Contact
How to reach Family Tree Maker support
Request Family Tree Maker support
Tell us your Family Tree Maker version, your operating system, and the exact error message. Those three details let a technician diagnose the problem on the first reply instead of sending you a round of questions. Everything else on this form stays optional. We answer within one working day, and we tell you plainly when the fix belongs with the publisher rather than with us.
Thank you — that's arrived.
We'll read it properly and reply within one working day, including if the answer is that we can't help. If it's urgent and you don't hear back, do send it again — occasionally a message goes astray.
Two different things get called "Family Tree Maker support". One is the publisher, the publisher, who handle licences and billing free of charge. The other is an independent service like ours, for the problems they cannot fix on your computer. This page tells you which one you need.
Family Tree Maker customer service phone number: where to find the official one
The publisher publishes Family Tree Maker and runs its official support. Their support centre carries version-specific articles, a support request form and free live chat around the clock, and it costs nothing to use: the official support site.
Go to them first for anything involving your account. We do not publish a number that pretends to be theirs, and any site that does is worth leaving.
What the publisher covers, and what they do not
| Your problem | Who handles it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Licence keys, activation, replacement downloads | The publisher | Free |
| Purchases, refunds, TreeVault billing | The publisher | Free |
| Suspected bug in a specific build | The publisher | Free |
| Ancestry account access and passwords | Ancestry.com | Free |
| Sync failing on your machine after you tried the guide | Us | Paid, no fix no fee |
| Corrupted file, obsolete format, data on a dead PC | Us | Assessed free first |
| Learning the software one to one | Us | Paid |
When an independent service makes sense instead
Vendor support answers questions about the product. It does not sit with you while you work through your own tree at your own pace. Come to us when you have read the guide, followed the steps, and the problem persists — or when you would rather someone walked you through it.
Every troubleshooting guide on this site stays free. Most people who arrive here fix the problem themselves and never send a message. That is the intended outcome.
Our number, our hours, and what we can actually help with
Call +1 (805) 971-9867, or send the form below. We reply to written enquiries within one working day and tell you honestly whether the problem is ours to solve. We are an independent service and not affiliated with the publisher or Ancestry.com.
Email us at info@ancientfamilyroots.com. Our postal address is 36045 45th Avenue, St. Joseph, MN 56374. Sessions still run remotely, by screen share and phone, so it makes no difference where in the country you are.
We will never ask for your password. Not in an email, not on a call, not during a session. Please don't include account passwords in your message to us — there is never a reason for us to need one.
What we can't help with
Saying this here saves you writing a message and waiting a day for an answer you already have.
| Your question | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Tree file won't open, sync fails, media missing, duplicates, crashes | Us — that's the whole job |
| Moving your tree to a new computer or a different program | Us |
| Learning to use the software properly | Us |
| Licence keys, activation, replacement downloads | The publisher |
| Purchases, refunds, subscription changes | The publisher, or whoever you bought from |
| Your Ancestry account, records subscription or DNA results | Ancestry's own support |
| Researching your ancestors, breaking through a brick wall | A professional genealogist |
| General computer problems unrelated to genealogy | A local computer repair service |
Frequently asked questions
How quickly will you reply?
We aim to answer every enquiry within one working day. A message that arrives over a weekend gets its reply on the Monday. You'll always get an answer — including when the answer is that we can't help.
What should I include in my message?
Your Family Tree Maker version, Windows or Mac, the exact wording of any error message, and what you were doing when it started. Those four are usually enough for us to tell you whether it's fixable before you spend anything.
Can you help with my Ancestry subscription or billing?
No. Subscriptions, purchases, refunds and licence keys are handled by the companies that sell the software and the records service. We have no access to your account and can't act for you, so those go to the publisher directly.
Will you ask for my password?
Never, by any channel. Not in email, not on a call, not in a session. Sessions are screen-share only — if a password needs typing, you type it and we look away or you blank the screen.
Do you offer support by telephone?
Problems get diagnosed far more reliably when we can see the screen, so support runs as a screen-share session rather than a phone call. Start with a written enquiry describing the fault and we'll arrange a session if one's needed.
Before you write
Most problems are already answered for free. It's worth two minutes: