Family Tree Maker

File Format
Name	Family Tree Maker
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Genealogical data Family Tree Maker
Extension(s)	.ftm, .ftmb, .ftmm, .ftmd, .ftw, .fbk
PRONOM	fmt/1352, fmt/1353
Wikidata ID	Q20643957
Released	1989

Family Tree Maker is genealogy software for Windows & Mac. Originally developed by Banner Blue Software, was purchased by Broderbund in 1995. Versions 1-2 were under the Banner Blue title. Versions 3-4 under Broderbund. Versions 5-7 under The Learning Company, then Ancestry.com from versions 7.5 to 2014. Ancestry sold product to MacKiev in 2014.

File format

An encrypted SQLite database is used for version ??

.FTW format is based on the "OLE2" document container format. All FTW files contain a file within the OLE container call "GENERAL.DB". Version of software used to write the file is at byte 4 followed by the following ascii string. "File Format (C) Copyright 1993 Banner Blue Software Inc. - All Rights Reserved"

file extension by version

• Family Tree Maker versions 1 - 2 for Mac (.*FTMD or *.FTMM)
• Family Tree Maker DOS versions 1 – 4 (*.FTM) 1989-1995
• Family Tree Maker Windows versions 1 – 4 (*.FTW, *.FBK) 1993-1997
• Family Tree Maker versions 5 - 16 (*.FTW or *.FBK) 1998-2006
• Family Tree Maker 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 for Windows (*.FTM, *.FTMB (Zip compressed FTM))
• Family Tree Maker 3 for Mac (*.FTM, *.FTMB)
• Family Tree Maker 2010 and 2012 for Mac (*.FTMM, *.FTMD)
• Classic Family Tree Maker Files (*.ftw)

Software

• 14-Day trial of FTM 2005 SE for migrating older FTM files
• Family Tree Maker File Migration Utility
• Program to "tweak" FTM Gedcom files to be closer to 5.5 Standard
• FTM Windows 2.0 Demo software

References

• Family Tree Maker - wikipedia
• Ancestry - wikipedia
• SQLite for Genealogy Software
• Family Tree Maker 2017 for Windows Migration Guide
• Ken Hess (Creator) Documentation