers about Clardware FamilyTree, the free genealogy software for Windows. If your question is not here, write to familytree@clardware.be.
What is Clardware FamilyTree?
Free genealogy software (a family tree program) for Windows. You keep your family tree in GEDCOM 7, the standard format for family trees, and use it to tag family photographs, put places on a map, make ancestor and descendant charts as PDF and merge family trees. It is made by Clardware in Belgium.
Is FamilyTree free?
Yes, free for personal use, with no adverts, account or subscription. It may not be sold or used commercially, because an included face recognition model is released for non-commercial use only.
Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes. Everything happens on your own computer: the map, the gazetteer with the postcodes of 122 countries, face recognition and background removal. Nothing is downloaded afterwards.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. There is no account, no cloud and no telemetry. Your family tree and photos stay in the folder where you keep them. Even the letter asking family for information is only prepared by FamilyTree; you send it yourself. More on the Privacy page.
Which family tree files can I open?
GEDCOM 5.5.1 and GEDCOM 7, in UTF-8, ANSI or ANSEL. Files from AGES, Gramps and MyHeritage have been tested. Whatever FamilyTree does not use itself, it leaves untouched, so nothing is lost when you save.
In which format does FamilyTree save my family tree?
In GEDCOM 7, the newest version of the standard, as an ordinary file next to your photos. Its own additions are described on the GEDCOM page. For programs that cannot read GEDCOM 7 yet, export to GEDCOM 5.5.1.
I use AGES. Can I switch?
Yes. Open your GEDCOM file in FamilyTree; whatever AGES left behind can be cleaned up with one button. See Moving from AGES to FamilyTree.
Can I restore old photos?
Yes. You can straighten a photo, crop it, remove the background (also on old black-and-white and sepia photos) and correct the tone. The result becomes a new photo; the original is always kept.
Does FamilyTree recognise faces in family photos?
Yes. In a group photo it finds the faces and proposes names based on the portraits already in your tree. You confirm them yourself; nothing is ever linked automatically.
Can I merge two family trees?
Yes. FamilyTree puts a second GEDCOM file next to yours and shows, per person and per field, what would change. You choose what goes in; the whole merge can be undone in one step.
Can I share my family tree with relatives?
Yes, as PDF (ancestor chart, descendant report, fan chart), as a GEDCOM file or as your own family website that opens without internet. Living people can be hidden.
Does FamilyTree show how two people are related?
Yes. Pick two people and see their common ancestors, both lines of descent and the relationship in words, such as first cousins or second cousins once removed, with the degree. Relatives by marriage too, such as a sister-in-law or the family of grandmother's second husband.
Does it run on a Mac or on Linux?
No, for now FamilyTree is available for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) only.
Is there a portable version?
Yes. Unzip the ZIP, on a USB stick too, and start FamilyTree.exe; nothing to
install. Its settings then stay in that folder. See Download.
Which languages does FamilyTree support?
The screens are in English or Dutch. A letter asking family for information can be made in twelve languages.
What do I need?
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), about 500 MB of disk space and 4 GB of memory (8 GB is more comfortable with thousands of people). WebView2 is part of Windows.