Troubleshooting Installation for FTM for Mac

Answer ID 5446

How do I troubleshoot issues installing Family Tree Maker for Mac?

For the majority of our users, Family Tree Maker for Mac installs without problems. However, if you are experiencing issues installing it, please see the steps listed below. After each step, try installing and running Family Tree Maker for Mac again.

This article discusses the following:

Does Your Computer Meet The Minimum System Requirements?
Confirm Your Mac is Up-To-Date
Starting Your Computer in Safe Mode
Create a New User Account
I Still Can’t Install

Does Your Computer Meet The Minimum System Requirements?

Please see the following article to review the system requirements for your version of Family Tree Maker:

Confirm Your Mac is Up-To-Date

If your Mac is behind on software/component/operating system updates, various programs and installations may not work smoothly. To confirm you Mac is fully updated please follow the steps outlined below.

Close all current applications on your machine.
Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen.
Choose the Software Update… option.
A dialog will appear while the system checks for important updates for your machine.
When this process is finished a new dialog will be displayed, letting you know if any updates were found.
If there are updates for your system, click the Download or Install button to begin the process.
You may need to restart your computer, depending on the type of updates that were installed.

Starting Your Computer in Safe Mode

Booting up your Mac in Safe Mode can help you diagnose problems it may be having. Many features are disabled in Safe Mode, including some that may be interfering with Family Tree Maker’s operation. To learn more about Safe Mode, please click here.

Create a New User Account

Sometimes the User Account on your Mac may become corrupted or nonfunctional. It’s also possible that some of the settings for your current account are affecting system operations but you’re uncertain which ones you’ve adjusted. A new account will reset everything back to defaults and potentially be free of other corruption as well. Because of this, a new account is a great way to troubleshoot various issues you may be having. Please make sure that the account you create is an Administrator account. For instructions on creating a new account, click here.

I Still Can’t Install

At this point, if you are still unable to install Family Tree Maker for Mac and you’re certain your disc is not bad, you still have a few options. Contacting Apple or visiting an Apple Store can help with diagnosing system problems and Family Tree Maker support may be able to suggest additional steps to try. Should you contact us, be sure and reference this article number (5446) and let us know the result of each step so we know the best way to be of help.