Updated on 7 Feb 2018
Now that Family Tree Maker 2017* has been out for 6 months, I’d like to follow up on my initial review. While the consensus is that it’s faster, and FamilySync, the TreeSync replacement works for most people, a small but significant portion of users are still having major problems, judging by the comments on my review and in various user groups. In this follow-up I’ll focus mainly on the problems our readers and I have experienced in the areas of functionality, along with a few cosmetic issues. I’ll also offer a few suggestions for improvement.
Functional Problems
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Fig 1. Mother Mixed up with Father Many users still report problems syncing their trees with Ancestry, ranging from inability to sync at all, to duplication of profiles or other corruption issues. Other users experience frequent crashes or freezes, especially on Windows, sometimes necessitating a computer restart.
- Another problem some users have reported and I have experienced in FTM for Mac (don’t know about Windows) is that relationships are sometimes mixed up in
Fig 2. Father Correctly Matched Web Merge, e.g., husbands with wives or fathers with mothers. For example, when merging a record from Ancestry such as this one,
the mother, Gertrude, was called the father, John Cornelius Riegel, and was incorrectly matched to the father in my tree. However, the father in the record was correctly matched to the father in my tree. I have also had wives incorrectly called husbands. See
Fig 3. Wife Mixed up with Husband Figs. 1-3. When going through the web merge wizard, husband, wives, fathers, and mothers should all properly match up with the relationship to the person being merged.
UPDATE: According to a Software MacKiev representative, the problem of incorrect relationships originated from the Ancestry server, not FTM. They solved the problem of wives being called “husband” by referring to them all as “spouse.” However, The mother in Fig. 1 is still being referred to as the father and matched as such. If you find any record where the relationship is wrong, please report it to MacKiev, providing the link to the specific record.
- A glaring error in the Plan workspace is that it states, “Family Tree Maker can import the following file formats: Family Tree Maker (version 5 and newer)” (Fig. 4). However, it cannot. FTM 2017 for Mac can only open files from FTM for Mac through version 3.1
Fig 4. Family Tree Maker Can Import Version 5? and FTM for Windows 2014 and later; the Windows version can import only versions 2008 and later. This is also a problem with FTM 3.1 and 2014.1.
FTM should be able to import ALL prior versions of FTM. Even RootsMagic can open nearly all FTM and FTW files prior to the MacKiev versions. It’s ridiculous that users with old versions must first convert their files using the Family Tree Maker 2005 Starter Edition. - A problem I’ve found in both Mac & Windows is that the Filter tool does not filter out dates that are blank. If you follow these steps:
1. Click on the Filter button
2. Filter In Individuals by Any Fact Places contains a place name.
3. Filter Out Individuals by Any Fact Date Is Blank
The filtered list should not contain any individuals that have blank dates. However, the filtered list does contain individuals that have blank dates. Functions should work as documented and expected. -
Fig 5. Cannot Clip Media Item Clicking on a search result from Ancestry in the Web Search workspace sometimes results in the message “Cannot clip the media item” (Fig. 5), even though I’m not trying to clip a media item or there isn’t even a media item to clip. The message also says I must be connected to the internet, but I am connected. The resolution is to click the OK button and the message goes away, so it’s a low priority item. However, it should not occur unless there actually is no internet connection and the user is trying to clip a media item.
From reader Marc Rafferty:
- “Results of Ancestry searches now display a preview media, even for census records. While preview media work well for certain types of records, namely photos, they are really unnecessary for census records. You can’t read these preview media (too small) and they bulk up the list of search results, causing one to have to scroll, scroll, scroll. A simple list is best. I went directly to Ancestry in my web browser to perform a similar search thinking that this might be a result of changes at Ancestry, but actually I can still get that nice, concise list of results on the website. I have no idea why FTM made this change.
- “By default, new searches launched in the web search window of FTM select the “Exact” button for the First/Middle and Last Name fields. I never start searches using that selection as you can miss some important results. So I searched for a way to change this default, but no dice. You have to de-select these two buttons every time you search.”
