Upgrading to Family Tree Maker 2024 without losing your tree
The Family Tree Maker 2024 installer leaves your existing tree files in place and installs alongside your current edition. Data loss during an upgrade traces back to a missing backup or a media folder that moved, not to the installer itself. Work through the backup step before you download anything.
- Applies to
- Upgrading from FTM 2019 · 2017 · 2014 · 2012 and older
- Platform
- Windows & macOS
- Checked
- September 2026
What the upgrade touches, and what it leaves alone
The installer adds a separate application. Your previous edition stays installed and stays working until you remove it yourself.
| Item | What happens |
|---|---|
| Your tree file | Stays where it is. FTM 2024 upgrades the format on first open. |
| Your previous edition | Stays installed and continues to run. |
| Media and photographs | Stay in their folder. The links break if the folder moves. |
| Ancestry sync link | Resets. You sign in again inside FTM 2024. |
| Licence | Separate purchase. Upgrade pricing applies to existing owners. |
Back up before you download anything
This step protects the upgrade. Skipping it causes every unrecoverable upgrade problem we handle.
Open your current edition and select File, then Backup. Tick the option that includes media files. A backup without media restores names and dates but no photographs.
Note where the backup lands. The default folder differs between editions and between Windows and macOS.
Copy the backup to an external drive or cloud storage. A backup on the same disk as the original protects against nothing.
Open the backup once to confirm it works. An unverified backup is an assumption.
Compact the file first. A file carrying years of edits upgrades faster and more reliably after a compact. See compacting a tree file.
Upgrade paths by edition
FTM 2024 opens tree files going back to version 1.0, either directly or through a free converter from the publisher. Nobody needs to rebuild a tree from scratch, and nobody needs to fall back to GEDCOM, which strips citation formatting. Your starting edition decides which route applies.
| From | File conversion | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| FTM 2019 | Direct. Fastest path. | Sync reauthorisation. |
| FTM 2017 | Direct. | Media links, if the folder moved since 2017. |
| FTM 2014 | Direct, slower on large files. | Ancestry syncing ended for this generation. Relink from scratch. |
| FTM 2008 to 2012 (Windows) FTM 2010 to 2011 (Mac) | Free File Migration Utility. | The same utility moves a file between Windows and Mac. |
| FTM 1.0 to 4 | Separate free converter. | Run the converter first, then open the result in FTM 2024. |
Running the upgrade
Install FTM 2024 from the publisher. Leave the previous edition installed.
Open FTM 2024 and open your existing tree file. The program converts the format and keeps the original.
Let the conversion finish. A tree holding tens of thousands of people takes several minutes. Closing the program mid-conversion damages the file.
Check the person count against what your previous edition reported. The numbers match on a clean conversion.
Sign in to Ancestry inside FTM 2024 and relink the tree.
Run one sync and confirm it completes before you delete anything.
Blank relationship statuses become "ongoing"
One change catches researchers who deliberately left things blank. FTM 2019 accepted a partner relationship with no status attached, and many people used that blank as a considered choice: the record does not say whether the couple stayed together, so the tree does not claim either way.
After upgrading, those blanks arrive as ongoing. A researcher with a 14,000-person tree found every unstated relationship now asserting that the marriage continues, including for couples dead two centuries. Correcting them runs one relationship at a time.
| If you meant | Set it to |
|---|---|
| The record does not say | Unknown |
| The couple stayed together | Ongoing |
| One partner died first | Deceased |
| They separated or divorced | Separated or Divorced |
Check this before you publish charts or upload the tree, because "ongoing" prints as a claim your sources never made. Setting the type correctly is covered in the relationships guide.
Nobody needs remote access to convert your files
A scam is circulating that targets exactly the people reading this page. The caller or website says your older tree files must be converted before FTM 2024 will read them, and offers to connect to your computer remotely and do it for a fee. Genealogy forums are full of researchers comparing notes on it.
The conversion happens by itself. You open the old tree in FTM 2024 and the program updates the format while it loads. Your trees usually show up in the Plan workspace the first time you run it; if they do not, use Import Existing Tree or restore a backup. The publisher's support is free and will not ask to take over your screen for this.
Back up before you upgrade, as you would before any change of this size, and keep the old version installed until you are satisfied. Those two habits cost nothing and remove the only real risk in the job.
The three faults that follow an upgrade
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Photographs show as broken links | Media folder path changed | Relink the media folder once. FTM repairs the rest. |
| Sync refuses to start | New installation holds no credential | Sign in inside FTM 2024, then relink the tree. |
| Tree opens slowly | Converted file carries old bloat | Run Compact after the conversion completes. |
| "Unable to convert file" | Very old or damaged file | Run the matching free converter first. A damaged file needs repair before it converts. |
| Conversion fails after moving Windows to Mac | Two changes at once | Convert the file first, confirm it opens, then move it to the other computer. |
None of these three faults lose data. Each one reflects a path or a credential that the upgrade reset.
Frequently asked questions
Will upgrading to Family Tree Maker 2024 delete my tree?
No. The installer leaves your tree files in place and installs alongside your current edition. FTM 2024 converts the file format on first open and keeps the original file.
Why do all my relationships say "ongoing" after upgrading?
FTM 2019 allowed a partner relationship with no status. FTM 2024 reads those blanks as ongoing. Set them to Unknown where the record does not say, because ongoing prints as a claim your sources never made.
Can I keep Family Tree Maker 2019 installed after upgrading?
Yes. FTM 2024 installs as a separate application. Your previous edition stays installed and continues to run until you remove it.
Do I have to pay to upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2024?
Yes. Each edition is a separate purchase. The publisher offers upgrade pricing to owners of earlier editions.
Why are my photos missing after upgrading to FTM 2024?
The media folder path changed. Relink the media folder once and Family Tree Maker repairs the remaining links automatically. No photographs are deleted.
Why does Ancestry sync stop working after the upgrade?
The new installation holds no saved Ancestry credential. Sign in to Ancestry inside FTM 2024, then relink the tree.
I have Family Tree Maker 2012. Can I upgrade straight to 2024?
Not in one step. FTM 2008 to 2012 for Windows, and 2010 to 2011 for Mac, go through the publisher's free File Migration Utility first. Convert the file, confirm it opens, then open it in FTM 2024. The same utility also moves a file between Windows and Mac.
Family Tree Maker says "unable to convert file". What now?
The file is either older than the direct upgrade path or damaged. Run the free converter that matches your original edition first. When the converter fails too, the file needs repair before it converts.
I am moving from a Windows PC to a Mac at the same time. Does that matter?
Yes. Change one thing at a time. Convert the file on the computer it already lives on, confirm it opens, then move it across. Converting and switching platform together makes a failure much harder to diagnose. The move itself is covered in moving Family Tree Maker to a new computer.
How long does the FTM 2024 file conversion take?
A small tree converts in under a minute. A tree holding tens of thousands of people takes several minutes. Let the conversion finish without closing the program.
Want the upgrade done for you?
We back up, upgrade, relink media and confirm syncing on a screen share. No fix, no fee.