GEDCOM is the plain-text file format that most family tree programs can read and write. It lets you move a tree from one program to another without retyping it.
What is inside
A GEDCOM file is a list of lines, each starting with a level number. Records are INDI for an individual and FAM for a family. An individual has a NAME, a SEX and events such as BIRT and DEAT, each with a DATE. A family record links a husband, a wife and the children, using HUSB, WIFE and CHIL. Individuals point back to their families with FAMC and FAMS. The format was created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and version 5.5.1 remains the most common. A newer 7.0 release has been published, and support for it is still patchy.
What Kinage reads and writes
The tree builder exports and imports the core of GEDCOM 5.5.1: names, sex, birth and death dates, notes, and the family links between parents, children and partners. It does not carry sources, media, places or the many optional tags. If you import a file made elsewhere, those extras are dropped in Kinage's copy, so keep your original.
Limits to know
- Different programs interpret less common tags differently, so round trips can lose detail.
- Names with special characters can break in programs that expect an older encoding. Kinage writes UTF-8.
- A GEDCOM file contains everything about each person in readable text. Remove living people before sharing it.
Import and export live in the tree builder. If you are starting from scratch, read how to start a family tree first.