Where Family Tree Maker saves your files
Family Tree Maker keeps your trees in your Documents folder on both platforms, though Windows adds an extra folder level that people miss constantly. Your photographs live beside the tree in a separate media folder, not inside the file itself, and knowing that one fact prevents most of the broken-image problems people write in about.
- Applies to
- FTM 2024 · 2019 · 2017
- Platform
- Windows & macOS
- Time
- ~5 min
The default locations
Family Tree Maker stores trees inside your Documents folder on both platforms. Windows adds one extra folder level that people frequently miss.
| Platform | Default path |
|---|---|
| Windows | C:\Users\<your user name>\Documents\Software MacKiev\Family Tree Maker |
| macOS | Documents / Family Tree Maker |
On Windows the trees sit inside a publisher-named folder within Documents, not directly in Documents. Searching Documents alone and finding nothing is the single most common reason people conclude a tree has vanished.
What sits beside the tree file
A tree is never one file. Three things live together, and moving or backing up only the first breaks the other two.
| Item | What it holds | Safe to move alone? |
|---|---|---|
.ftm file | Names, dates, facts, sources | No — the media folder must travel with it |
| Folder of the same name | Every photograph and document | No — keep it beside the tree file |
| Backups subfolder | Automatic and manual backups | Yes, copy it anywhere |
Keeping the media folder next to the tree file is what stops photographs turning into broken links. Moving one without the other causes the fault covered in missing media files.
Changing where new trees are saved
The default location is adjustable, and the setting applies to trees created afterwards. Existing trees stay where they are until you move them deliberately.
Open the program preferences or options.
Find the file location setting and choose a new folder.
Note the new path somewhere you will find it later.
Avoid cloud-sync folders. OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox and Google Drive store files online-only to save space, and a tree that is not physically on the disk fails to open or damages itself mid-save.
The media folder, and why its name matters
Your photographs do not live inside the tree file. They sit in a folder next to it, named after the tree
with the word Media on the end. A tree called Sutcliffe Family gets a folder called
Sutcliffe Family Media, in the same place as the tree itself.
The backup file is different again. An .ftmb backup bundles the tree and its media together
in one file, which is why it travels well and why a plain copy of the tree alone does not.
Treat the tree and its media folder as one unit. Copy the tree somewhere without its media folder and every photograph shows as missing, even though nothing was deleted and the images are still sitting where you left them. That single habit prevents most of the media problems people write in about.
Rename the tree in Windows or Finder and you break more than the name. If you pay for the TreeVault cloud service, renaming, moving or overwriting the file from outside the program breaks the link to your cloud copy. The copy then stops updating, and nothing tells you. People find out months later, when the backup they were counting on turns out to end on the day they tidied their Documents folder. Rename and move trees from inside Family Tree Maker instead, where the program keeps everything pointing at everything else.
If the folder is empty
An empty default folder means the tree was saved somewhere else, not that it is gone. Search the whole drive for files ending in .ftm rather than browsing folder by folder. The full search routine, including cloud folders and other user accounts, is in finding a missing tree file.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Family Tree Maker save files?
Inside your Documents folder. On Windows the full path is C:\Users\your user name\Documents\Software MacKiev\Family Tree Maker. On a Mac it is the Family Tree Maker folder inside Documents.
Where are Family Tree Maker files stored on Windows?
In a publisher-named folder inside Documents, not directly in Documents. The full path is C:\Users\your user name\Documents\Software MacKiev\Family Tree Maker.
What file extension does Family Tree Maker use?
Trees use .ftm and backups use .ftmb. Much older Broderbund-era trees use .ftw and need a free converter before a modern edition opens them.
Can I move my tree file to another folder?
Yes, as long as the media folder of the same name moves with it. Moving the tree file alone leaves every photograph as a broken link.
Can I keep my tree in OneDrive or Dropbox?
Storing the working tree in a cloud-sync folder causes failures, because those services keep files online-only rather than on the disk. Keep the tree on the local disk and store backups in the cloud instead.
How do I change where Family Tree Maker saves new trees?
Change the file location setting in the program preferences. It applies to trees created afterwards; existing trees stay where they are.
Still cannot find your tree?
We search the drive properly, including cloud folders and old user accounts. No fix, no fee.