TreeSync troubleshooting steps for Mac 3
Note: This article is only applicable to Family Tree Maker for Mac 2 & 3. If you need assistance troubleshooting Family Tree Maker 2012 or 2014 (for PC), please click hereto visit that specific article.
Note: Although rare, if Ancestry is having site issues, including high server traffic, TreeSync may encounter slowness or other 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 for Mac 3
Most sync errors were resolved in update patches made to Family Tree Maker for Mac 2 & 3. This is an important first step to resolve any errors you may be encountering. To make sure your software is up-to-date, open the program and go to the Family Tree Maker menu in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and choose the Check for Updates option. Your program will automatically check to see if it’s on the latest patch.
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 for Mac from Ancestry
- Relinking a tree between FTM 2012 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 the duplicate trees togetherand also removes the necessity of re-inviting anyone that you may have invited to your Ancestry tree.
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 with your program/file. In cases like these 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, ensure that you have good signal strength and try the sync again. 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 for Mac 3 proper 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 tree and 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 Safe Mode.
When your computer has started up in Safe Mode, please open Family Tree Maker for Mac 3 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 reach the manufacturer of your antivirus, firewall, and security software for assistance in adding Family Tree Maker for Mac 3 as an exception.
If you are still unable to sync your tree in Safe Mode, please check that your firewall, antivirus, and security software are truly turned off. You may need to manually uninstalland then reinstall Family Tree Maker for Mac 3 (all from the Safe Mode startup) before attempting to re-link and sync your tree.
For assistance with configuring your firewall, please refer to Apple's article on this topic by clicking here.
The media (stories, pictures, etc.) in your file syncs separately from the majority of your tree data (names, dates, notes, etc.). 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 for Mac 3, 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:
- From any workspace, click the Ancestry logo in the upper right-hand corner of the program.

- In the menu that appears, choose the Upload to Ancestry… option.

- In the window that appears, ensure that the Upload without linking checkbox is ticked and click OK.

- In the window that appears, deselect the option to Include Media Files and click OK.

- 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. You will have to go through the Media workspace in Family Tree Maker for Mac 3 and check each file to see which one(s) caused the problem. Removing the file(s) from your media collection should fix the issue and you will be able sync your tree again.