What “linking” can mean
People use “link to someone’s tree” for a few different things, and Ancestry handles each one differently:
- Getting access to a relative’s tree so you can view or contribute to it.
- Linking your AncestryDNA test to a person in a tree, yours or a relative’s. Our walkthrough on linking DNA results to your tree covers the settings.
- Combining two trees into one, which Ancestry does not offer as a single built-in action.
The steps below cover each. Menu names can change, so treat the wording as a guide.
Ask the owner for access
Ancestry does not let you open a private tree on your own. The owner has to invite you. If you know the owner, ask them to open their tree, go to the sharing options, and invite you by email address or Ancestry username. Some owners use a shareable link instead. For a public tree you may be able to view it without an invitation, but you will not have editing rights.
If you do not know the owner, you can contact them through Ancestry’s member messaging. Be brief, say how you think you are related, and keep expectations modest. Not everyone replies.
To see what each role allows, read our overview of sharing family trees on Ancestry.
Accept the invitation
- Open the email from Ancestry, or sign in and check your notifications.
- Select the option to accept or view the tree.
- Sign in with the account the invitation was sent to. If the invitation went to a different email address than your account uses, ask the owner to resend it to the right one, or to your username.
- Find the tree under your list of trees, where shared trees are normally shown separately from your own.
Your abilities depend on the role the owner chose: Guest, Contributor or Editor.
Link your DNA test to a person in their tree
If you have taken an AncestryDNA test and want it attached to a profile in a relative’s tree, the generally described process is:
- Get invited to the tree and accept, as above.
- Open your DNA results and find the settings for your DNA test.
- Choose the option to link your DNA to a tree, select the tree you were invited to, and pick the person who represents you.
The wording and whether you need a certain role can vary, so check Ancestry’s help pages if the option does not appear. The reason to link is so your matches can see a tree for you, and to help Ancestry suggest ancestors in common. Keep in mind that the linked tree is then used to generate hints, so a mistake in the tree can mislead you.
Linking a spouse’s DNA test
A common question is how to link a husband’s or wife’s DNA test to your account. A DNA test belongs to the account that manages it, so the usual approach is for the test taker to sign in with their own account and link the test to their person in the tree. If you are the one managing the test, you would link it from your account. Having each person use their own account is simpler and keeps results separate. If you are unsure, Ancestry support can advise on your specific kit.
Can you merge two trees?
Ancestry has no one-click way to merge two separate trees. Options people use include:
- Add to one tree by hand. Pick the tree you want to keep and add people from the other. See how to add a person to your Ancestry tree.
- Export and combine offline. You can export a tree as a GEDCOM file and merge in desktop software, then upload the result as a new tree. This can create duplicates and loses some linked records, so keep backups. See how to print or download your Ancestry tree for notes on exporting, and Family Tree Maker and Ancestry syncing if you use that program.
Copying from a relative’s tree is also possible by hand, but verify each fact before you adopt it. The same caution applies to ThruLines suggestions drawn from other trees.
Giving someone access to your tree
Open your tree’s sharing settings, enter the person’s email or username, choose a role, and decide whether living people are visible. Start with Guest unless you want them to edit.
Troubleshooting
- No invitation email: check spam, or ask the owner to resend.
- Tree is not listed: make sure you are signed in with the invited account.
- Cannot edit: your role is probably Guest or Contributor.
- Want it off your list: shared trees can usually be removed from your own list without affecting the owner’s tree. If you ever need to remove your own tree entirely, see how to delete a family tree on Ancestry.