How to back up a family tree stored in your browser
Here’s a scenario worth avoiding: you spend a happy month building out four generations of family, then one day you clear your browser to fix something unrelated - and your tree is gone. It’s rare, it’s preventable, and this guide is about making sure it never happens to you.
RootsPrint keeps your family tree private by storing it right in your own browser instead of on a server. That’s a genuine privacy win, but it comes with a small responsibility: because there’s no cloud copy, backing up is your job. It takes seconds once you know how.
What “stored in your browser” actually means
When you build a tree in RootsPrint, it’s saved into a private storage area inside your browser called IndexedDB. You don’t have to think about it day to day - your work is simply there when you come back, on that browser, on that device.
The important word is that. Your tree lives in one specific browser on one specific device. It isn’t floating in an account you can log into from anywhere. Open the site in a different browser, or on your phone instead of your laptop, and you’ll start with a blank slate - because the data was never on a server to follow you around.
None of this is a flaw; it’s the trade you make for real privacy. You just want to understand it, because it explains everything about backups.
What could actually make a tree disappear
Your tree is reasonably safe sitting where it is, but a handful of everyday events can wipe browser storage. Worth knowing which:
- Clearing your browsing data - if “cookies and site data” is included, local trees can go with it.
- Private / incognito windows - anything you build there usually vanishes the moment you close the window. Don’t build a real tree in private mode.
- A new device or a fresh browser - the tree doesn’t come along, because it was never uploaded.
- Aggressive “clean-up” tools or a browser reset that resets site storage.
- Rarely, browser housekeeping that clears storage for sites you haven’t visited in a long time.
Notice the theme: none of these are exotic disasters. They’re ordinary things people do on a normal Tuesday, which is exactly why a backup habit matters.
The fix: export a file, and you’re safe
Backing up is simply exporting your tree to a file you keep somewhere of your own. Open the editor, find the export option in the File menu, and save the file to your computer or a private cloud folder. That file is your safety net - re-import it any time to bring the whole tree back, on any device.
You’ve got two formats, and both make fine backups:
- JSON - RootsPrint’s own format, and the most faithful copy for coming back into RootsPrint. If you’re backing up to keep using this app, JSON is the natural pick.
- GEDCOM - the universal genealogy format. Choose this if you also want a copy that other family-history software could open one day.
Not sure which? Export both - they’re tiny text files, and there’s no downside to belt and braces. The GEDCOM vs JSON guide goes deeper on the difference.
Don’t forget your photos
One thing exports don’t carry is the photos you’ve added - portraits are stored separately and aren’t included in a GEDCOM or JSON file. So keep your original photo files in their own safe folder alongside your backups. If you ever rebuild the tree on a new device, the people and relationships all come back from the file; the faces you re-add from your saved photos.
A backup routine that actually sticks
You don’t need anything elaborate. Something like this is plenty:
- After any real work session, export a fresh file. Treat it like saving a document.
- Keep it somewhere that isn’t just the same browser - a cloud drive folder is ideal, since it’s then safe even if your laptop isn’t.
- Before anything risky - clearing browser data, switching computers, a big print run - export first, without exception.
- Every so often, actually test a backup by importing it into the editor. A backup you’ve never restored is a backup you’re only hoping works. Thirty seconds of testing buys real peace of mind.
Moving a tree to a new device
The same export file is also how you move house. Export from the old browser, transfer the file however you like (cloud, email to yourself, a USB stick), then import it in the browser on the new device. Everything but the photos comes straight across - and the photos you re-add from your saved originals.
The short version
Your tree is private because it lives in your browser - and because it lives in your browser, you are its backup. Export a file after each session, keep it somewhere beyond that one browser, hang on to your photos separately, and occasionally prove a backup restores. Do that, and years of family history stay safe no matter what happens to any single device.
Open the editor to export your first backup now - and browse the rest of the guides when you’re ready for more.