Finishing your tree
Before You Export Your Family Tree: A Practical Final-Review Checklist
Review names, relationships, personal details and presentation before preparing a family tree export for relatives or a family occasion.
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Decide what this version is meant to do
Before preparing an export, write down who will read it and which branch you want them to understand. A close-family keepsake and a reunion reference may need different scopes. Keep your wider research intact while you choose what belongs in this presentation. A focused version is easier to review because you know what the reader should be able to find.
Read every name from the top down
Check spelling, preferred names and repeated names carefully. Compare them with the notes or sources you used when building the branch. A name that looks familiar can still belong to a different cousin or generation. Ask another relative to read the names independently; they may notice an error you have stopped seeing after looking at the tree for several sessions.
Follow the connections rather than counting people
Review how each person connects to their parents, partner or children. Do not assume a branch is correct because everyone you expected appears somewhere in it. Try explaining a few relationships aloud using the diagram. If a connection remains uncertain, resolve it or keep the uncertainty clearly documented before treating the exported version as a finished account.
Check dates and places for false precision
Look for exact dates entered from rough memories and place names that may refer to more than one location. Keep uncertain details in your research notes until you can establish what they mean. A blank field is preferable to a precise-looking guess. When you decide to omit a detail from the presentation, retain the original note so you can return to the question later.
Review what living relatives are comfortable sharing
Think about where the finished tree will go. A copy shown at home and one distributed to a large group have different audiences. Ask about personal photographs and stories that were supplied privately, and leave out unnecessary sensitive details. Review the actual content before sharing rather than assuming everyone pictured or named has agreed to every use.
Inspect the design with your own names in place
Family Tree Builder includes tree designs you can review with your branch. Choose a presentation that makes the connections easy to follow. Long names and busy branches may need closer inspection than a simple sample suggests. Check the result at the size your audience will use, and inspect a sample before arranging a larger physical print. Readability matters more than filling every available space.
Keep the working project and source notes
An export is a version of your work, not a substitute for the editable tree and the evidence behind it. Keep your source notes and original photos separately backed up. Record the date of your final review in your own project notes, along with any open questions. If a relative later supplies a correction, you will know what to revisit instead of starting the research again.
Check the current plan before choosing export
The app offers tree export for premium users. Review the current paid plan and available options before deciding whether that step suits your project. Avoid promising a particular output format to relatives until you have checked what you can produce. After preparing an export, inspect the actual result for missing details or awkward presentation before sending it onward.
Build a checked branch before making the upgrade decision
Create your free Family Tree Builder account and put a familiar branch in place. Use this checklist to review the names and connections, then explore the paid plan if premium export is the next step you want. A working tree gives you something concrete to assess. The goal is a family record you can confidently explain and share with its intended readers.
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