Family Tree and Genealogy Tracker Spreadsheet

About this template

This family tree spreadsheet keeps every branch connected by choosing each parent from a list instead of typing the name. It is for anyone recording their family history over years, who does not want one misspelled name to quietly detach a whole branch.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

Parents as dropdowns, not typing

A family tree is a table where every person points at a mother and a father. If those links are free text, one typo breaks a branch without anyone noticing, and in a file you will add to for years that is the failure that matters. Here, Mother and Father are dropdowns of the names already in the file, so a person can only point at someone who exists. Add the oldest generation first and the list fills downward.

Room for the whole family

• 120 people, each with born, died, place and notes
• Age calculated, stopping at the year of death rather than counting on
• Notes for the facts that are lost first, such as years at sea or the language someone spoke at home

The shape of the tree

The file reads your family records and works out the figures for you, which makes it a simple generation tracker.

• Living relatives counted
• Earliest birth year
• Generations estimated from the span of birth years
• Deceased rows greyed, so the shape of the tree shows in the table itself

For the research itself

Genealogy research is a long list of things to look up, so a Tasks tab keeps track of what to find next, and a dashboard reads all of it. The five connected tabs are Start Here, Setup, Family Tree, Tasks and Dashboard, and the Start Here tab walks you through setup in a few minutes. It works as a genealogy template and a place to keep ancestry records in your own file.

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016 or later, on Windows or Mac
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook you take a copy of, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No dynamic arrays, no macros and no add-ins, so it behaves the same on Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365 and in LibreOffice. No Microsoft 365 subscription is required.
• No subscription

What you download

• Two Excel files: five generations of one family with the gaps left in, and a blank one ready for yours
• The instruction guide, which has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions (filled and blank)
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready to download as soon as payment clears. The file is for your personal use, so please do not share or resell it. Questions before or after you buy? Use our contact page and we will help.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work in Excel or Google Sheets?

Both. The Excel files run on Excel 2016 or later on Windows or Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to make your own copy of the Google Sheets versions.

How many people can I add?

Up to 120 people, each with born, died, place and notes.

How are parents linked?

Mother and Father are dropdowns of the names already in the file, so a typo cannot break a branch. Add the oldest generation first.

Does it draw a family tree chart?

It keeps the tree as a table. Living relatives are counted, generations are estimated and deceased rows are greyed so the shape of the family shows in the table.

Is there an example to start from?

Yes. The filled copy has five generations of one family with the gaps left in, and the blank copy is ready for yours.