How to export your MyHeritage tree as a GEDCOM file

4-minute guide · Updated September 2026

MyHeritage can save your family tree as a GEDCOM file, the universal .ged format that other genealogy sites, desktop programs and chart makers understand. It's a good backup, and it's what you need to print your tree as a poster.

Step by step

1. Open Manage trees. Sign in on a computer, hover over Family tree in the top menu and choose Manage trees.
2. Find your tree in the list. If you have more than one, check the tree name and the number of people.
3. Click “Export to GEDCOM” in the Actions column for that tree.
4. Choose your options. MyHeritage asks whether to include photos. For a chart you don't need them. A GEDCOM can only hold links to photos, not the pictures themselves. Then click Begin the export.
5. Download the file. When the export is ready, download the .ged file to your computer. Large trees can take a few minutes to prepare.

What to check in the file

• Maiden names: MyHeritage stores women under their birth surname, which is what genealogy charts traditionally show.
• Living people are included in full. Keep the file private. Fan Chart Studio reads it inside your browser and never uploads it, and you can hide living people's dates on a chart you plan to share.
• Names and alphabets: MyHeritage exports every alphabet correctly (as UTF-8). On Fan Chart Studio charts, accented letters and Cyrillic print correctly. Hebrew, Arabic and Asian scripts aren't supported on charts yet. Add a Latin-alphabet spelling for those names, or tell us you'd like them supported.

Make a chart from it

Open Fan Chart Studio, click Open GEDCOM file, and pick your export. Choose who goes in the center, pick a style, and download a PDF you can print at home or at a print shop.

MyHeritage® is a trademark of MyHeritage Ltd. Fan Chart Studio is independent and not affiliated with MyHeritage. Menus change occasionally. Tell us if these steps look different for you.