From reader Rick:
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Fig 6. FamiilySearch No Longer Supports IE “FTM 2017 for Windows (and probably earlier versions) use Internet Explorer as the browser connected to Ancestry and Family Search” (confirmed by MacKiev tech support). However, effective 1 Feb 2018, FamilySearch will no longer support IE (Fig. 6). Whether this means FamilySearch will stop working completely, or just may not work perfectly, I don’t know; probably the latter. In any case, MacKiev must update the integrated web browser. Ideally they would use something open source, like Chromium or Mozilla.
GEDCOM Import Problems
MacKiev president Jack Minsky previously committed to making FTM GEDCOM 5.5.1 compliant. That was supposed to happen in FTM 2017 but was undoubtedly overcome by events. I hope and expect that it will happen in a very near future update, not the next bug-fix release, but soon thereafter.
- Tag NPFX is incorrectly imported into the Title field. GEDCOM tag NPFX should be imported into a separate Name Prefix field (UI change required). Title should only be used for Nobility Titles (King, Queen, Duke, Countess, etc.).
Example:
0 @I003@ INDI
1 NAME Marija /Roskovenski/
2 NPFX Mrs.
2 TITL Countess - Tag NICK is imported into the Also Known As field. It would be better if it had a separate Nickname field of its own (UI change required).
0 @I003@ INDI
1 NAME Marija /Roskovenski/
1 NAME Mary /Ruzkovenski/
2 TYPE aka
2 NICK Maria - Tag ALIA is incorrectly imported into the Also Known As field. Per the GEDCOM 5.5.1 Standard, ALIA must not be used this way. Rather, it is a kind of cross reference, “An indicator to link different record descriptions of a person who may be the same person.” Example:
0 @I003@ INDI
1 NAME Marija /Roskovenski/
1 ALIA @I008@
0 @I008@ INDI
1 NAME Märîjá /Rüßkövęñškæ/
1 ALIA @I003@ - Tag REFN on an individual imported as “Person ID.” It would be better if it were called “User Reference Number (Person)” to more closely match the GEDCOM standard, but that would require a change to the UI. Example:
0 @I003@ INDI
1 NAME Marija /Roskovenski/
1 REFN 1 - Import log incorrectly listed GEDCOM tag ASSO as invalid, even though it is valid and was correctly structured:
0 @I009@ INDI
1 NAME Johann /孔子/
1 SEX M
1 ASSO @I003@
2 RELA Godfather - Failed to import a multimedia record note:
0 @M2@ OBJE
1 FILE /Users/Keith/Pictures/1900 US census population schedule.jpg
2 FORM jpg
2 TITL 1900 U.S. census, Winslow, Jefferson, Pennsylvania
1 NOTE @N12@
0 @N12@ NOTE Census Place: Winslow, Jefferson, Pennsylvania, Record for Stephen Larco; Roll: 1417; Page: 31A; Enumeration District: 85; citing NARA microfilm publication T623 - Tag PEDI adopted in a FAMC structure was incorrectly imported as a birth child instead of an adopted child.
- Failed to import a correctly formatted address structure attached to a RESI structure. There was nothing in the import log that it would be ignored. Also, the import log incorrectly listed the following tags as invalid, even though they are valid and were correctly structured: FAX, EMAIL, WWW. Here’s an example of a correctly formatted address structure:
1 RESI
2 DATE 1891
2 PLAC Winslow, Jefferson, Pennsylvania, USA
2 ADDR 987 Elm St
3 CONT Winslow
3 CONT PA
3 CONT 98765
3 CONT USA
3 ADR1 987 Elm St
3 CITY Winslow
3 STAE PA
3 POST 98765
3 CTRY USA
2 PHON 987-654-3210
2 FAX 987-654-3211
2 EMAIL countessmaria@gmail.com
2 WWW www.countessmaria.com
GEDCOM Export Problems
- While the Address Structure in the Header for the CORP is formatted correctly, Submitter and Repository addresses are not correct. They should be formatted the same way as the CORP, i.e., using the ADDR and CONT tags. They may also use the ADR1, CITY, STAE, POST and CTRY tags, but per the standard:
“The address structure should be formed as it would appear on a mailing label using the ADDR and the CONT lines to form the address structure. The ADDR and CONT lines are required for any address. The additional subordinate address tags such as STAE and CTRY are provided to be used by systems that have structured their addresses for indexing and sorting. For backward compatibility these lines are not to be used in lieu of the required ADDR.and CONT line structure.” - Imported tag IDNO correctly but exported it using EVEN instead of IDNO. Example of how it should be exported:
1 IDNO 123-45-6789
2 TYPE US Social Security Number - Tag SLGC (LDS Sealing Child) was missing required tag FAMC when exported. Example of how it should be exported:
1 SLGC
2 FAMC @F1@
2 DATE 1882
2 PLAC Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA - Facts undefined by the GEDCOM standard with only Description elements should be exported as FACT.TYPE instead of using custom tags.
