I am brand new to RootsMagic with version 8. I was sold on purchasing RootsMagic because of the advertised ability to seamlessly import older versions of FamilyTreeMaker (v.9). Now that I have RootsMagic 8 (after waiting almost 2 years!) I cannot find any way to import FamilyTreeMaker without converting it into a GEDCOM. I purposely did not load RootsMagic 7 because I have a 64-bit Mac (OS 11.2.3) and did not want to deal with the Wrapper. At this point, it appears that the only way I can import my old FamilyTreeMaker files is to use GEDCOM or find someone running RootsMagic 7 and have them import the files so they turn into RootsMagic files and then I can import those. Is this the case or am I missing something?
Go to Create New RootsMagic File>Import From Another Program>FTM 2014 or earlier.
Jerry, I donât believe that RM8 for Mac has that feature. You can only import from RM versions 4-7, or a gedcom. Virginia is on a Mac.
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The work around is to Import on pc and copy database to mac. My understanding is that pc/mac were going to be the same. I would also contact RM to see what the deal is with this.
Helenâs screen shot is exactly what I see. Not much. Do I assume that âcontact RMâ means Technical Support? Thank you both for replying.
Bruce explained in his first Webinar on RootsMagic 8 that the Mac version canât support importing files from say Legacy or Family Tree Maker because the MacOS doesnât contain all the other supporting stuff to be able to read Windows database files.
Roger
Iâm re-watching the âWhatâs New in RootsMagic 8â webinar from Oct 1st and at 9:45 in the video the screen clearly shows FamilyTreeMaker as an Import option. Perhaps the misleading part is that this webinar is being done on a PC. Iâm giving very low marks for Truth in Advertising to Mac users!
UPDATE: I finally found the mention in the webinar regarding this problem - at the VERY END! Virtually the last thing mentioned. Clearly this is not of great concern to Bruce or the RM team. This clearly says that Mac users are an annoying afterthought. Iâm now wondering what other features wonât be available to Mac users.
maddog: on my mac I do not have the option to import FTM 2014 or earlier. Evidently the mac and pc versions are NOT identical in options and features. It always concerned me that Bruce demoded on a pc claiming everything would be the same on a mac.
FTM V9 sounds very ancient. Perhaps RM tech support would import and convert the file for a customer. They say they have old competitor versions.
Solution: 1. export a gedcom from FTM and import that to RM8. I used this method.
- install RM7 mac, import an old FTM file and save it. Then import that to RM8.
Thanks for the thoughts Rooty. I took Maddogâs idea to install RM8 on my husbandâs PC, import the FTM9 files there, and then copy them to my Mac where they launched in RM8 with no problem. But this workaround is not going to be feasible for households without any PCs! This issue needs to be front and center for Mac users new to RootsMagic. It is NOT what was advertised! This needs to be addressed head-on or there are going to be a lot of angry customers that need not be if their expectations are set correctly and assistance is given.
FamilyTreeMaker9 is actually in the FTM 2014 and Earlier category (file extension .ftm) so not quite that ancient.
People could follow your approach using pcs at an LDS center or a public library with RM7 on a flash drive or installed temporarily.
No worries about angry mac customersâRM8 is far from what we expected in so many ways and most of us left a year ago.
Good suggestions Rooty. I just watched the Working with Files webinar (Oct 8, 2021) which did clearly point out that Mac users are very limited in Import options. It occurs to me that since RootsMagic To-Go can support the installation of both RM for Mac and RM for Windows, this may be a way to solve the problem of Importing other program files (such as old FamilyTreeMaker files) into RM8 on a Mac. The To-Go feature is not yet available but it may be that To-Go could be used for launching the Window version to import an old FTM file, then copying the resulting saved RM8 file to a Mac, all from a flash drive. This would be better than having to install the whole program on someone elseâs computer. I donât yet know what Operating system versions To-Go will work with, e.g. whether it would work with the very old Windows XP computer that contained my FTM databases, for instance.
Hi vtp. Iâm also trialling moving over my data from FTM to RM8 on a Mac. Iâve used a gedcom transfer and, at first sight, itâs looking pretty good. Iâve noticed a duplication of Citation Details to both the Citation Name and Page Number fields which could be a bit annoying, but nothing much else. It would be helpful to know if there are other problems with a gedcom transfer which I havenât spotted? Itâs so much better than a transfer from FTM to Reunion that Iâm currently pleasantly surprised!
Ruth, I get the duplication of Citation name and page number fields also, even though I imported a RM7 file. I think itâs because RM7 didnât have separate fields for these, but RM8 does.
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I am happy to hear that you were able to install RM8 sorry for all the inconvenience you experienced. Importing old copies of FTM is incredibly involved take it from long time Family Tree Maker user. I bought my first copies of Family Tree Maker it was Broderbunder Software, and it ran in DOS 3.1 that was 1995. I have gone thru lots of upgrades over the years. I have also evaluated a lot of different Desktop application for genealogy including RootMagic7. December 2015, after Ancestry.com announced that it would discontinue Family Tree Maker. I found RootsMagic and installed it on my computer. Test RootsMagic7 for a while but FTM was revived by mackiev.com and RM7 was side-lined until RM8 I took advantage of the early sales and I have been waiting for RM8. As soon as possible I installed RM8 a few minor glitches to get started now it is running smooth. Let me give a little side update my Database dates to 1995 it has had a hard life, but I have never started over it is now up to 8000 people. Last year I built a new computer to upgrade old hardware and improve security on my computer. I have been on windows11 since the release of the Windows 11 insiderâs beta version was release in August. RM8 and Windows 11 have become the best of partners. FTM is going into long-term storage I like RM8 it is fast and has a lot of great tools. My thanks to Bruce Buzbee and all the team this is a great product I think it is the best genealogy software I have used that is over all the years
I am running Rootsmagic on a PC and would like to import my files from FTM 2019 into Rootsmagic8. The import from another screen has option âFamily Tree Maker - Version 2014 and earlierâ but I presume I canât use this and must use GEDCOM. Could someone confirm? Thanks.
Check the âOutput Formatâ drop down on the âExportâ screen to see what formats you can use from FTM 2019.
Confirmed! UnlessâŚyou would need to dump the FTM2019 file to a FTM2014.1, then open the file in version 2014.1 and export to an earlier version which can then be imported into RM8.
In FTM 2019, I exported to 2014.1 and tried to open in RM8 but got a message âERROR: The file appears to be corrupted or is not actually an FTM file.â
I then opened the 2014.1 file in FTM 2014.1 and exported to FTM 2012 file and that file opened in RM8. Looks good. You guys are awesome. Thank you!