Understanding FamilySearch GEDCOM Updated

 https://gedcom.io/

GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data Communication and is a file format for exchanging family tree data between different genealogy software programs. It acts as a universal translator, allowing users to export their family history data from one application and import it into another, ensuring compatibility and data transfer without losing information like names, dates, and relationships. GEDCOM files can also serve as a backup for your research.  See https://www.familysearch.org/en/gedcom/

The original GEDCOM specification was released in 1984, and the last update to it was version 5.5 in 1996 with an incremental upgrade to version 5.5.1 released in 2019. The latest version of the GEDCOM specification is FamilySearch GEDCOM 7.0, which was first released in May 2021. The most recent minor release is version 7.0.16, dated March 18, 2025. See https://gedcom.io/about/

Key features of version 7.0 include:

• Modern character encoding, requiring UTF-8 throughout, which better supports international character sets.
• Improved multimedia handling through "GEDZip," a standard zip format that packages genealogical data with associated photos and other files.
• Expanded and more versatile notes with support for text styling and formatting.
• Removal of ambiguities present in the previous standard, GEDCOM 5.5.1.
• Introduction of semantic versioning and a public GitHub repository to manage maintenance and future development.

What is the difference between the FamilySearch GEDCOM standard and an app or program?

FamilySearch GEDCOM is a standard file format for storing and exchanging genealogical data. It is a text-based file (with a .ged or .gdz extension) that uses specific tags and structure to define genealogical information (names, dates, places, relationships, sources, etc.). Think of GEDCOM as the universal language for family trees.  Its primary purpose is to enable the exchange and transfer of family tree data between different genealogy software programs and websites. It ensures that data exported from one system can be understood and imported by another. FamilySearch developed the original GEDCOM standard and continues to steward new versions (like the current FamilySearch GEDCOM 7.0) to improve compatibility and add new features, such as the ability to package associated media files. 

FamilySearch GEDZip is an added feature of the FamilySearch GEDCOM specification. A standard zip archive file is formatted to combine existing Family Tree data with external images and other files. The FamilySearch GEDZip file can be unzipped after transfer, making the genealogical data and associated external files available together in a different software product. The exact procedures for importing or exporting files will vary according to the individual software product’s implementation of the FamilySearch GEDCOM specification. See GEDCOM 7.0 FAQ

A genealogy app or program (such as RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Ancestry, etc.) is the software application you use to build, view, manage, and analyze your family tree data. This is the tool with the graphical user interface (GUI) that allows you to input, edit, visualize, and generate reports from your family data. See https://www.sog.org.uk/education/learning-hub/guides-tips/family-history-software/

Apps offer features that the simple GEDCOM file does not, such as robust data entry forms, complex chart generation, direct searching of online record databases, image management, synchronization features, and advanced reporting. Genealogy programs rely on the GEDCOM standard to export your family tree data into a transportable file and to import data from other users or sites. While a program's internal database may store more proprietary information or structure the data differently, the GEDCOM file acts as the standard interchange layer. See What is a GEDCOM file?

If you are a programmer or a developer, you can participate in the ongoing discussion about the development of future releases of the FamilySearch GEDCOM standard at FamilySearch/GEDCOM

Note: The FamilySearch GEDCOM Steering Committee is the group that manages and guides the evolution of the FamilySearch GEDCOM standard, meeting regularly to discuss issues and pull requests for the project's repositories. Their role is similar to other steering committees: they help align the standard with its objectives, resolve conflicts and issues that arise, and make decisions about its future direction, ensuring it continues to be a practical data structure for exchanging genealogical information. See GEDCOM Steering Committee