Support
AncestorPress Family Trees
Documentation, troubleshooting guides, and FAQs. Find your answer here before submitting a ticket.
AncestorPress Family Trees
Documentation
Welcome to the AncestorPress documentation. Work through the sections below to get your family tree live on WordPress. If you can't find what you need, the support team is here to help.
1.1 Installation
AncestorPress - Family Trees requires WordPress 6.0 or higher and PHP 8.0 or higher.
Install from WordPress.org
Go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress admin. Search for AncestorPress Family Trees. Click Install Now, then Activate.
Find the AncestorPress menu
After activation, AncestorPress appears in the left admin sidebar with sub-menus for Members, Families, Charts, Family Groups, Import, Export, Options, and Account.
Choose how to add your data
You can import a GEDCOM file (recommended if you have existing genealogy data - see section 3.0) or add members manually (see sections 1.2-1.4).
1.2 Family Groups
A Family Group organises your tree data. On the free plan you can have one Family Group. The Personal plan allows multiple Family Groups - useful for different family lines or completely separate trees.
Go to AncestorPress → Family Groups
This screen works like WordPress categories.
Add a new family group
Give it a name (e.g. "Smith Family"). Add a description if helpful. Click Add New Family Group.
Note the ID
The ID column shows a number for each family group. You will need this number when creating shortcodes.
1.3 Adding Family Members
Each family member is a WordPress post. Go to AncestorPress → Add Member to add a new person.
Tip
Add members in generational order where possible - grandparents first, then parents, then children. This makes linking relationships easier as the people you reference will already exist.
Available fields:
- Full name (post title)
- Gender
- Date and place of birth, death, marriage
- Mother, father (linked from existing members)
- Spouse (linked from existing members)
- Notes
- Family Group assignment
- Profile photo (Personal and above)
- Custom fields (Personal and above)
After saving, assign the member to the correct Family Group using the Family Group taxonomy box on the right side of the edit screen.
1.4 Create Your Family Tree and Member Pages
AncestorPress automatically creates display pages when you run a GEDCOM import. If you are adding members manually, you need to create these pages yourself.
Family Tree page - create a WordPress page and add the shortcode:
No members found in this tree.
Replace 1 with your Family Group ID
Family Members page - create a WordPress page and add:
No members found.
Lists all members in the family group
Link to these pages from your main navigation so visitors can find your tree.
2.0 Formatting Your Tree
AncestorPress provides several screens to control how your tree displays. These are found under AncestorPress → Options and on each individual Chart post.
2.1 Display Screen
The Display screen controls what information is shown on each member node in the tree.
- Show/hide birth and death dates - toggle date visibility on tree nodes
- Date format - full date, year only, or hidden
- Name format - full name, given name only, or surname only
- Show gender indicator - show or hide gender colouring on nodes
- Show living dates - option to hide dates for living people
- Show spouse - show or hide spouse information on nodes
- Show only one spouse - for people with multiple marriages
2.2 Options Screen
The Options screen controls global plugin settings including the default chart type, node dimensions, spacing between generations, and the credit link display.
2.3 Appearance Screen
Available on Personal and Professional plans. The Appearance screen gives full control over the visual styling of your tree:
- Box colours - separate colours for male, female, and other members
- Box border - style (solid, dashed, dotted), weight, radius, and colour
- Background colour - tree canvas background
- Line style - change connecting lines between solid and dashed
- Line colour and weight
- Font settings - family, size, and colour for names and dates
- Thumbnail settings - border style and size for member photos
2.4 Credit
The free plan displays a small AncestorPress credit link below the tree: "Powered by AncestorPress". This is removed automatically on Personal and Professional plans. You can also disable it from the Options screen on paid plans.
3.0 Importing and Exporting Data
GEDCOM (.ged) is the standard genealogy file format. Export a GEDCOM from your genealogy software and import it directly into AncestorPress in one step.
Info
The free plan imports up to 200 family members. If your file contains more, only the first 200 will be imported. Upgrade to Personal for unlimited members.
How to import
Export a GEDCOM from your genealogy software
Go to AncestorPress → Import
Enter a family name and upload your .ged file.
Click Import GEDCOM
For larger files this may take 30-60 seconds. On completion you will see links to automatically created tree and members pages.
Note
If the import completes but no members appear, re-export your GEDCOM with UTF-8 character encoding explicitly selected. Reunion for Mac users in particular should specify GEDCOM 5.5 with UTF-8.
Exporting data
Personal and Professional plans can export your tree data as a GEDCOM file via AncestorPress → Export. This creates a standard .ged file you can open in any genealogy application or use as a backup.
4.0 Shortcode Reference
Use shortcodes to embed family tree content on any page or post.
Display a chart
Replace 1 with your Chart post ID (found in AncestorPress → Charts, ID column)
Display a family tree
No members found in this tree.
Replace 1 with your Family Group ID
Display a members list
No members found.
Lists all members in the family group - more readable than the chart on mobile
Display all members
All members across all family groups
Tip
In the Gutenberg block editor, use a Shortcode block to add these. In Divi or other page builders, paste the shortcode into a Text or Shortcode module.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ: Formatting
Can I show or hide birth and death dates?
Yes. Go to AncestorPress → Options → Display and toggle the birth and death date settings. You can show full dates, year only, or hide them completely. Separate settings exist for birth and death dates.
Can I show approximate or partial dates?
AncestorPress displays dates as they appear in your member records. If you enter "circa 1845" or "Abt 1845" that text will display as entered. GEDCOM approximate date qualifiers (ABT, BEF, AFT, BET) are imported and displayed as text.
Can I show everyone in my tree?
Yes. The
No members found.
shortcode lists all members in a family group. For the chart display, the number of generations shown can be set in the chart settings. On the free plan, up to 200 members are displayed.Can I show my ancestors starting from now back to earlier generations?
