Exporting Your File
When you export your family tree, you are creating a new file with all your data, information, and media items bundled into it. The original file will remain on your first computer unchanged so you can safely move the newly exported file onto your second computer. Please see the following article for instructions on exporting your file.
Note: In Step 5 of the above article, you will choose a location to save the newly exported file. We recommend choosing the Desktop to ensure you can easily locate your file for the next step, transferring.
Transferring Your File
- Exit out of Family Tree Maker.
- Find the location of your newly exported file (if you followed the note in the previous section, the icon will be located on your desktop).
- Right-click on the file and select Copy.
- At this point, if you are going to save your file to a CD, rather than right clicking on the file and selecting Copy, you can open your CD creating software and use it to write this file to a disc. As each CD creating program is different, if you require assistance in this process, please consult the instruction manual for the software.
- The following article may provide some assistance in buring a CD in Windows 7 or Vista:
Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Explorer
- This file is now ready to be pasted (copied) to your USB flash drive. After inserting your USB flash drive into an open USB port, please click the Start menu and select My Computer from the right.
- Windows Vista & 7 users - Click the Start menu and select Computer.
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- In the window that opens, find your USB flash drive listed here and open it.
- Right click on some blank space in this window. A menu will appear. Please click Paste from this menu.
- Your file will now be copied to your USB flash drive. Once this process is complete, you should see the file listed on your flash drive.
- Depending on the size of your file, this process can take a few minutes.
- You can now unplug this flash drive from this computer and plug it into your other computer.
- Once the flash drive is inserted into your other computer, you will need to copy your file onto this computer prior to restoring it in Family Tree Maker.
- From the Start menu, select Computer/My Computer.
- In the window that opens, find your USB flash drive and open it by double-clicking on the drive icon.
- Find the icon for your family file on your flash drive. Please right click on it and select Copy.
- On your desktop, right-click anywhere in the empty space and select Paste.
Restoring Your File
Now that your file has been copied to your second computer, you can simply restore it in Family Tree Maker. Please see the following article for more instruction in the restoration process.