File repair & data recovery
Thirty years of research, trapped in a file that won't open
A damaged tree, a Broderbund file from 1998, or a computer that no longer starts. We assess what can realistically be recovered before you agree to anything — and if the answer is nothing, there's no charge and we'll tell you why.
- Handles
- .ftm · .ftmb · .ftw · .fbk
- Platform
- Windows & macOS
- Assessment
- Free
If a file has just been deleted, stop using that drive now. Every file written to a disk reduces the chance of recovering something deleted from it. Don't install recovery tools onto the same drive, and don't create a replacement tree with the same name. Come back to it once you've stopped writing to the disk.
Why tree files break
The publisher's own documentation names three causes: improper shutdowns of Family Tree Maker or the computer, malware, and bad sectors on the hard drive. In practice we'd add two more that account for a great many of the files we see.
| Cause | What it looks like | Usual outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Improper shutdown mid-write | File opens but reports errors, or refuses to open at all | Often repairable |
| Degraded database indexes | Slowness, stalled syncs, intermittent errors on a large tree | Usually repairable |
| Cloud-sync interference | Tree stored in OneDrive, iCloud or Dropbox; conflicted copies appear | Usually repairable |
| Bad sectors on the drive | Read errors, the computer slowing or failing to boot | Depends on the drive |
| Malware or ransomware | Files renamed, encrypted or inaccessible | Often not repairable |
| Deleted and overwritten | File gone, recycle bin emptied, disk in continued use | Frequently unrecoverable |
The five recovery routes, in order
We work down this list. The earlier the route, the cleaner the result — and the first three are things you can attempt yourself for free before contacting anyone.
| # | Route | When it works | Do it yourself? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restore a backup made before the damage | A .ftmb backup exists and predates the problem |
Yes — guide |
| 2 | Compact with extended analysis |
Minor index damage and file bloat. Tick Perform extended analysis — it's off by default | Yes — guide |
| 3 | Download the tree from Ancestry | The tree was synced. FTM 2019 and 2024 can pull down a fresh, corruption-free copy | Yes — guide |
| 4 | Restore from TreeVault | You subscribe to TreeVault, which holds a live cloud copy | Yes |
| 5 | File-level repair & extraction | None of the above exists. Salvage what the file still holds and rebuild around it | This is our job |
Routes 1 to 4 are free and we'd genuinely rather you tried them. Most people who arrive here have one of these available and don't realise it. Only route 5 needs us — and that's the one where the honest answer is sometimes "this can't be saved".
Old formats and inherited trees
A growing share of this work isn't damage at all — it's obsolescence. A relative
dies and leaves a shoebox of disks. A tree built in Broderbund Family Tree Maker in the 1990s sits
in a .ftw file that nothing on a modern computer will open.
That's a staged migration rather than a repair: read the original format, move it through an intermediate version that can understand both ends, then export a clean GEDCOM — the interchange standard every genealogy program reads. We always finish with a GEDCOM alongside whatever native file you asked for, so the data can never be trapped in one program again.
How the assessment works
Tell us what you have. The file extension, roughly when the tree was built, what happens when you try to open it, and whether it was ever synced to Ancestry.
We assess it, free. Often this is a short screen-share where we look at the file together. If one of the free routes above will work, we tell you and you go and do it.
You approve the work and the cost. Nothing starts until you've agreed both. We'll also tell you honestly what we expect to be unrecoverable.
You get the tree back, plus a GEDCOM and a report. The report says what was recovered and — just as important — what wasn't, so you know where the gaps are.
What we won't promise
Data recovery is the part of this trade where overpromising does the most harm, so plainly:
- Not everything is recoverable. An overwritten file is gone. Ransomware-encrypted data is gone. Anyone who guarantees otherwise before looking is not being straight with you.
- Recovered isn't always complete. Sometimes people and facts survive but media links don't, or the most recent weeks of edits are missing. We say which.
- We don't do physical drive recovery. If a disk has failed mechanically, that's a specialist clean-room job and we'll point you to one rather than take your money.
Frequently asked questions
What causes a Family Tree Maker file to become corrupted?
MacKiev names improper shutdowns of the program or computer, malware, and bad sectors on the hard drive. We'd add two more: interrupted syncs, and keeping the live tree inside a continuously syncing cloud folder like OneDrive or iCloud Drive, which is a poor match for an actively written database.
Can a corrupted file always be repaired?
No — and be wary of anyone who says yes before looking. Minor index damage usually clears with a compact using extended analysis. Serious damage depends entirely on whether a backup, an Ancestry copy or a TreeVault copy exists. That uncertainty is exactly why the assessment comes first and costs nothing.
Can you open an old Broderbund .ftw file?
Usually, yes. It's a staged migration rather than a repair — moving the data through a version that understands both the old and new formats, then exporting a clean GEDCOM so it's never locked in again.
My old computer won't start. Is the tree lost?
Often not. A machine that won't boot frequently still has a perfectly readable drive — the failure is elsewhere. The critical thing is to stop using it, because continued use risks overwriting what you're trying to recover.
I inherited genealogy files from a relative. Can you help?
Yes, and it's some of the most satisfying work we do. Bring whatever exists — disks, an old laptop, files of unknown format. We'll work out what's there and get it into something you can actually open and continue.
What if nothing can be recovered?
There's no charge, and we'll explain why in plain terms. You'll at least know where you stand rather than paying to find out.
Tell us what you've got
Free to send, free to assess, and no card needed at any point before you approve the work.
Free assessment. Nothing recovered, nothing charged.
Thank you — that's arrived. We'll reply within one working day with an honest view of what's likely recoverable.