Yes. When creating or editing a Chart post, set the Chart Type to an Ancestor chart and set yourself (or any living person) as the Root Person. The chart will display ancestors going back from that person.
Can I show the families of two spouses together in one tree?
Yes. Create a Family record linking both spouses (AncestorPress → Add Family). When either spouse is displayed in the tree, their shared family will show. The chart settings include an option to show only the primary family or all families for members with multiple marriages.
Can I show parts of my family or selected lines?
Yes. Create separate Chart posts with different Root Persons for different branches. Each chart shortcode can display a different starting point in the same family data. You can embed multiple chart shortcodes on different pages to show different family lines.
Can I show pictures in my tree?
Photos on member profiles are available on Personal and Professional plans. Set a featured image on a member post and it will appear as a thumbnail in the tree node and on the member profile page.
Can I display multiple families on my site?
Yes - on Personal and Professional plans. Each family is a separate Family Group. Create multiple Family Groups, import or enter data into each, and use separate shortcodes with the appropriate family group ID for each tree.
Can I change the solid connecting lines to dashes?
Yes. In the chart settings (edit a Chart post) or in AncestorPress → Options → Appearance (Personal and above), the Line Style option lets you switch between solid, dashed, and dotted lines.
FAQ: Importing and Exporting
What format does my import file need to be?
The file must be GEDCOM format with a .ged file extension. GEDCOM 5.5 and 5.5.1 are supported. The file must use UTF-8 character encoding. Maximum file size is 10MB.
My import completed but no members appeared - what happened?
This is almost always a character encoding issue. Re-export your GEDCOM from your genealogy software and explicitly select UTF-8 as the character encoding. Reunion for Mac users should select GEDCOM 5.5 with UTF-8 specifically.
Can I import the same GEDCOM twice?
If you import into the same family group name again, existing members will be updated rather than duplicated. If you import under a different family group name, a second set of members will be created.
Some members imported but others are missing - why?
The free plan limits imports to 200 members. If your GEDCOM contains more than 200 people, import stops at 200. Upgrade to Personal for unlimited member imports. Also check that your GEDCOM file is not corrupted by opening it in a text editor and verifying it starts with '0 HEAD'.
Mobile Devices
Info
Family trees are inherently horizontal - they grow wider with each generation. This creates a genuine challenge on portrait-orientation mobile screens. The chart display is designed primarily for desktop and tablet use.
On mobile portrait screens, larger trees require significant horizontal scrolling. The pan and zoom functionality works on touch screens but can be awkward on small displays.
Recommended approaches for mobile visitors:
Use the Members List page
The shortcode creates a vertical list which is fully mobile-friendly. Consider linking to this from mobile or making it your primary view for smaller screens.
Suggest landscape rotation
Add a note to your tree page asking mobile visitors to rotate their device to landscape orientation. This significantly increases available width for smaller trees.
Limit generations displayed
In Chart Settings, reduce the number of generations shown to 3-4. A compact view is far more usable on mobile than a full tree.
Improved mobile support is on the AncestorPress development roadmap.
Account & Licence
Licence and Account Issues
AncestorPress uses Freemius for licence management. Your account and licence are managed at ancestorpress.com/account.
How do I cancel my recurring subscription?
Log in at ancestorpress.com/account. Go to Subscriptions and click Cancel. Your licence remains active until the end of the paid period. You will not be charged again after cancellation.
How do I get a PDF copy of my invoice?
Log in at ancestorpress.com/account. Go to Payments and click the download icon next to the payment you need. A PDF invoice will download to your device.
How do I add company name and VAT details to my invoice?
Log in at ancestorpress.com/account. Go to Account Settings and add your company name and VAT number. These will appear on future invoices. For existing invoices, contact support with your details and we will issue a corrected invoice.
How do I deactivate my licence on one site to use it on another?
Log in at ancestorpress.com/account. Go to Licences, find your licence, and click the site you want to deactivate. You can then activate the licence on a new site from within the plugin's Account tab in WordPress.
I am seeing: Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page
This error usually means the plugin licence is not active on this site. Go to AncestorPress → Account in your WordPress admin and check the licence status. If the licence shows as inactive, click Activate Licence and enter your licence key.
I am seeing: AncestorPress requires an access token
This occurs when the Freemius connection has been interrupted. Go to AncestorPress → Account, click the Account tab, and follow the prompts to reconnect your licence. If the issue persists, deactivate and reactivate the plugin.
The plugin hangs or shows a loading spinner when I add my licence key
This is usually caused by a firewall or security plugin blocking outbound connections to the Freemius licence server. Check with your hosting provider that outbound HTTPS connections are allowed, or temporarily disable security plugins and try again.
How do I log in to my account?
Go to ancestorpress.com/account or click the Account tab inside AncestorPress in your WordPress admin. Use the email address you registered with at purchase.
I have lost my licence number - how do I recover it?
Log in at ancestorpress.com/account using your purchase email address. Your licence key is shown in the Licences section. If you cannot remember your email address, contact support and we can look up your account by payment reference.
Documentation
1.0 Getting Started1.1 Installation1.2 Family Groups1.3 Adding Members1.4 Create Your Tree Pages2.0 Formatting Your Tree2.1 Display Screen2.2 Options Screen2.3 Appearance (Personal+)2.4 Credit3.0 Import & Export4.0 Shortcode ReferenceFAQ: FormattingFAQ: ImportingMobile DevicesLicence & Account
Still need help?
If you can't find the answer here, submit a support ticket and we'll help you.
Need More Help?
Still can't find the answer?
Submit a support ticket and we'll get back to you. Please include your WordPress version, PHP version (found in Dashboard → Site Health), and a clear description of what you have already tried.