RootsMagic exports a clean, complete GEDCOM and keeps its media in one folder, which makes it one of the easiest programs to move a tree out of.

The steps

  1. Open the database in RootsMagic.
  2. File > Export.
  3. Choose GEDCOM file.
  4. Choose who to include: everyone, or a selection.
  5. Tick the data types you want (below).
  6. Set privacy options if the file is going to someone else.
  7. Save.

Labels are as of mid-2026.

The options

  • Notes, Sources, Multimedia links, Addresses, To-do tasks, Research logs. For a full copy, tick all of them.
  • Privatize living people. Only relevant when the file is leaving your computer.
  • Extra details (RM specific). RootsMagic can write its own extras into the file, including its source templates. These come out as a tag called _TMPLT with named fields. Most viewers ignore it. GED-VIEW shows it as a small table on the source page, so tick it to keep that detail.

Where the media is

RootsMagic does not copy media into the export. The GEDCOM contains paths to wherever the files already are. After a TreeShare download from Ancestry, RootsMagic puts the media into a folder called Media alongside the database. Otherwise, it is wherever you put it; RootsMagic's Media Gallery shows the path for any item.

Open the .ged in GED-VIEW, then connect that folder with Connect media folder in the file menu.

Next

Export with sources, notes and multimedia links ticked. Open in GED-VIEW and check the Sources page; RootsMagic exports tend to have the best source detail of any program.