Frequently Asked Questions¶
General about PastPaths¶
Is PastPaths free?
Yes, PastPaths is free in the current version.
Is my genealogical data sent anywhere?
No. PastPaths is a local program — all data lives on your computer. Nothing is sent to external servers, nothing is shared with third parties. You have full control over the data.
There are two exceptions to be aware of:
- If you import from WordPress, images are downloaded from your WordPress server
- If you export and share a GEDCOM file yourself — that's your own choice
Does PastPaths work on Mac?
Not yet. Right now there's a Windows version. Linux support and a mobile app for Android are on the drawing board. Mac might come further down the line.
Do I need an internet connection?
Only for:
- Installation (to download the program)
- Updates (to download the update)
- WordPress import (if your WordPress installation is on the internet)
- Place Library (to fetch the pack list and pack files)
- If you want to use the map feature
Regular use — adding people, editing, searching — works entirely offline.
How do I update PastPaths?
Download the latest version from pastpaths.se and run the installer. Your data isn't affected — the database and the uploaded files stay in the program folder and the installer doesn't overwrite them. When upgrading, the installer also offers to make a backup.
It's still a good habit to take a backup before updating.
Can I have several separate family trees?
Not at the moment. PastPaths has one database, and it's kept in the program folder (see Where is my data saved?). Only one PastPaths can run at a time.
If you want to keep, say, your own family and a research project separate, you can use tags, categories, or research notes instead. Support for several separate family trees is part of the plans.
What color themes are available?
PastPaths has ten themes to choose from: Forest, Ocean, Forge, Farmstead, Desert, Fortress, Maritime, Nordic, Monastery, and City. You switch themes under Account → Appearance.
Data and backups¶
Where is my data saved?
Installation
This is where the program is saved if you didn't choose a different folder during installation:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\PastPaths
Database
This is where all the text you enter and links to files are saved.
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\PastPaths\pastpaths.db
An SQLite file you can open with DB Browser for SQLite.
Backups, GEDCOM exports, and reports
Everything you export is saved in the export folder, in the Backups, GEDCOM, and Reports subfolders:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\PastPaths
The Open export folder button is at the top of the Import & Export page and on the Maintenance page.
The installer's backups when upgrading are saved here by default:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\PastPaths-Backups
Log files
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\PastPaths\logs
Back up regularly. Especially before installing new versions of the program.
All data — the database, all images, all documents — lives in a folder on your computer. The backup on the Import & Export page includes both the database and all images and documents.
How do I make a backup?
- Go to Administration → Import & Export and click Create backup in the System backup card.
- Copy the ZIP file from the
Documents\PastPaths\Backupsfolder to an external hard drive or a USB stick.
Can I sync between multiple computers?
No. PastPaths is built to be used on one computer.
Don't put PastPaths in a synced cloud folder
Don't put the program folder or the database in a folder that syncs with OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, or similar. The database can be damaged if it's synced while PastPaths is running.
If you want to move your genealogy research to another computer, see the next question.
Can I move my PastPaths data to a new computer?
Yes. Here's how:
- Make a backup on the old computer under Administration → Import & Export → System backup.
- Copy the ZIP file from the
Documents\PastPaths\Backupsfolder to the new computer, for example with a USB stick. - Install PastPaths on the new computer and start the program.
- Restore the backup under Administration → Import & Export → System backup.
- Restart PastPaths.
Want to move the installer's backups too — also copy %USERPROFILE%\Documents\PastPaths-Backups\.
Import and export¶
Which formats can I import?
GEDCOM from standard programs, plus support for Ancestry, MyHeritage, and TNG. WordPress XML for blogs. Zip files containing GEDCOM data.
Can I import from Min Släkt or Disgen?
Yes, export to GEDCOM from that program and import it into PastPaths as standard GEDCOM.
Do I lose images during GEDCOM import?
Only if the image files don't come along with the GEDCOM file. The GEDCOM file only points to the image files' names — you need to put the actual images in the right place on your computer when importing, if they didn't come with the GEDCOM file.
Can I export back to my old program?
Yes, export GEDCOM from PastPaths and import it into your old program. The export is saved as a ZIP file in Documents\PastPaths\GEDCOM — extract it and import the export.ged file. Some special fields (PastPaths-specific metadata) might not be carried over — but persons, events, sources, and relationships work. Photos and documents aren't currently included in the GEDCOM export.
Can I undo an import?
Yes. Under Administration → Import & Export → Import history, you can see all the imports you've made and undo them. Undoing removes all persons, events, places, media, sources, and citations created by that import. Sources you've since linked to something else are kept.