Suggested Feature Improvements
For the Web Search work space:
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Fig 7. This Member Tree Record Is Not Currently Available Provide a way for users to filter out either family tree or record matches. I often don’t want to see family tree matches, or I want to look at them separately. It is possible to do this on the Ancestry website.
- Do not show matches where “This Member Tree record is not currently available. It may have been removed or it may not yet been indexed. Please check again later” (Fig. 7). These are a waste of space and time, since they provide no information, and the user cannot do anything with them.
Fig 8. Sync Log Doesn’t Show Which Person Deleted - In the FamilySync Change Log, most changes and additions are clearly listed. However, for deleted persons, the sync log just shows “<Deleted> person” (see Fig. 8). It seems like there ought to be a way to capture which person was deleted when it occurred so it can be listed on the log.
Fig 9. Edit Source Citation Text Belongs in Detail - The Edit Source Citation dialog of the Web Merge wizard often contains text like “Record for Johann Riegel” in the Citation Text box (Fig. 9), when it actually belongs in the Citation Detail box. The Citation Text box should only contain text quoted from the cited portion of the source.
- Include a way to filter on, search for, or report on Private facts, media and notes. Currently it’s possible to mark these items as private, but there’s no way to go back later and find everything that is marked “private.” In FTM 2017 a workaround is to export to GEDCOM and search for RESN tags, but that’s not a satisfactory solution. It would be nice to find them from within FTM, and it doesn’t seem like it should be that hard.
- Offer a time-limited (not feature-limited) trial version of FTM. At a nickel short of $80, it’s one of the most expensive genealogy apps on the market. All other major applications are either free or offer a free trial. Granted that apparently MacKiev provides refunds to disgruntled customers, but they could avoid the hassle by offering a free trial version.
- From reader Sandra:
With the increasing availability of high-resolution monitors (4k and such-like), FTM for Windows needs to be modified to display properly on at high pixels per inch (aka HiDPI scaling). Although I don’t have a Mac with a Retina display, I was able to simulate a HiDPI display (144 DPI), and FTM 2017 for Mac displayed just fine.
Cosmetic Issues
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Fig 10. Web Clipping Issues In addition to the points in my review, there are some problems with the Web Clipping function in Web Search:
1. The text “Click here for more help with web clipping” is not hyperlinked to any help page
2. The gray text in the Web Clipping box is barely distinguishable from the gray background (not good for people with visual disabilities)
3. The state of the Web Clipping button when off versus on is hard to distinguish. The tool tip text provides no clue, since it always says “Enable Web Clipping” whether it’s already enabled or not
See attached screenshots -
Fig 11. Index of Individuals Button Should Be Centered The Index of Individuals button in the People workspace Person view got moved in one of the last builds. Now it’s too close to the Father and Mother buttons (Fig. 11). It should be centered in the space between the Father & Mother and the Add button.
Technical Support
One final problem I’d like to highlight that has been raised by many readers is the slow and unresponsive technical support from MacKiev. Part of the frustration stems from the fact that “they don’t have operators standing by;” the only options are Live Chat or submitting an online help request form, to be answered by reps based primarily in Ukraine. Both avenues can be time-consuming and may not result in a satisfactory resolution for the user. MacKiev really needs to up their game in this area. In the past they’ve been able to get away with using this type of support because most of their products were relatively problem-free, but FTM is a different animal. They inherited a flawed product from Ancestry, especially the Windows version, and on top of that had to implement a new Application Program Interface for the FamilySync feature. Despite countless man-hours spent fixing bugs, the released version still caused major problems for some users, which no doubt cost MacKiev in terms of lost credibility and customers. I can’t tell them how to fix their support problems; I’m just stating the obvious. MacKiev has stated an updated version of FTM will soon be released that will contain “improvements in syncing, performance and security, some frequently requested enhancements to our new 2017 features,” and was supposed to have been released by about 14 Oct 2017, according a newsletter from MacKiev. While the update, when it comes, should reduce the number of problems and thus customers who need help, MacKiev still needs to improve their tech support.
