What is GEDCOM? (And Why Is It a Genealogy Game-Changer?)
If you’ve been diving into family history or building your family tree, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the word “GEDCOM.” It sounds like a fancy technical term, but don’t worry—it’s actually pretty simple and is super helpful for anyone who is researching their ancestry.
Let’s start with the basics.
What Is GEDCOM?
GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. It was created all the way back in the 1980s by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They’ve done a lot of work in genealogy and wanted a simple way to share family tree information between different computer programs.
Before GEDCOM, if you made your family tree in one program, you couldn’t move it to another without starting over. That was a headache! GEDCOM changed that by giving us a kind of “universal file format” for genealogy.
How Does It Work?
Imagine you build your family tree using a website like Ancestry or MyHeritage. But then you want to switch to a different program, like Family Tree Maker. With GEDCOM, you can just export your tree as a GEDCOM file, and then import it into the new program. All your names, dates, places, and relationships come along for the ride—no retyping!
A GEDCOM file is just a text file, filled with codes and labels that organize your data in a way that computers can understand. You won’t need to read or write it yourself (unless you’re feeling extra curious), but it’s neat to know how simple and powerful it is.
Why Genealogists Love It
GEDCOM saves time. It helps people avoid losing their research if they change software or want to back it up. It also makes it easy to share family trees with others—cousins, researchers, or even professional genealogists.
Another big plus? You can use GEDCOM to merge different trees together. If your aunt has her side of the family tree and you have yours, you can combine both using GEDCOM files. That way, everyone’s hard work fits together like puzzle pieces.
Are There Any Downsides?
GEDCOM is great, but it’s not perfect. Some newer features in modern genealogy programs—like photos, notes, or special tags—might not transfer perfectly. Still, for the basic facts (who was born when, who married who, etc.), GEDCOM is the gold standard.
Final Thoughts
Think of GEDCOM as the passport that lets your family tree travel wherever it needs to go. Whether you’re just starting your ancestry adventure or deep into your roots, having a GEDCOM file is like carrying a backup map—it keeps your journey going, smooth and strong.
So go ahead—explore, save, and share. Your ancestors would be proud.
