Charts and reports help you quickly create detailed versions of your family history in well-known formats. Whether tracing ancestors or descendants, these charts and reports simplify sharing your family’s story.
 

Types of charts and reports

• Descendancy: lists a person’s descendants, beginning with an ancestor and then moving forward in time to show their descendants in order.
• Ahnentafel: lists a person’s ancestors, beginning with them and moving backward in time.
• Register: assigns numbers to track descendants by family groups and birth order.
• Family group sheet: focuses on a set of parents and their children, showing only their immediate family.
• Fan: Expands the fan view to show up to 7 generations of a person’s direct-line ancestors or their hints, photos, or sources in a half-circle or fan shape.
   

Accessing charts and reports

To use these charts and reports, you need an active Ancestry® Pro Tools membership. 

There are several ways to access Pro Tools’ charts and reports: 

• From your tree, in the toolbar on the left:
  • Click the View button at the top and select Charts and Reports.
  • Or, for a fan chart, click the View button at the top and choose Fan.
• From someone’s profile page:
  • In the top-right corner, click Tools and select Charts & reports.
  • Or, in the research tools bar, click Charts & reports. 
• In the top-right corner of the Ancestry homepage, under Pro Tools shortcuts, click More Pro Tools > choose Charts & reports, or, for a fan chart, under Additional tools, select View your fan chart. You'll see charts and reports for the last tree you viewed that you own or can edit. To see charts and reports for a different tree, open that tree first, then follow these steps again.

Customize, download, print and share

Reports

Descendancy, Ahnentafel, Register, and Family Group Sheets:

1. After accessing reports, in the panel on the right, under Document type, select the report you want to create. For a fan chart, skip to the next section.
2. Choose a document style.
3. If asked, select the number of generations to show (between 2 and 7).
4. To begin the chart or report with someone else, next to the Focus person click Change . Then, enter their name and Select them when they appear.
5. Choose to Download, Print, or Share.

Charts

Fan chart:

1. Go to your family tree, find, and click on the person you want to start the chart.
2. If your tree isn’t already in the fan layout, switch to the fan view.
3. Above your tree, click Fan settings .
4. Select the number of generations to show.
5. Choose a view. 
   • Family lines
   • Hints
   • Photos
   • Sources
   When choosing family lines, colors indicate ancestors from each parent and grandparents’ side.
   For hints, photos, or sources, the colors indicate their amount—darker colors mean more hints, photos, or sources for that person.
6. (Optional) Print or download the fan chart.
    
   • To print: 
     1. In the tree’s toolbar on the left, click More (three dots). 
     2. Select Print. Whatever you see on the screen when you select "Print" will be printed.
         
   • To download (on a Mac):
     1. Follow the same steps as printing.
     2. In the Print window, click on PDF.
     3. Select Save as PDF.
     4. Choose a location on your computer, name the file, and click Save.
         
   • To download (on Windows):
     1. Follow the same steps as printing.
     2. In the Print window, from the list of printers, pick Microsoft Print to PDF (or a similar option). 
     3. Click Print. 
     4. Choose a location on your computer, name the file, and click Save. 

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the main person in my fan chart?
If you see them in your tree, right-click on them and choose View tree.

If not, click the Find icon in the left toolbar, enter the name in the right panel, and select them when they appear.
 

What happens if someone has more than one set of parents? Who shows on the chart or report? 
Charts and reports show a person’s preferred parents. For help changing which parents are shown, see Setting Preferred Spouses or Parents.

How can I save a chart or report to my tree? 
First, download the chart or report to your device, then upload the file as a document to your tree. For help, see Uploading Media: Photos, Stories, Audio, and Documents.

Are the Pro Tools charts and reports available in the Ancestry App?
No, the Pro Tools versions of charts and reports aren't available in the Ancestry app. However, you can see a basic fan view showing up to 4 generations of your tree. More features are available with an active Pro Tools Membership on the Ancestry website.