*Family Tree Maker, FamilySync, TreeSync, FamilySearch, and RootsMagic are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
I have had very few problems with FTM 2017 for Mac, but I told them recently about a flaw in the algorithm that gives the relationship of a person in the tree to the Home Person (me). There was a cousin marriage several generations back. FTM gives the correct relationships for the husband and his descendants, but when his youngest sister married, all of her descendants were treated as my distant in-laws instead of cousins, resulting in such convoluted relationship statements as “Great grand niece of husband of 1st cousin 3x removed” instead of the much briefer and correct “5th cousin,” which iFamily for Mac shows. I hope they correct the algorithm in a forthcoming update.
Bill, intermarriages are problematic, and FTM has always been clunky in this area. It’s not that the algorithm is wrong, it’s just not the best. If iFamily can provide the closer relationship, then so can FTM.
I’ve also encountered relationships like that. I’ve also had ‘stepson/daughter of XYZ’ who is obviously a cousin times removed, and the son/daughter of XYZ. None of these have involved cousin marriages that I am aware of. When I refresh/restart it generally shows the correct relationship
My biggest problem with FTM 2017 Mac is that Web Search has done away with the “exact to” location options. You used to have a very helpful choice of variety of exact/county/county-adjacent counties/state/state-adjacent states/country/broad. I use this function all the time to look for people who moved around a region a lot – you can zoom in and out. Now all you have is exact or broad. The variety of location search options is still there on ancestry.com. I find myself going to the website to search directly a lot, which I hardly ever used to have to do. Generally they don’t seem much concerned with Web Search – there is hardly any information it in their guide – but for me that is one of the most valuable features of the program. I hope they fix this.
Syncing in 2017 is a lot better for me than it was in 3.1, but I don’t have huge trees. However, I had a problem when I merged my paternal and maternal trees to upload to DNA sites. The merge went pretty smoothly, but I started up with media processing never completing. Also with the bigger merged tree ( ~3500) finding media in the media workspace and individuals in the index gets really tedious, because most of the find functions don’t work well. It wasn’t so bad with the smaller trees, because I could scroll quickly enough, but it’s time-consuming and distracting with twice as many files. I think the suggestion above re web search, about skipping the thumbnails and having a list option would be helpful in the media workspace too. Plus a functional find function.
I also found the export formats confusing and had to do a live chat to find out that you can’t export in FTM 2017 format from FTM 2017. If you can’t do it, why do they offer it as an option? You’d think you would export in FTM 2017 format from FTM 2017.
I have found their live chat support to be mostly responsive and helpful, although it’s not obvious how to find it on their site.
I want to thank you for the information in the follow-up review of FMT 2017, I found it very helpful and am happy to see that there are a few of us out here that use this software on a regular bases.
I have been working on my family tree for the last 17 years and started using FMT sometime around the same time. I inherited several boxes from my uncle when he died with a huge amount of research, stories and photo’s which really got me hooked. His work was from the 1940’s and 1950’s and I bet he would be smiling if he could see where I have been able to take this leg of our families journey, using FMT, Ancestry.com and all the other digital sources.
I have noticed the switching of the sexes.
I hope that FMT (MacKiev) will continue to be available and the problems resolved in a timely fashion.
Thanks for work and interest,
David G. Jewell
I love FTM. I have used it forever. My problem with 2017 is that if I want to send a descendant report to a relative, the share icon does not work like it did before. I hope that can be fixed.
Pat, Mac or Windows? I checked FTM 3/2014 & 2017 on both, and the share button worked the same for both: first the chart was saved as a PDF, and then my mail program was automatically opened, with the PDF attached to a blank email. What were you expecting?
