Short answer
Yes. Ancestry lets you share a family tree with other people, and you decide how much they can do. You can invite someone by email address or Ancestry username, and Ancestry has also offered a shareable link option. Each person you invite is given a role that controls whether they can only look, add material, or edit the tree itself.
Ancestry changes its screens and wording from time to time, so the exact menu names below may differ slightly from what you see. The general ideas have stayed fairly consistent.
Who can see your tree by default
What others see depends on the privacy setting of the tree. A private tree is visible to you and the people you invite. A public tree can be found by other Ancestry members, although details about living people are normally hidden from them. Check the settings of each tree you own, because the default may not be what you expect, and you can change it at any time.
How to invite someone
The usual path looks like this:
- Sign in and open the tree you want to share.
- Open the tree name menu and look for an option such as Share tree, Invite, or Tree settings and then a sharing section.
- Enter the person’s email address or Ancestry username, or choose the option to create a link.
- Pick a role for them.
- Decide whether they may see living people (see below).
- Send the invitation.
The person generally has to accept the invitation. If they do not have an Ancestry account, they may be asked to create one, which has historically been free for viewing a shared tree. Whether a paid subscription is needed to view the records behind the tree is a separate matter, so ask your relative to check before they assume they can open every record.
If you need to connect a relative’s DNA test to your tree, see how to link to someone’s tree on Ancestry.
Guest, Contributor and Editor roles
Ancestry describes three roles, though the details can change:
- Guest: can view the tree and, in most versions, leave comments. Guests cannot change your research.
- Contributor: can do what a guest does and can also add things such as photos, documents or stories, without changing the core tree structure.
- Editor: can add, edit and remove people and facts. This is the closest thing to shared ownership.
Start with the lowest role that fits. A cousin who only wants to browse needs Guest access. Give Editor access only to someone you trust, since their changes affect your tree. Making a backup first is sensible; see how to print or download your Ancestry tree for export options.
Living people and privacy
Ancestry hides information about people it believes to be living from most viewers. When you invite someone, you may be able to choose whether that person can see living relatives in your tree. Think about this before turning it on, since it can expose names, dates and relationships of people who have not agreed to being included. For a guest who just wants to see great-grandparents, there is rarely a need to enable it.
Public, private and searchable trees
Besides inviting individuals, you can usually control whether your tree appears in Ancestry searches:
- Public: other members can find and view the tree, with living people hidden.
- Private: only people you invite can see it.
- Private and unsearchable: the tree does not turn up in searches, but members you invite can still view it. Ancestry has used wording like this in various forms.
A public tree can be useful for attracting cousins, but anything you add may be copied by others, so private is a safer choice when your research is unproven. If you are working with DNA collaborators, linking AncestryDNA results to another account explains how DNA access differs from tree access.
Can you view or copy someone else’s tree?
You can see another member’s tree if it is public or if they have invited you. If a tree is private and you want access, contact the owner through Ancestry messaging and ask politely. You cannot see private trees without permission.
Copying is more limited. Ancestry has no simple merge button for combining two separate trees. People usually pick up information from public trees through hints, or by adding details manually. Treat other trees as clues, not proof, because errors spread quickly between trees. Confirm names, dates and places against records before adding them. If you need to add what you find, here is how to add a person to your Ancestry tree.
Can a husband and wife share one account?
Ancestry accounts are generally intended for individual use, and its terms cover this, so check the current terms or contact Ancestry support if you are unsure. A common alternative is for each person to have their own login and for one to invite the other to the tree as an Editor. That way each person keeps their own DNA test results and settings.
Common problems
- The invited person cannot see the tree: confirm they accepted the invitation and are signed in with the same email address or username you invited.
- A relative sees too much or too little: review their role and the living-people setting.
- You want to stop sharing: open the sharing settings and remove the person, or change the tree to private.
- You want to remove a tree completely: see how to delete a family tree on Ancestry.
FAQ
Can others see my family tree on Ancestry? Only if the tree is public or you have invited them. Living people are normally hidden.
Can I share only part of my tree? Ancestry sharing is usually applied to a whole tree. If you need to share only a branch, one option is to export that portion and make a separate tree, but check the current export options first.
Does sharing cost anything? Inviting people has not generally required a fee, but access to records can depend on subscriptions.