FamilySearch offers free genealogy tools that can help you search historical records, build a family tree, preserve family memories, and get research help without paying a subscription fee.
A free account is required for many FamilySearch records and features, and some individual record images may have access restrictions based on agreements with record owners.
FamilySearch Is Free to Use
FamilySearch says it is a nonprofit genealogy service with one account type: free. Its website includes billions of historical records, a large shared family tree, learning resources, and free in-person help at FamilySearch Centers.
1. Search Billions of Genealogy Records for Free
FamilySearch lets users search billions of historical records, ancestor profiles, photographs, and documents at no charge. Collections can include birth, marriage, death, census, immigration, military, church, probate, and other records depending on the place and time period you are researching.
A free FamilySearch account is required to search many historical-record collections. Some images can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or another authorized location because of record-owner restrictions.
2. Build a Free Family Tree
FamilySearch also provides a free shared family tree. You can begin with yourself, parents, and grandparents, then connect to existing profiles and historical records as you research earlier generations.
Information you enter about living people is kept private to you, while information about deceased ancestors can be part of the shared collaborative tree.
3. Create a Free FamilySearch Account
FamilySearch has one account type and does not charge a subscription fee. Creating an account gives access to record searching, Family Tree, memories, collaboration tools, and other features.
People age 13 and older can create an account, and children ages 8 through 12 can create one with parental permission.
4. Save Photos, Stories, Documents, and Family Memories
FamilySearch includes tools for preserving family history beyond names and dates. Users can upload photographs, stories, documents, and audio memories and attach them to people in the family tree.
Before uploading material, make sure you have permission to share it and avoid posting private information about living relatives without their consent.
5. Get Free In-Person Help at a FamilySearch Center
FamilySearch operates thousands of centers around the world where volunteers provide free help with family-history research. Centers may offer computers, internet access, record images that are restricted online, and access to selected premium genealogy websites. Services vary by location.
Check the center locator before visiting because hours, available equipment, and appointment requirements differ.
6. Use Free Genealogy Learning and Research Help
FamilySearch provides several free ways to learn genealogy research skills. Its Research Wiki, Learning Center, online community groups, and FamilySearch Library consultations can help with research methods, locations, record types, and difficult family-history questions.
FamilySearch Library online consultations are currently offered as free 20-minute sessions with a specialist, subject to availability.
7. Know the Limits of Free Record Access
FamilySearch itself is free, but not every digital image can be viewed from home. Access to some records is limited by agreements with archives, governments, churches, publishers, or other record custodians.
If a record image is restricted online, FamilySearch may direct you to a FamilySearch Center, affiliate library, or another authorized location. Availability can also change as licensing agreements are updated.
8. Start With What You Already Know
The easiest way to begin is to enter the names, dates, and places you already know for parents, grandparents, and earlier relatives. Then use FamilySearch records and the shared tree to look for supporting documents and additional family connections.
Genealogy trees can contain mistakes, so compare names, dates, locations, relationships, and original records before accepting a connection as correct.
Helpful Free Genealogy Resources
Before You Go
FamilySearch is free, but record availability and viewing restrictions vary by collection. Check the current record page or local center details before traveling, and verify family-tree information against reliable records whenever possible.
Final Thoughts
FamilySearch is one of the most extensive no-cost genealogy resources available, with historical records, a shared family tree, learning tools, and in-person research help. It is especially useful for anyone who wants to begin family-history research without committing to a paid genealogy subscription.
Start with the relatives you know, document each generation carefully, and use the free tools above to continue building your family story.