Gramps is free, open source, and produces one of the most standards-faithful GEDCOMs around. Its export dialog has more choices than most.

The steps

  1. Open the tree in Gramps.
  2. Family Trees > Export.
  3. Choose GEDCOM as the format.
  4. Set the options (below).
  5. Choose a file name and save.

Labels are as of mid-2026.

The options that matter

  • Privacy filter. Excludes records marked private.
  • Living people filter. Include, exclude, or include with details stripped. Only relevant when sharing.
  • Person filter, Note filter, Reference filter. Ways to export a subset: descendants of one person, everyone matching a search. Useful for sending one branch to a relative.
  • Include witnesses, Include media, Include notes. Tick media to get the file references. Gramps writes the paths; it does not copy the images.

About the base media path

Gramps stores media paths relative to a base folder set in Preferences (Edit > Preferences > General, "Base path for relative media paths"). The export writes paths using that base. In GED-VIEW, connect that base folder or any folder above it. GED-VIEW matches by file name anyway, so even if the base changed since the images were added, it will usually find them.

What is in the file

Gramps models sources and citations separately, so its exports carry unusually complete citation detail. Repositories are usually present, so the repository filter on GED-VIEW's Sources page will have something in it. Gramps also writes _UID identifiers so records can be matched across exports.

Next

Export with media and notes ticked, open the .ged in GED-VIEW, and connect the base media path as the media folder.