Home > FTM 2014.1, 3.1 and Older > Family Tree Maker for Mac > Family Tree Maker 1, 2, or 3 for Mac is running slowly

Family Tree Maker 1, 2, or 3 for Mac is running slowly

Family Tree Maker for Mac is running slowly

Answer ID 5463
Family Tree Maker for Mac is running slowly, how can I fix this?

If Family Tree Maker is running more slowly than expected, here are a few steps you can take to increase the software's performance. This article only applies to Family Tree Maker 1, Family Tree Maker 2 and Family Tree Maker 3 for Mac. As this is the case, in the rest of this article it will only be listed as Family Tree Maker.

This article discusses the following:


Verify you meet the minimum system requirements

Recommended System Requirements for Family Tree Maker 3

Operating System  Mac OS X 10.8 or later
Processor Intel-based Mac
Hard Disk Space 500MB for installation
Memory 1GB RAM
Display 1024x768 resolution monitor
Disc Drive 32X CD/CD-R (Some products require a DVD-ROM drive.)


Minimum Requirements

Operating System Mac OS X 10.8 or later
Processor Intel-based Mac
Hard Disk Space 500MB RAM
Memory 512MB of RAM
Display 800x600 resolution monitor
Disk Drive 2X CD-ROM (required for installation)

Recommended System Requirements for Family Tree Maker for 2

Operating System  Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Processor Intel-based Mac
Hard Disk Space 500MB for installation
Memory 1GB RAM
Display 1024x768 resolution monitor
Disc Drive 32X CD/CD-R (Some supplemental products require a DVD-ROM drive.)


Minimum Requirements

Operating System Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Processor Intel-based Mac
Hard Disk Space 500MB RAM
Memory 512MB of RAM
Display 800x600 resolution monitor
Disk Drive 2X CD-ROM (required for installation)

Note: Family Tree Maker 1 and 2 are not supported on OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)

You can check your OS X version and processor type by following the instructions found here.


Compact your file

Family Tree Maker's Compact File tool will re-index your file, remove unnecessary data, and optimize your tree's performance. Instructions on this process can be found here.


Merge Duplicate Individuals and Sources

Merging duplicate individuals or sources can reduce the overall size of your file, making your file more efficient.

Instructions on merging duplicate individuals can be found here.

Instructions on merging duplicate sources can be found here.


Work Offline

Temporarily disabling internet access in Family Tree Maker can speed up your experience greatly, especially if you have large files.

With Family Tree Maker open, click the File menu and select Go Offline.

Image

If your menu says “Go Online”, instead of “Go Offline”, then your Family Tree Maker is already set to work offline.

If you don't want to disable Internet access entirely, you might want to turn off Family Tree Maker's automatic Ancestry.com search feature.


Disable fastfields

Disabling fastfields in large databases can also speed up your Family Tree Maker.

  1. Click the Family Tree Maker menu in the top left of the screen, then click Preferences.

    Image

  2. Uncheck the boxes in the section labeled Use Fastfields for: next to Name, Source Titles, and Place.

    Image

If none of the above suggestions improve the speed of your Family Tree Maker program, consider breaking your tree into several smaller, more manageable trees. Instructions for doing this can be found here.

Couldn’t find the answer you needed? Click here for further assistance.