Opening a GEDCOM File in PAF

Opening a GEDCOM file in PAF is not very difficult. After saving the GEDCOM file to your computer, open your PAF software. Click on the "File" button at the top lefthand corner of the screen. Choose "New". Name the file something meaningful. Say the GEDCOM contains the genealogy of your Palmer ancestors, name your file "Palmer". Naming the file is like naming the folder in which you will place the genealogy data from the GEDCOM file.

One the new file is named, click "Save". A new screen will appear and you will need to enter in preferences. When you have completed choosing preferences, close the box. Next you will notice that only 2 icons are active on your menu bar at the top of the page. The first is an open file folder and the next is an old style computer diskette with an arrow pointing inward. To import a GEDCOM file you must use the computer diskette icon. Click on the icon and an "Import GEDCOM File" box will appear. You will need to find the location where you saved the original GEDCOM file. Once you have located it, click the "Import" button. The program will quickly import the data from the file into PAF. It will notify you the number of individuals and marriages have been successfully import.

GEDCOM FIles

So what are GEDCOM files and how can I use them? If you are new to genealogy software you may be unfamiliar with GEDCOM files. GEDCOM stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication file. When a person wants to share the genealogical data from their software program with someone else that may have another software program, they create a GEDCOM file. This file can then be attached to an email and sent. The recipient can then use their own genealogical software and open the GEDCOM file to access the data.