TreeSync troubleshooting steps for Family Tree Maker 2012-2014
Note: This article is only applicable to Family Tree Maker 2012-2014. If you need assistance troubleshooting Family Tree Maker for Mac 2, please click here to visit that specific article.
Note: When Ancestry is experiencing a high volume of website traffic, Tree Sync may go more slowly or encounter errors. If you experience difficulty viewing or accessing your online tree, chances are that you will have difficulties in syncing your trees as well. We appreciate your patience if you have encountered this issue; please try back a little while later since most website traffic spikes are temporary in nature.
This article discusses the following:
Updates to Family Tree Maker 2012-2014
Most sync errors were resolved in update patches made to Family Tree Maker 2012-2014. This is an important first step to resolve any errors you may be encountering. Please click herefor information and instructions on ensuring your software is up to date.
Internet Connection Related Issues
Due to variations in internet connection speeds from different internet service providers and differences in overall reliability and stability of connections, you may encounter a sync error when nothing is actually wrong. We recommend waiting and trying again either in a few hours or the next day. Dial-up connections will be the slowest, satellite connections may vary greatly in speed, and cable connections - although fast overall - can slow down during peak usage hours, usually in the evenings.
If you are on a wireless internet connection, move closer to your router and try the sync again. It’s possible that your computer was too far away to get a good enough signal to complete the sync. You may also want to try plugging your computer directly into your modem, whether your router connection is wired or wireless. This troubleshooting step lets you know if the sync issue is due to a setting on your router. If you are able to successfully sync your tree when plugged directly into your modem, you may wish to call the manufacturer of your router for help changing its settings to allow Family Tree Maker (FTM.exe) access.
There are also multiple computer settings that can interfere with tree sync if not set up correctly. Please click herefor information and instructions on ensuring your system is properly set up to allow synchronization to occur.
Trouble Syncing a Family Tree Maker tree to Ancestry
If you are able to sync information down into Family Tree Maker but not back up to Ancestry, or if you aren’t able to upload and link your tree from within Family Tree Maker, it’s possible that your file needs to be repaired. Please click herefor steps to repair your Family Tree Maker file.
To verify that your file is causing the issue, you can create a new test treeand attempt to sync that. If your test tree syncs without a problem, proceed with the file repair steps at the end of the instructions in the above link.
Troubleshooting Other Software
Some programs (antivirus, firewall, and security software, although others may come into play) can interfere with tree sync. Due to the simultaneous uploading and downloading of the sync process, it can look like nefarious activity even though it is completely safe and will not harm your system. To make sure that nothing external to Family Tree Maker is causing your problem, please click herefor instructions on starting your computer in a clean boot environment.
When your computer has started up in clean boot, please open Family Tree Maker and attempt to sync your tree. If the sync is successful, that means that it was another program on your computer that was causing the sync issue. You may wish to call the manufacturer of your antivirus, firewall, and security software for assistance in adding Family Tree Maker (FTM.exe) as an exception.
The media (stories, pictures, etc.) in your family tree syncs separately from the majority of your tree data. Additionally, the more media you have in your tree, the longer it will take to complete synchronization. Even if you are no longer seeing the Media Processing status bar at the top of Family Tree Maker, your media still may be in the process of syncing.
If you have a bad media file (usually a PDF, but any bad media can cause this issue), it may interfere with sync. To verify whether or not media is causing your sync issue, try uploading your tree without media. If your tree is currently linked, you will first have to unlink your treeto be able to upload.
To upload your tree without media:
- Go to the People workspace.
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- Click on the Share button in the upper right-hand corner and select Upload to Ancestry…
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- In the window that appears, select the option to Upload without linking. Click OK.
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- In the window that appears, deselect the option to Include Media Files. Click OK.
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- Follow the prompts to see if your tree uploads successfully without media. If it does, the issue is most likely due to a bad media file (usually, but not always, a .PDF file). You will have to go through the Media workspace in Family Tree Maker and check each file by attempting to open it in order to see which one(s) are causing the problem. If you are unable to open a file, get an error message, etc., removing the file from your media collection should fix the issue and you will be able sync your tree again. Note that you may have multiple files causing this issue, so be sure to check the rest of your media files if removing one doesn’t fix sync.
If your tree sync has stopped progressing, or if either Ancestry or Family Tree Maker is saying your tree is in sync when it clearly is not, you can usually fix this by creating a fresh link. To do this, you will need to first break the synchronization link and then create a new link between the online and desktop tree. The following articles will take you through this process:
- Unlinking a Family Tree Maker 2012-2014 tree from Ancestry
- Relinking a tree between Family Tree Maker 2012-2014 and Ancestry after it's been unlinked
Note: Although you may receive a message with the sync error that recommends unlinking and re-uploading your tree to Ancestry, you may find more success after unlinking and re-downloading your tree from Ancestry into Family Tree Maker. Since relinking trees will create a duplicate tree either in Family Tree Maker or on Ancestry, linking by download ensures you can merge duplicate trees togetherand also removes the necessity of re-inviting anyone that you may have invited to your Ancestry tree.
If you have tried all the troubleshooting ideas in this article and are still getting errors or having difficulties with sync, more in-depth troubleshooting may be necessary. Please click here for a list of numbers and hours of operation in your region. The technician you talk to may ask you to send in a Sync Error Report which will help us to determine exactly what is causing the issue. This can be done by using the following steps:
Windows 8
- Click on the Desktop icon.
- Click on the folder icon at the bottom of the screen.

- Select the This PC option on the left.

- Double-click on the C: drive to open it.
- Double-click on the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder.
- Double-click on the Family Tree Maker 2012 or Family Tree Maker 2014 folder.
- Find a program called SyncErrorReporter and double-click to run it.

- This will bring up a list of trees for which you have sync information. Choose the tree that has become unlinked or unsyncable and click on Create Report.

- This will create a .zip file on your desktop called SyncReport.zip. If requested, please send this file to support@ancestry.com with the name of the person you spoke with in the subject line.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
- In the Windows Start menu, click on Computer.
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- Double-click on the C: drive to open it.
- Double-click on the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder.
- Double-click on the Family Tree Maker 2012 or Family Tree Maker 2014 folder.
- Find a program called SyncErrorReporter and double-click to run it.
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- This will bring up a list of trees for which you have sync information. Choose the tree that has become unlinked or unsyncable and click on Create Report.
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- This will create a .zip file on your desktop called SyncReport.zip. If requested, please send this file to support@ancestry.com with the name of the person you spoke with in the subject line.
Windows 8
- Click on the Desktop icon.
- Click on the folder icon at the bottom of the screen.

- Select the This PC option on the left.

- Double-click on the C: drive to open it.
- Double-click on the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder.
- Double-click on the Family Tree Maker 2012 or Family Tree Maker 2014 folder.
- Find a program called SyncErrorReporter and double-click to run it.

- This will bring up a list of trees for which you have sync information. Choose the tree that has become unlinked or unsyncable and click on Create Report.

- This will create a .zip file on your desktop called SyncReport.zip. If requested, please send this file to support@ancestry.com with the name of the person you spoke with in the subject line.