Will this ever be right? Despite an original roll out that turned into a user Ongoing beta test lasting over a year there are still issues. Is this really a robust platform? All I want to do is to be able to ‘trust’ the functionality to do what it ‘says on the tin’ . I like to spend my time reasearhing with the ultimate outcome of a posting error free documentation.
Can we know when this may be likely to occur?
Until then I keep my distance – such a shame as it looks so pretty….
Well said!
I’ve been trying to do a WEB SEARCH from FTM 2017 and get ZERO results, even for document images I already have. Is anyone else having this problem? Also, when doing a search, nothing appears to the left side of the screen as it used to, i.e., Federal Census, Births, Deaths, Newspapers, Historical Documents, etc.
David, when you say “WEB SEARCH,” what specifically are you referring to? Are you trying to search Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsWeb, Google, Yahoo, or Bing? Everything works fine for me. I believe you need to be signed in to Ancestry and RootsWeb for them to work.
I have been having a lot of problems with web search and even searching on ancestry in the last week or so. Sync weather report is bad a lot of the time – I think partly this is a problem with ancestry, but web search has not been very good a lot of the time since about last fall – for instance, I no longer get the “exact” options for location (exact, county, county/adjacent counties, state/adjacent states etc), I don’t get as many results as on ancestry, and the results are sometimes less relevant to my search parameters. When ancestry have their DNA sales sync hardly ever works. I think they need to upgrade/expand their computer infrastructure.
Ancestry is in the midst of upgrading their infrastructure again, which is why the Sync Weather Report has been orange or red a lot. It’s supposed to be complete by 31 May 2018. See their Facebook page for more information.
OK, thanks, Keith! I figured something like that must be going on. Haven’t been on Facebook for a while.
When purchasing a Mac Pro 2018, our files from our passport were saved but not the FTM program. We want to know if our files will be read in your 2017 FTM download. If so we want to purchase.
Harlan, we’re an independent genealogy blog not associated with Family Tree Maker or Software MacKiev. FTM 2017 can read files created by FTM 2008 or later. To purchase FTM 2017, you need to visit https://www.mackiev.com/ftm/
Long story short: in April sync stopped working for me. Suddenly. I had several long conversations online with their chat service. They tried all sorts of things with me, which took hours and hours. Everything failed to help. Finally, after another failure, I was able to send a copy of the error report (not sure if this is the right name of the report, but it was technical). A couple days later the chat person wrote back to me and said that their engineers were able to “reproduce” the “issue” that “hopefully” would be fixed in a future update. I was thanked for “pointing this out” to them. I wrote back to confirm that this meant I would no longer be able to use the sync function. That was confirmed. What do you think? I’m dismayed.
Although I’ve had a lot of orange (caution) and red (no sync possible) alerts over the last few months, I’ve been able to sync with no problem when the “weather” symbol was green or orange. Ancestry is occasionally but rarely unavailable–that is, I can’t log in through FTM–but even this is brief. As you may know, Ancestry went through a long (several weeks) period of (alleged) upgrading. This was annoying but did not make it altogether unusable. As I write this I’m getting the orange “caution” symbol, which has been what I most often see. Still, I had nothing like the problems you describe. Unless there’s some conflict between FTM and some other software on your computer, this shouldn’t happen.
I don’t know if Apple’s help techs would take the case, but that might be worth a try. I’ve used Macs since 1984, and although I’ve had to call them for help only a handful of times, they’ve always worked with me until the issue was resolved. Good luck!
I agree, except I highly doubt if Apple can/will help. These are problems that MacKiev must work out.
I haven’t tried syncing in a while as I have rather large trees. My problem has been with the length of time it would take, upwards of 12 hours. Once it took several days. Has anyone else experienced this?
Allice, how large are your trees? I’ve synced a 25,000-person tree without any issues. Your ability to sync quickly and smoothly depends on the quality of your internet connection, as well as the Ancestry servers. Ancestry has had ongoing server/network issues for the past several months, although they’re not as frequent as they were. Also, the more changes you have, the longer a sync will take, especially if the changes are from both FTM and Ancestry. It’s better to try to sync more frequently, and don’t forget to backup first. But you might want to wait until the next update of FTM 2017 before you do.
