Written by Generation Archives, the product this guide describes. Family Echo steps follow Family Echo's own FAQ as of September 2026 and may change.
How to import a Family Echo tree, photos and all
If you have spent years building a tree in Family Echo, the last thing you want is to type it all in again, or to lose the photos you attached along the way. This guide shows you how to move a Family Echo tree into Generation Archives so the people, the relationships, and the photos come with it.
The whole process takes a few minutes. You need a free Generation Archives account for the import, but you can look around the demo first with no signup.
Before you start: which export to use
Family Echo offers several ways to download your tree. They are all useful, but they carry different things:
| Family Echo export | People and relationships | Photos |
|---|---|---|
| GEDCOM | Yes | No |
| CSV / spreadsheet | Yes | No |
| FamilyScript | Yes | No |
| Read-only HTML | Yes | Yes |
The "Read-only HTML" export is the file Family Echo itself recommends for backups: a single web page that contains your tree and the pictures saved in it. Generation Archives reads that page directly, which is why it is the one to use if you want your photos to come across.
Step 1: Download "Read-only HTML" from Family Echo
- Sign in to Family Echo and open the tree you want to move.
- Click Download below the tree.
- Choose the Read-only HTML format.
- Save the file somewhere you can find it, such as your Downloads folder. Leave it exactly as downloaded. There is no need to open, unzip, or edit it.
If you manage more than one family in Family Echo, repeat this for each tree you want to bring over. Each file becomes its own tree in Generation Archives.
Step 2: Create a free Generation Archives account
Go to the signup page and create an account. You will get an email to verify your address; click the link in it, and you are in. There is no payment step.
Step 3: Open Import / export
- Once you are signed in, open a tree.
- On the tree canvas, click the Import / export button in the toolbar. This one window handles imports and exports: GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, and Family Echo HTML in, and GEDCOM 5.5.1, GEDCOM 7.0, GEDZIP, PDF, PNG, and JPEG out. PDF, PNG, and JPEG are a single image of the tree. A GEDZIP carries picture links, not the image files.
- Choose Import.
Step 4: Choose your Family Echo file
- Select the Family Echo HTML option.
- Choose the "Read-only HTML" file you saved in Step 1.
- Generation Archives checks the file and shows a preview of what it found, such as the number of people, families, and pictures.
If the preview reports a problem, it will tell you what needs fixing before you import. The usual cause is picking the wrong file, such as a GEDCOM instead of the HTML export.
Step 5: Name the tree and import
Give the new tree a name (the preview suggests one), then click Import as new tree. The import creates a separate tree, so nothing you already have in Generation Archives is changed.
Step 6: Check what came across
Open the new tree and have a look around. From the "Read-only HTML" import you should see:
- Everyone from your Family Echo tree, with their relationships.
- Birth years on each person.
- Photos on the right people.
Then tidy things up. A few suggestions:
- Arrange the layout. Use auto arrange for a clean starting point, then drag people wherever reads best. Big trees especially benefit from a quick rearrange.
- Create extra layouts. Make a "Direct line" layout and an "Everyone" layout of the same tree. The people stay the same; only the arrangement changes.
- Fill in details you care about. Compare a few people against your Family Echo tree and add any dates, places, or notes you want to keep that did not come across.
- Tag people in group photos. Draw a box around each face to link a photo to everyone in it.
- Add biographies and stories for the people whose memories you want to keep.
A note about photo quality
Family Echo compresses photos heavily to keep pages light. They look fine as small portraits, but they are not the originals.
If you still have the original scans or phone photos, you can add them to the same people afterwards. You can also link photos that you already store somewhere else for free, instead of uploading them.
Sharing the tree once it is in
Your imported tree is private by default. From there you can:
- Invite relatives by email to view or edit.
- Make the tree public and share its link, which works well for Sims legacies, fan fiction, and roleplay trees.
If you shared your Family Echo tree with relatives before, send them the new invite or link so everyone is looking at the same place.
Troubleshooting
The import asks me to sign in
Importing requires a free account. The demo lets you explore without signing up, but demo changes stay on your device and cannot hold an import.
My photos did not appear
Check that you used the Read-only HTML export. GEDCOM, CSV, and FamilyScript files from Family Echo do not contain photos. If you already imported a GEDCOM, you can import the HTML file as a new tree and delete the first one.
The tree looks crowded
That is normal right after importing a large tree. Try auto arrange, then drag branches apart, or create a separate layout for each side of the family.
Frequently asked questions
Does this cost anything?
No. The account, the import, and the tree are free. Linking photos is free; hosting photo files with us is optional.
Can I import on my phone?
Generation Archives runs in phone browsers, so yes, if you can save the Family Echo file on your phone and pick it in the file chooser. A computer is usually easier for the download step.
Will this change or delete my Family Echo tree?
No. Downloading an export leaves your Family Echo tree exactly as it was.
What about GEDCOM files from other programs?
Generation Archives imports GEDCOM too. See what GEDCOM is and how to move trees between apps.
Why switch at all?
You may not need to. Family Echo is free and stable. If you want to arrange people yourself, keep several layouts, or build around photos and stories, read our Family Echo alternative page.
Ready to bring your tree over?
Try the demo, open the sample tree, or create a free account. Then download your "Read-only HTML" file from Family Echo and import it in a couple of clicks.
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