Getting Started Guide

Welcome to FamilyTreeCraft!

Creating beautiful family trees is easy with our drag-and-drop builder. Follow this guide to get started.

Step 1: Choose Your Starting Point

You have three ways to begin:

• Start from Scratch: Use the Tree Builder to create your tree from a blank canvas (Tree Builder)
• Use a Template: Browse Templates and customize pre-designed styles (Templates)
• Learn from Examples: Explore Example Trees for inspiration (Examples)

Step 2: Add Family Members

In the Tree Builder, click "Add Person" to create new family members. For each person, you can add:

• Name
• Birth date and place
• Death date (if applicable)
• Photo (optional)
• Notes or additional information

Step 3: Connect Relationships

Click "Add Relationship" to draw connections between family members:

• Parent-child relationships
• Marriages and partnerships
• Sibling connections

Step 4: Customize Your Tree

Make your tree unique:

• Drag and drop to rearrange family members
• Zoom in and out for better viewing
• Pan around to navigate large trees
• Upload photos to personalize each person

Step 5: Save Your Work

Your tree auto-saves to your browser every 30 seconds. You can also manually save by clicking "Save Tree". All your trees are stored locally in your browser - no account needed!

Step 6: Export and Share

When your tree is ready:

• Export to PDF: Perfect for printing
• Export to PNG: Use in documents or presentations
• Export to SVG: For high-quality scaling
• Share via URL: Generate a shareable link

Tips and Tricks

• Use the Cousin Calculator to understand complex relationships
• Look up surname meanings in the Surname Database
• Start with your immediate family and expand outward
• Keep backups by exporting your trees regularly
• Use clear, consistent formatting for dates and places

Privacy and Data

All your family tree data is stored locally in your browser. We don't collect or store your information on our servers. Read our Privacy Policy for details.

Ready to Begin?