Hi, thanks for the quick response. My largest tree is almost 40,000. The next largest is between 18,000 – 22,000. I was a tester for FTM 2017 & am trying to update now. Hopefully, everything will improve once I do. Really enjoy your blog.
I synced FTM with Ancestry yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. My 22,000 person tree took 4 hours and most of the time was spent on media files, 73 of them. The 40,000 person tree took 10 minutes, with only 2 media files.
I have a PC Family Tree Maker 2005 running on Windows 7. Which I have used over the years to update my family history for my children’s use in the future. I do not link this to any on line package.
Not having used it for some time I tried to load it today to update info only to get a ‘not responding’ message. Reloading the software did not help. Reading online FTM is no longer supported could anyone tell me what similar package to buy that will allow me to transfer my existing files.
Geoff, you can update to Family Tree Maker 2017, but you must buy the update directly from the new publisher, Software MacKiev, at https://www.mackiev.com/offers/ftm2017/upgrade_promo_us.html. If you’re in the US, you can upgrade for $59.95 (regularly $79.95). If you’re not in the US, go to https://www.mackiev.com/wheretobuy.html and pick your country.
After you install FTM 2017, you must convert your FTM 2005 tree, which uses the .FTW extension, to a .FBC file. See this for more information: https://support.mackiev.com/808611-Opening-Old-and-Unsupported-Files-in-FTM-2008-2017-for-Windows
I find it ridiculous that FTM 2017 cannot directly open or import trees from versions of FTM older than 2008. Interestingly, RootsMagic can directly import all FTM versions through 2014, so you might want to take a look at it. I have reviewed it and several other family tree apps for PC; see links to my reviews at the end of this article.
I am not a power user like so many on here. I just found out about the issues with FTM being sold, i presently have version 11 and was going to upgrade to just stay current. Should i do this, and if so do i get FTM 17
Gordon, yes, I recommend that you either upgrade to FTM 2017 or RootsMagic 7. You can upgrade to FTM 2017 at https://www.mackiev.com/offers/ftm2017/upgrade_promo_us.html. If you’re in the US, you can upgrade for $59.95 (regularly $79.95). If you’re not in the US, go to https://www.mackiev.com/wheretobuy.html and pick your country. You can upgrade to RootsMagic 7 for $19.95 at https://rootsmagic.com/FTM/default.aspx.
After you install FTM 2017, you must convert your FTM 11 tree, which uses the .FTW extension, to a .FBC file. See this for more information: https://support.mackiev.com/808611-Opening-Old-and-Unsupported-Files-in-FTM-2008-2017-for-Windows
I have reviewed RootsMagic 7 and several other family tree apps for PC; see links to my reviews at the end of this article.
Keith, thank you so much for your quick reply. I am not sure about changing file extensions, i am afraid of losing all my information. Do you have a preference of FTM or RootsMagic?
I need a way to contact, speak with some one from Family Tree Maker 2017. I haven’t used it since I updated. I lost my User name and Password. My family tree is not public on Ancestry yet. now I can’t get in to my tree to work on it. Someone please help. I Ordered the Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker 2017. I changed my email service to Comcast and lost the address for 2017.
Alva, the best way to contact Family Tree Maker is via Live Chat on your computer using this link: https://www.mackiev.com/techsupport/ftm/livechat.html. They do not do phone support. However, it sounds like you might really need to speak to Ancestry, since you said you lost your user name and password. You do not need these to work on your tree in FTM; you only need them to sync your tree with Ancestry. If you cannot access your tree at all in FTM, then go ahead and chat with FTM. If you can open your tree in FTM but cannot sync it with Ancestry, then you need to contact Ancestry at 800-615-6560.
I have a PC Family Tree Maker 2012 running on Windows 10 Home. I have used FTM over the years and do not link this data to any on line page. I read online FTM is no longer supported. Is there a compatible package to purchase that will allow me to transfer my existing files?
