Family Tree Maker web search returns no results
Searching Ancestry from inside Family Tree Maker and getting nothing back, or a category list that loads empty, is usually two settings rather than a broken program. Turn the search filters off and sign out and back in to refresh the connection. If your Ancestry membership has lapsed, an empty result list looks identical to a fault, and the free FamilySearch connection keeps working either way.
- Applies to
- FTM 2017 below build 23.2 · 2019 · 2024
- Platform
- Windows & macOS
- Time
- ~5 min
What you are seeing
Two symptoms travel together, and both point at the same fault rather than at your search terms.
- The results list comes back empty for a person you know Ancestry holds records for.
- The category list down the side disappears, so you cannot filter by census, birth, marriage or death.
- A message reads "your search returned zero matches" no matter how the name is spelled.
This is a fault in the software, not a problem with your Ancestry subscription and not a sign that the records are missing.
The two-setting fix
Both settings live in the Web Search workspace. Change the first, and most people get their results back immediately.
Untick the box for "Family Trees", then click Search. Results appear, and the category list comes back with them. This single change resolves the majority of cases.
If it still says zero matches, untick "Match all terms exactly". That setting demands a perfect match on every term at once, which almost no record satisfies.
Search again. Add filters back one at a time so you can see which one empties the list.
Update as well as applying the workaround. The publisher fixed this in FTM 2017 build 23.2. Anything below that build carries the fault, and updates within an edition cost nothing.
Why an empty result list is not an empty archive
The Web Search workspace queries Ancestry and renders what comes back. When one search category misbehaves, the whole response fails rather than degrading, so the panel shows nothing at all. That is why the category list vanishes at the same moment as the results: both come from the same response.
Your records are unaffected. The tree on your computer and the tree on Ancestry both stay exactly as they were.
Try FamilySearch before you conclude nothing exists
Family Tree Maker searches two collections, not one, and people forget the second. Alongside Ancestry it connects to FamilySearch, which carries billions of records and costs nothing to use. A name that returns an empty list from one frequently turns up in the other, because the two hold different collections digitised by different organisations.
That matters most for anyone whose Ancestry membership has lapsed. Without it, record searching and hints from Ancestry stop, and an empty result list looks exactly like a fault. The FamilySearch connection keeps working regardless, so it is worth checking before you assume the program has broken or the ancestor is undocumented.
If results are still empty
| Cause | Sign | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not signed in | Every search is empty, hints missing too | Sign in to Ancestry inside the program |
| Subscription lapsed | Index entries show, record images do not | Check the subscription on the Ancestry website |
| Blocked connection | Search fails instantly, browser works fine | Allow the program through the firewall |
| Search too narrow | Adding one filter empties the list | Remove filters, then add them back one at a time |
A search that fails the instant you click, rather than returning an empty list, points at the connection instead. That is covered in the sync and connection guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Family Tree Maker web search return no results?
A known fault empties the results list and the category list at the same time. Untick the box for Family Trees and search again. If it still returns zero matches, untick Match all terms exactly.
Why did the search categories disappear?
The categories and the results come from the same response from Ancestry. When that response fails, both vanish together. The same workaround restores both.
Is this a problem with my Ancestry subscription?
No. An empty results list from this fault appears regardless of subscription status. If index entries appear but record images do not, that points to the subscription instead.
What does "your search returned zero matches" mean?
It usually means Match all terms exactly is ticked. That setting requires every term to match perfectly at once, which almost no record satisfies. Untick it and search again.
Has this been fixed?
The publisher fixed it in FTM 2017 build 23.2. Installations below that build still carry it. Updates within an edition are free.
Are my records lost?
No. Web search only queries Ancestry and displays what comes back. Nothing in your tree changes when a search fails.
Search still empty after both changes?
We check your build, your sign-in and your connection on a screen share. No fix, no fee.