GEDCOM Viewer Online: Open and Explore Any .ged File in Your Browser

If someone has handed you a .ged file and you don't have genealogy software installed - or you just want a quick look without committing to a desktop program - you need a GEDCOM viewer that runs in the browser. Most online viewers either upload your private family data to their servers, lock the useful features behind a paywall, or render a barely-usable list with no maps, no statistics, and no sense of the shape of the tree.

GEDminer is a free online GEDCOM viewer that opens any .ged or .gedcom file directly in your browser. Drag the file onto the page and within seconds you'll have a searchable list of every individual, an interactive map of every place name, surname and occupation breakdowns, kinship calculations, migration flows between countries, a timeline of family events, and a data quality score for the tree as a whole.

For browser-only use, nothing is uploaded. The file is parsed by a Web Worker on your own device, so your original GEDCOM remains local. Optional account features can save parsed tree data if you choose to use them. Below is exactly what the viewer shows, how to open a file, and answers to the questions people ask before trusting an online tool with their family history.

Upload GEDCOM file See all features 100% in-browser · Free · No signup

How GEDminer solves it

You need to open a .ged file but don't have genealogy software.

Drag and drop into the browser - the viewer loads any standard GEDCOM file in seconds.

Browser-based GEDCOM viewer →

You want to search the tree by name.

Token-based name search with debounced live results across every individual.

People Directory →

You want to see where the family lived on a map.

Every place is geocoded and shown on an interactive map, with frequency analysis.

Locations Explorer →

You want to know how two people are related.

Kinship Explorer calculates exact relationships up to 8th cousins with shared-cM estimates.

Kinship Explorer →

You want a sense of the tree's scale and quality.

The Overview dashboard shows generation depth, birth-year distribution, lifespan trends and a data quality score.

Overview Dashboard →

You want to see how the family migrated over time.

Animated migration flow map shows movement between countries decade by decade.

Migration Analysis →

How to open a GEDCOM file in the browser

Visit the homepage at gedminer.com.
Drag your .ged or .gedcom file onto the upload area, or click to browse.
The file is parsed locally - no upload, no signup. A progress bar shows decoding status.
Once loaded, you land on the Overview dashboard. Use the top tabs to jump between People, Locations, Integrity and Discovery.
Refresh the page and the file disappears from memory unless you've saved the parsed data to your account (optional, requires a free account).

What you can do beyond just viewing

A viewer shows you the data. GEDminer also tells you what to *do* with it:

Find errors - impossible dates, broken links, encoding bugs.
Find duplicates - likely duplicate individuals across messy merges.
Find research gaps - missing censuses, gaps in lifespans, unsourced facts.
Find living relatives to test - DNA testing planner ranks who to ask.
Find the next research step - auto-prioritised plan generator.

Most viewers stop at "here's the data". GEDminer is built to surface the parts that matter.

Privacy is the point

Family trees contain dates of birth, full names, addresses, and occupations of living people. Uploading them to a third-party server is a real privacy risk - and most online viewers do exactly that, often without saying so clearly. GEDminer parses everything in the browser. The original .ged file is not uploaded. Optional cloud sync (for saving trees) transmits the parsed, structured data over HTTPS and stores it in a managed database encrypted in transit and at rest. The original .ged file is never uploaded.

Supported formats

Any file conforming to the GEDCOM 5.5, 5.5.1 or 7 specification will open. That covers exports from Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, MyHeritage, Ancestry, Family Historian, Gramps, Heredis, Reunion, Legacy, and almost every other genealogy program in use today.

Proprietary backup files (.ftw, .ftm, .rmgc, .ftb) are not GEDCOM - open them in the program that created them and export as GEDCOM first.

Step-by-step guides

How to Analyse a GEDCOM File Online

A step-by-step walkthrough for uploading your GEDCOM file and getting instant insights into your family tree - demographics, errors, migration patterns, and research priorities.

What Is a GEDCOM File? The Complete Guide

Everything you need to know about the GEDCOM file format - its history, structure, how to create one, and what you can do with it using modern analysis tools.

Free Genealogy Tools and Resources: The Complete List

You don't need expensive subscriptions to research your family tree. Here are the best free genealogy tools, databases, and resources available in 2026.

Genealogy Data Privacy and Security: Protecting Your Family Tree

Your family tree contains sensitive personal information. Learn about genealogy data privacy risks, how to protect your research, and why GEDminer's local-first approach keeps your data safe.

Fix Garbled Names in GEDCOM Files: Character Encoding Guide

If accented characters, apostrophes, or non-Latin scripts look broken in your family tree, the problem is almost always character encoding. Here is how to diagnose and fix it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the GEDCOM viewer really free?

Yes. Opening, viewing and analysing any GEDCOM file is free with no signup. Optional features like saving up to 3 trees to a managed cloud database (encrypted in transit and at rest) require a free account.

Will my family data be uploaded anywhere?

Your original .ged file is not uploaded. The viewer parses it in the browser using a Web Worker. Only opt-in features transmit data: cloud save sends the parsed, structured tree data so you can reload it later, and the community Tree Health percentile sends an anonymised score.

What happens to the file when I close the tab?

It is removed from memory. There is no persistent local storage unless you choose to save it (either to your account's cloud storage or the browser's IndexedDB), in which case you can reload it on your next visit.

Can I view a GEDCOM file on my phone?

Yes. The viewer is fully responsive and works on phones and tablets, though large trees (50,000+ individuals) work best on a desktop or laptop for performance reasons.

Which genealogy programs export compatible files?

Any program that exports standard GEDCOM 5.5 / 5.5.1 / 7. That includes Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, MyHeritage, Ancestry, Family Historian, Gramps, Heredis, Reunion, Legacy, and dozens more. Vendor backup formats (.ftw, .ftm, .rmgc) need to be exported as GEDCOM first.

What if my file is very large?

The viewer handles files up to 150MB and trees of 200,000+ individuals. Parsing happens in a background worker, so the UI stays responsive. On lower-powered devices, very large files may take longer to render the first dashboard.

Can I edit my GEDCOM file in the viewer?

No, by design. GEDminer is read-only. Make edits in your main genealogy software, re-export, and reload to see the updated analysis. This avoids any risk of accidentally rewriting your file in a way that breaks downstream tools.

Does it work offline?

After the first load, the core viewer runs entirely client-side. Map tiles need a connection to render, but everything else (people, statistics, errors, exports) keeps working without one.

Ready to analyse your tree?

Drop your .ged file into GEDminer and get a full diagnostic in seconds. Your file never leaves your browser.

Upload GEDCOM file