Share Your Family Tree With Relatives, Securely

Family Tree Simple · Updated 25 September 2026 · 8 minute read

Send a private invite or a public link. Choose who can view, add and edit. Real-time updates keep the whole family in sync.

A family tree is more powerful when the whole family contributes. Family Tree Simple makes sharing safe, simple and free, with the controls you need to keep things tidy.

Share My Tree

Choose the audience before choosing the sharing method

Sharing a family tree can mean showing a cousin one branch, inviting relatives to help correct the research or publishing a chart for a reunion. Those uses need different levels of detail and different access. Start by deciding who should see the tree and what you want them to do with it.

A private research copy may contain living people's dates, uncertain relationships and personal notes. A reunion chart might only need names, relationships and selected photographs. Do not assume the same version is appropriate for both audiences simply because sending one link is convenient.

Write a short purpose statement for the shared version. “Help identify the people in this branch” is a clearer request than “please review everything.” A focused invitation makes relatives more likely to contribute useful information and helps you decide which details should be visible.

Review the information about living relatives

Before sharing, inspect the details attached to living people. Full birth dates, locations, contact information and personal stories may be more than the audience needs. Ask the people concerned where appropriate and use the sharing controls available in the application deliberately.

Pay particular attention to children and sensitive relationships. A family chart can reveal connections that someone does not expect to see distributed outside a small group. You can often explain the family structure without including every private detail in the shared version.

Review photographs as well as text. A portrait may be welcome in a private family project but unsuitable for a broadly accessible link. If you are uncertain, choose a version with fewer details while you clarify the intended use. Sharing less initially is easier to manage than trying to retrieve copies after distribution.

Distinguish a view link from editing access

A link that lets someone view a tree is different from an invitation that allows changes. Check the actual access option you are using and explain it to the recipient. Do not assume that every person who receives a link has the same role or that a public-looking page is automatically editable.

If relatives will contribute changes, agree who maintains the main research record and how disputed information is reviewed. Several well-intentioned editors can create confusion if they replace one another's dates or merge similar names without leaving an explanation.

Use the least access needed for the purpose. Someone helping identify a photograph may only need to view the relevant branch and send a comment through your agreed channel. A regular collaborator may need a different arrangement. Confirm the available controls in the current interface instead of relying on a general description of sharing.

Check the shared view as a recipient

After configuring access, open the shared output in an appropriate separate session or ask a trusted recipient to confirm what they can see. Check the title, starting person, visible details and navigation. Your signed-in owner view may not represent the experience of someone opening the link for the first time.

Test the link on a smaller screen if relatives are likely to use phones. A dense tree can be difficult to understand without guidance about zooming or choosing a branch. Include a brief instruction in the invitation so the recipient knows where to start.

Do not treat a successful page load as the whole test. Confirm that the intended information is present and that material meant to remain private is absent. If the result differs from your expectation, stop distributing the link until you understand the access setting.

Give relatives a clear review task

A broad request for corrections can produce scattered messages that are difficult to apply. Ask specific questions: whether a name is spelled correctly, who appears in a photograph or which source supports a date. Include enough context that the person can answer without reconstructing your research.

Encourage contributors to explain where their information comes from. A direct memory, a family document and a story heard from another relative are all useful, but they should not be treated as identical evidence. Record the contributor and date of the account in your research notes.

• Identify the person or branch you want reviewed.
• State the particular question or uncertainty.
• Ask for the source of a correction where possible.
• Explain how to send supporting material securely.
• Confirm how you will handle conflicting accounts.

Thank contributors by showing how their information improved the record, while keeping unresolved questions visible. The goal is a collaborative history, not a contest to decide whose memory automatically overrides everyone else's.

Keep corrections separate from immediate publication

When someone suggests a change, compare it with the existing evidence before updating the shared tree. A familiar relative can still confuse two people with similar names or remember an event in the wrong year. Respectful review protects the quality of the record without dismissing their contribution.

If the new information conflicts with a source, preserve both accounts and explain the uncertainty. You may need another document or conversation before deciding. Avoid changing the tree back and forth each time a different person sends a confident message.

For a substantial revision, keep an export or other recoverable copy before making the change. Record what was changed and why in your working notes. This makes it easier to explain the updated chart to relatives who saw an earlier version.

Example: sharing a branch for a reunion

Imagine you are preparing a chart for a reunion and want relatives to identify missing names in one generation. The working tree includes detailed dates for living family members and several unverified stories. You create a simpler view focused on the relevant branch and review the photographs before sharing.

The invitation asks recipients to check the names and explain any correction. One cousin supplies a labelled photograph that resolves two identities; another offers a different date without a source. You apply the supported identification and keep the date question open while looking for further evidence.

The shared chart improves because the audience and task were clear. The process also avoids distributing the entire research file merely to answer a small set of questions. This is a suggested workflow, not a claim that every sharing mode automatically filters the information for you.

Understand the limits of exported files

A PDF or image is a separate copy once it has been downloaded or sent. Changing the online tree does not necessarily update that file in someone else's inbox. Include a preparation date or version label when the chart may be reused so recipients can recognise an older copy.

If you discover an error, send a corrected version with a concise explanation of the relevant change. Do not assume that deleting a link will remove files already saved by recipients. Plan the original distribution with that limitation in mind.

Choose a filename that identifies the branch and version without exposing unnecessary personal details. “Reunion family chart — September 2026” may be more appropriate than a filename containing several full birth dates. The small choices around distribution are part of making the sharing process understandable.

Make the chart easy to interpret

Include a starting person or a short explanation of the branch shown. A relative who did not build the tree may not know why certain people are included and others are absent. Clarify whether the chart shows ancestors, descendants or a broader family network.

Explain any symbols or conventions used for uncertain information and relationship types. Do not expect the reader to infer a sensitive distinction from line placement alone. Where the visual layout cannot express the full context, add an appropriate accompanying note.

For large families, share an overview and several smaller branches rather than one unreadably dense chart. The purpose is to help people understand the relationships, not to fit the maximum number of names on a single page. Ask a recipient to describe the chart back to you as a practical readability test.

Review access when the purpose changes

A link created for a short review may not need to remain available indefinitely. Revisit the sharing arrangement after the reunion, research session or collaboration ends. Check the controls available to remove or change access and confirm the result when you use them.

When a new relative joins the project, explain the existing conventions for evidence and corrections. A brief introduction can prevent accidental changes and confusion about what the tree represents. Keep the research owner and contact route clear.

Sharing works best when it is treated as an ongoing communication process rather than a single button press. Decide the audience, review the details, verify the recipient view and keep corrections traceable. The result is a family record that people can understand and improve with confidence.