Global tags and categories aren't removed when undoing.
What is the Place Library?
Ready-made packs of reference places (counties, historical counties, provinces, dioceses, emigration ports) you can import instead of typing them in by hand — so the same place is spelled the same way every time. Accessible via Administration → Library. Requires an internet connection for the import itself.
Features¶
Is there a family tree to look at?
Can I collaborate with other genealogists?
Not directly within the program. But you can export GEDCOM and share it with others.
How are names sorted and searched?
Names are sorted in Swedish order: A–Z with W as a letter of its own after V, followed by Å, Ä, and Ö. É sorts as E, Æ as Ä, Ø as Ö, and Ü as Y. Surname prefixes such as von, af, de, and la are ignored, so you'll find "von Essen" under E in the person list's index.
Searching ignores upper and lower case, accents, dots, and rings — both ways. "lundstrom" finds "Lundström" and "öberg" finds "Öberg". This applies to persons, events, places, media, sources, and blog posts, the search box at the top, and everywhere you choose a person, place, or source.
Why is a person shown as living even though they're dead?
PastPaths shows a person as deceased when any of these apply:
- the person has a date or place of death
- the person has a death event where they're the Primary person — even without a date
- the box for deceased without a known date is checked
- the person was born more than 110 years ago
An explicit mark that the person is living, for example from a TNG import, takes precedence over the 110-year rule. If the person is still shown as living: open the person's Events tab and check that the death event exists and that the person has the role Primary person in it. If the person has the role Witness or Other, the event doesn't count as the person's own death.
Can PastPaths work out kinship?
Yes — if you've entered direct relationships (parents, partner, children, siblings), PastPaths works out indirect ones (cousin, grandmother, brother-in-law). Currently, the kinship is shown in the list of persons that can be included in the family tree's PDF export.
Does PastPaths support same-sex couples and adoptions?
Yes. Let me know if some kind of relationship is missing, and I'll add it in the next update of the program.
Can I print or export reports?
Yes. Under Research → Reports, you can create ancestor charts, descendant charts, family sheets, person profiles, and source lists as PDF. The files are saved in the export folder's Documents\PastPaths\Reports subfolder. Save PDF saves the file and shows a button that opens the folder. Print saves the file and opens it in your PDF reader, so you can print from there.
What's the difference between tags and categories?
Categories are hierarchical — you can have a category "Sweden" with the subcategory "Dalarna." They're good for structuring and grouping.
Tags are flat keywords — quick to add and good for free-text labeling like "emigrant," "sailor," or "unclear source."
Both can be linked to persons, events, places, media, and blog posts.
Can I mark people, places, or events as favorites?
Yes — with bookmarks. Click the bookmark icon in the header of a person, place, or event, and feel free to write a note about why you want to come back. All bookmarks are gathered under Research → Bookmarks.
If you want to group things in more ways, tags and categories work too: for example, create a tag called Favorite and give it a yellow color. Tags can be used on most records in the app, including media and blog posts, and you can have several kinds of favorites such as Favorite Places, Favorite Events, or Ongoing Research.
I divide my genealogy research into small projects. Can I manage that in PastPaths?
Yes — Research notes are built for exactly this: a note with a title, a status (active/paused/completed), a Reminder text about the next step, and the people, places, and events that belong to it. Notes can be created directly from a person, place, or event.
If you want to go through a family branch person by person, there's also Research branch.
You can also get partway there with categories and tags named after the project — the project gets its own category, and you create tags like Priority 1, Priority 2, Ongoing, Done, and so on. Combined with blog posts, where you can write more freely, that's still a fairly powerful toolset.
Security and privacy¶
How is my password protected?
PastPaths has no login and therefore no password. The program is built to be used locally on a personal computer.
Can anyone else access my PastPaths data?
Only someone with physical access to your computer. The information isn't in the cloud — it's as private as the computer it's on.
What happens with living relatives' information?
You can mark a person as living, but reports don't automatically hide details about living people today. It's your responsibility to respect your relatives' privacy — consider asking before saving information, review reports before you share them, and be careful when sharing GEDCOM files.
Technical questions¶
Which database does PastPaths use?
SQLite — a file-based database. The entire database is one file that lives in your data folder. That's what makes it easy to back up and move.
Is PastPaths open source?
No, PastPaths isn't open source. The program is free to use, but the source code isn't publicly available.
What are the system requirements?
See the system requirements on the installation page. An internet connection is only needed for some features — see the question Do I need an internet connection? above.
Something else?¶
Didn't find the answer? See troubleshooting or report a bug.