Get started with Rootsgen: register with a passkey and create your first tree
Rootsgen is a private place for your family tree. You can be up and running in a couple of minutes: create an account with a username and a passkey, save your recovery code, and start a tree - either by importing a GEDCOM file from other genealogy software or by adding people one at a time.
Step 1: create your account
Choose Register from the top of the home page. You are asked for a username only - no email address, no password to invent or remember. You also tick a box to confirm you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.
Your browser then asks you to create a passkey - using your device's fingerprint, face recognition, screen-lock PIN, or a security key, whichever your device already offers. This registers your device (or your password manager, if that's where you keep passkeys) as the way you sign in from now on. See passkeys and your recovery code for how this works and why Rootsgen uses it instead of a password.
Your username identifies your account. You can add a display name later in Preferences - that's what tree owners see when they invite you to a tree, so a real name is friendlier than a username.
Step 2: save your recovery code
Straight after registering you are shown a recovery code, once only. Store it somewhere safe, together with your username. If you ever lose every device with your passkey on it, this is what lets you back in - see passkeys and your recovery code.
Step 3: create your first tree
A new account has no trees yet. You can:
- Create your own. Choose + New tree…, name it, and optionally import a GEDCOM file and photos. You become its owner automatically. See creating a tree and importing a GEDCOM.
- Be invited to someone else's. Give the owner your username. Once they add you, the tree appears in your list. See sharing a tree.
Signing in later
Use Sign In, type your username, and confirm with your passkey - the same fingerprint, face, PIN or security key you registered with. If you're on a new device that doesn't already have your passkey, add one for it from Preferences once you're signed in elsewhere, or use Lost access? with your recovery code if that's the only way left in.
You stay signed in on a device while you keep using it, and after about a week of inactivity you are asked to sign in again. You can also sign out from your account menu at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Who can register? Anyone with a device that supports passkeys (essentially any modern phone, tablet or computer). Fair-use limits apply to the number of trees and the amount of photo storage per account.
What if my device doesn't support passkeys, or I don't want to use my device's fingerprint/face unlock? A password manager (such as Bitwarden, 1Password, or your browser's own) can create and store a passkey for you instead, and that passkey then works from any device signed into that same password manager.
Can other people see my tree? No. Every tree is private. Nobody can open it unless the owner adds them, and the owner decides whether they may only browse or also edit.
Do I need to install anything? No. Rootsgen runs in your web browser on a computer, a tablet or a phone. See using Rootsgen on a phone or iPad.