Filters help you find specific people in your family tree. With a Pro Tools membership, you get access to additional filters called smart filters.

Smart filters let you search and sort people in your tree by family line, events & places, hints, and other key details making it faster and easier to find the people you’re looking for.

Filtering

To use smart filters, you need an active Ancestry® Pro Tools Membership. 

1. To access smart filters, above the list of all people, click Filters.
   
   Or, from the Ancestry home page, under Pro Tools shortcuts on the right, click More Pro Tools, then under Smart filters, select Visit All People page and choose Filter.
   
   
2. In the panel on the right, select or deselect a filter (or multiple filters).
   • Tree rating:
     • Tree checker : Filter by all possible errors, possible duplicates, people with no sources, people with only tree sources, or other possible errors
   • Pro filters:
     • Family line: Filter by Direct line ancestors (people you descend from), Paternal (father's) line, Maternal (mother's) line, End of line, or People without relationships.
     • Events & places: Filter by birth, marriage, death, burial, lived in, or any event. Select one, "Any Event" (to search all), or none to search without events.
       • If choosing an event or place:
         • Enter a year or date range.
           • For an exact year, click “Exact year.”
           • For a specific date range, click “Add range.”
         • Provide location details if known or wanted. 
       • To remove an event or place, click the X.
     • Hints: Include only people with Ancestry Hints®.
   • MyTreeTags™
     • Custom Tags: select the custom tag to see results
     • DNA Tags: choose Common DNA Ancestor, DNA Connection, or DNA Match.
     • Life Experience Tags: Choose Enslaved Person, Free Person of Color, Immigrant, Indentured Servant, Military Service, Royalty/Nobility, Slave Owner
     • Relationships Tags: Adopted Into This Family, Adopted Out of This Family, Died Young, Direct Ancestor, Multiple Spouses, Never Married, No Children, Orphan
     • Research Status Tags: Actively Researching, Brick Wall, Complete, Hypothesis, Prioritized Person, To Do, Unverified, Verified

If no results are found, edit your filters or click Clear all filters at the bottom of the filters panel.
 

Frequently asked questions

How do I find everything that happened in a specific location, like everyone who lived in a specific place? 
To see a full list of events that happened in a specific place:

1. Above the list of all people.
2. Click Filters.
   
   Or, from the Ancestry home page, under Pro Tools shortcuts on the right, click More Pro Tools, then under Smart filters, select Visit All People page and choose Filter.
   
   
3. In the panel on the right, under Events & places, select one or more events. If necessary, click the down arrow V next to Events & places to expand the section.
4. Enter a location and select it when it appears.
5. (Optional) Enter dates if known or wanted. 

If no results are found, edit your filters or click Clear all filters at the top of the filters panel.
 

How can I download or print the list?
The list of all people cannot be downloaded or printed at this time. 

Are these smart filters available in the Ancestry app?
No. These smart filters and other Pro Tools features are not currently available in the Ancestry mobile app. However, they are available on the Ancestry website with an active Pro Tools membership.