FTM 2012 is no longer supported but has been replaced by FTM 2014, 2014.1, and 2017. Software MacKiev still supports 2014.1 and 2017. You can upgrade to 2017 at https://www.mackiev.com/offers/ftm2017/upgrade_promo_us.html. If you’re in the US, you can upgrade for $59.95 (regularly $79.95). If you’re not in the US, go to https://www.mackiev.com/wheretobuy.html and pick your country.
Another option is RootsMagic 7, which can directly import FTM 2012 files. You can upgrade to RootsMagic 7 for $19.95 at https://rootsmagic.com/FTM/default.aspx. However, be sure to read my full reviews of FTM 2017 and RootsMagic 7; see links to my reviews at the end of the article above.
For Mac users, is FTM 2017 the best option given the GEDCOM issues with the others? Has Reunion or MacFamilyTree made any headway on these issues? If you use FTM 2017 without an Ancestry subscription, does it still give clues but you can’t access the records or does it nag you to use Ancestry?
I have been using FTM since 2010, and purchased, from MacKiev, the 2017 upgrade. Since then I have had nothing but problems, some minor, some major. FTM customer service is somewhat wanting. They appear to have a few stock answers, or totally ignore you. With the recent upgrade things did settle down for a while, but now appear to have collapsed completely. I sent them an email last week, and was advised to contact their chat line. Their rep introduced himself and that was the last I heard from him. Forty minutes later I gave up. My problems now revolve around the sync process. Spouses are being detached from each other, or names disappearing to be replace with but not attached to anyone. Data I have added to FTM disappears after syncing, even though it is still on Ancestry. All this makes FTM totally unreliable, and virtually unusable.
Adrian, are you using the Windows or Mac version?
Windows
FTM 2017 for Windows (build #540)
I merged my 2011 FTM to the above this week & all is fine apart from one very frustrating issue:
There is a problem with each person’s notes page that I have used.
I can type a sentence or two & add a fact & when I try to add a further note, it takes me to some random fact option box & prompts me to add a fact. It will not let me type further in the notes box, unless I close the FTM down & re start it.
Very frustrating & a complete waste of time.
This is affecting all persons notes that I have tried so far.
I used the live chat & just went round in circles with the alleged technical adviser.
I will email them, but any clues on this one please?
Lisa, I have not seen a problem like that, but maybe one of our readers has. When you say, “I can type a sentence or two & add a fact,” I assume you’re typing text in the Person Notes box. But what do you mean by “add a further note”? Do you mean when you try to add text to the Notes box? It sounds like your FTM installation might have gotten corrupted. Have you tried reinstalling?
Thanks for all your help Keith.
When I do a pc sync some profiles get deleted. Why?
Profiles should only be deleted if they were deleted in Family Tree Maker or in a tree linked at Ancestry.com, or if two or more profiles were merged. If you believe profiles are being deleted in error, you might want to report it as a bug at https://www.mackiev.com/familytreemaker/ftm/ftm_feedback.html. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know what exactly is being deleted, since I believe the specific profile name, source, media item, etc., is not listed in the sync report.
I make a mistake while typing this and found I could not correct my spelling as it removed other letters from the screen. No edit feature on this screen. I have used Family Tree Maker for a very long time now and am pretty happy with it. I use Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge on my computer. I would like to know how to print out on a 8 1/2 by 14 sheet or an 11 by 17 sheet of paper. Have tried before and could not do it. Also like more colors in the program to mark other family members as well. Not sure when new Family Tree Maker will come out.
I upgraded to the latest version of FTM but in the last couple of days it keeps freezing and the only thing I can do is turn my computer off. When I open up FTM it says there was a problem, does anyone know how I can sort this out, I’m using Windows 10. Also is there any other Family Tree programmes that are compatible with Ancestry? Many thanks
Heather, there are many things that can cause an application to freeze. I recommend you contact FTM (Mackiev) Support through their chat option.
The only other app that is “compatible” with Ancestry, in the sense that you can sync with it, is RootsMagic 7. All family tree apps can import and export GEDCOM files to and from Ancestry, although this is not ideal, since most apps don’t follow the GEDCOM specification perfectly (including Ancestry), and the spec itself has some problems. I wrote a whole series of articles on FTM alternatives.