Recovering a family tree when you have no backup
Losing a tree with no backup feels final and usually isn't. Seven routes still exist, and the first one finds most trees: Family Tree Maker makes its own automatic backups whether you asked for them or not. Stop using the drive, then work down the list in order, because the odds fall as you go.
- Applies to
- FTM 2024 · 2019 · 2017 · 2014
- Platform
- Windows & macOS
- Time
- ~45 min
Stop using the computer
This is the one step people skip, and it costs recoveries. A deleted file is not erased immediately. The space it occupied is marked reusable, and the data stays until something writes over it. Every download, install and save from now on risks overwriting the very thing you are trying to recover.
Until the search is finished: install nothing, download nothing, and empty no bins.
Seven routes, most likely first
The automatic backups folder. Family Tree Maker makes its own backups separately from any you created. Look for a Backups subfolder beside your tree. People who are certain they have no backup frequently find several here.
Your online tree. If the tree ever synced with Ancestry, the online copy is still there and downloads into a fresh local file. This recovers everything up to the last sync.
A whole-drive search. Search for
.ftmand.ftmbacross the entire drive rather than browsing folders. Include hidden folders. Trees turn up in download folders, on desktops and inside old project folders.The recycle bin. Obvious, and frequently right. A tree deleted last week is often still sitting there.
Another user account. A tree saved under a different Windows or Mac account never appears in your file list, even though it sits on the same machine.
Old hardware. A previous computer, an external drive, or a USB stick used for a one-off transfer. These hold a copy more often than people expect.
The cloud copy, if you ever subscribed to TreeVault. This is built for exactly this moment, and people forget they are paying for it. Install Family Tree Maker 2019 or 2024, sign in to TreeVault, go to the workspace, and on the New Tree tab choose Emergency Tree Restore from TreeVault. Pick My Hard Drive Crashed if the machine failed. If you deleted the tree yourself, choose the other option instead, which routes you to the publisher's chat rather than restoring straight away.
Route one succeeds most often. Automatic backups exist without anyone choosing to make them, which is exactly why people overlook them when they believe they have nothing.
The full search routine, including cloud folders and conflicted copies, is in finding a missing tree file.
When only part of it survives
Recovery is often partial. A backup from four months ago, or an online tree missing your recent sources, still beats starting again.
| What you found | What it returns | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| An old automatic backup | Everything up to that date | Work done since |
| The online tree | People, facts and most sources | Notes, tasks, colour coding and some citation detail |
| A backup without media | Names, dates and sources | Every photograph and document |
| The media folder alone | Photographs and documents | The tree structure they attach to |
| A cloud restore on the entry-level plan | Every person, fact and source | All media, which that tier does not store |
Recover the largest piece first, then add the rest back. Rebuilding around a recovered core is far quicker than reconstructing from nothing.
The entry-level cloud plan stores your tree data, not your photographs. This is the detail people discover at the worst possible moment. On the base subscription the cloud copy holds every person, fact and source, and none of your media. A restore then gives you a complete tree whose images are all missing, and the images are the part nobody can recreate. Higher tiers do include media. If you are relying on the cloud as your safety net, check which tier you are on in the account manager, and if it is the base plan, keep your own copy of the media folder as well. It sits beside your tree file and carries the tree's name with the word Media added.
Making sure it never happens again
- Back up with media ticked, every time. A backup without media loses every scan.
- Keep the backup somewhere else. A backup on the same disk protects against nothing.
- Keep several dated backups rather than overwriting one, so damage that crept in gradually is still escapable.
- Open a backup occasionally to confirm it works. An untested backup is an assumption.
- Don't rename or move the tree file if you use the cloud service. Doing so breaks the link to the cloud copy, and the copy silently stops updating. Rename from inside the program instead.
The full routine takes two minutes — see backing up a tree file.
Frequently asked questions
Can I recover a family tree with no backup?
Often yes. Family Tree Maker creates automatic backups separately from any you made, a synced Ancestry tree holds an online copy, and deleted files frequently sit in the recycle bin or under another user account.
What should I do first?
Stop using the computer for anything else. Deleted data stays on the disk until something overwrites it, so every download, install and save reduces the chance of recovery.
Does Family Tree Maker make backups automatically?
Yes. It creates its own backups in a Backups subfolder beside your tree, separately from backups you make yourself. This is the most common successful recovery route.
Can I get my tree back from Ancestry?
If the tree ever synced, the online copy still exists and downloads into a fresh local file. That recovers everything up to your last sync, though notes, tasks and colour coding do not come back.
I emptied the recycle bin. Is it gone?
Not necessarily. Emptying the bin marks the space reusable rather than erasing the data. Stop using the computer immediately, because continued use is what actually destroys it.
Is a four-month-old backup worth restoring?
Yes. Recovering a tree to an earlier state and redoing four months of work is far quicker than rebuilding years of research from nothing.
Nothing turning up?
We search the drive properly and recover trees others have written off. Assessment is free.