How to Make a Family Tree in Google Docs

Ever tried explaining your family history, only to get tangled in terms like ‘second cousins twice removed’ or ‘great-aunt something-or-other’?

Whether you’re helping your kids connect to their roots or trying to discover your own lineage, a family tree offers a visual way to understand relationships across generations.

Let’s learn how to make a family tree on Google Docs to clarify these connections easily. Google Docs provides tools for adding text and photographs to create a digital version of your family tree.

You can even try free family tree templates to generate an editable family tree you can share with extended family so everyone can add tidbits of information—the story of the great-grandad who landed on Ellis Island in the late 19th century, the adventures of the grandaunt who was part of the Underground Railroad, and so on.

We’ll also explore ClickUp, a smarter alternative to Google Docs that offers advanced features for organizing and personalizing your family tree.

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⏰60-Second Summary

• Google Docs provides a platform to create a digital family tree by using text, photographs, shapes, and lines to represent family members and their connections. This visual representation helps clarify relationships across generations
• Steps to create a family tree in Google Docs:
  • Sign in: Access Google Docs with your account and create a new document
  • Build structure: Use the Insert menu to open the Drawing tool, where you can add shapes for each family member and connect them with lines
  • Add details: Double-click shapes to input names and titles or use text boxes for more flexibility. Enhance personalization by adding images from Google Photos or your device
  • Finalize and save: Once complete, save the diagram to your document and download it for offline sharing
• Google Docs may be a good starting point for building your family tree but it’s limited to basic shapes and text boxes, lacking advanced options for detailed layouts and differentiation of family branches
• As a smarter alternative with multiple visualization options, ClickUp offers robust features for creating detailed family trees, surpassing Google Docs in flexibility and collaboration
• Use Whiteboards and Mind Maps in ClickUp to visualize tree structures and add detailed information
• ClickUp’s pre-built free family tree templates simplify the process, allowing easy organization and visualization of family lineage
• Multiple family members can contribute simultaneously, enhancing the collaborative experience. You can also assign tasks for genealogy research and updates, integrating task management within the family tree
• ClickUp Docs let you create narrative-style family trees, capturing stories, history, and personal details beyond just visual mapping

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How To Create A Family Tree On Google Docs

In just a few easy steps, you can create a personalized family tree that’s as unique as your story. All you need is a Google account to get started.

Step 1: Sign in to Google Docs and create a new document 

Go to Google Docs and log in to your account. Next, create a new blank Google Docs document. 

Step 2: Build the basic family tree structure 

Navigate to the Insert drop-down menu. Click Drawing > New to open the Drawing pop-up.

Create a drawing by adding shapes based on the number of people in your family group. Click the Shape icon > Shapes option and select a shape to represent each member. This shape will house their details, such as a name.

Repeat these steps to add more shapes for other members. Alternatively, you can simply copy and paste the existing shapes.

Then, click the Line icon to draw lines to connect each shape.

Step 3. Complete the family tree

Double-click the shape to add the names and titles of the family members. Each person’s title will be based on the relationship to the first individual, from whose perspective the tree is created.

Alternatively,  you can also click the Text Box icon and type names and titles in the box. Position the text box at the center of the shape.

To personalize the family tree, add pictures of each family member by clicking the Image button. You can choose to upload images from various sources, like Google Photos or your system.

Click Save And Close in the pop-up after you have completed the tree. This action will add the diagram to your document.

Now that you know how to make a family tree in Google Docs, let’s understand why it may not be your top choice for the task.

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Limitations Of Google Docs For Creating Family Trees

Google Docs comes with a few limitations that may hinder the creation of more complex trees spanning many generations:

• Limited visual customization: Google Docs offers basic shapes and text boxes for creating family trees but lacks advanced visual options like advanced shapes, text options, and detailed layouts that can help you demarcate the sides of the family, the various generations, the geographies your family members belonged to, etc.
• Manual layout and alignment: Organizing and aligning family members manually in Google Docs can be tedious, with no automatic arrangement for hierarchical trees. Alignment of basic elements in any direction still remains a huge challenge since Docs is primarily a text editor
• No pre-built family tree templates: Google Docs doesn’t come with dedicated family tree templates, meaning you have to start from scratch every time. This can slow down the process, especially for larger family trees
• Limited scalability: As your family tree grows, managing multiple generations and dozens of family members in Google Docs can become cumbersome. The lack of scaling options to visualize larger families makes it harder to maintain a clean design
• Collaboration restrictions: While Google Docs allows basic real-time collaboration, it can get chaotic when multiple people are working on the same document, especially when remote teams are working with shapes and text boxes

If Google Docs isn’t the best choice for creating your family tree, what is? Remember we introduced you to ClickUp right at the beginning? It’s time to explore it in depth!

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Creating a Family Tree in ClickUp

Digital family trees let you map extensive connections across generations. For example, researchers have mapped an astounding 13 million individuals within a single family tree, demonstrating the potential for uncovering deep family histories and ancestral connections.

While Google Docs offers basic features to help you make a family tree, it doesn’t provide the flexibility and visual collaboration needed for more complex trees.

In contrast, ClickUp provides powerful features that support creating visually appealing layouts, adding detailed family member information, and efficiently managing extensive family connections. 

Let’s take a look at how to harness some of these features.

Use visual collaboration tools to create a collaborative family tree

As the everything app for work, ClickUp combines your projects, knowledge, and chat into one powerful AI-backed platform. 

ClickUp’s strength lies in its multifacetedness and intuitive collaboration functionalities. 

Using ClickUp, your whole family can contribute to developing your family tree simultaneously in real time or async. While its Whiteboards and Mind Maps help you visualize the tree structure and add details, ClickUp Docs let you store rich backstories and anecdotes that are part of your family culture and make your shared history more interesting.

Thanks to support for multimedia attachments, you can also smoothly integrate photographs and other images, assign your family members specific responsibilities when collaborating on your family tree, and organize your family details efficiently—far surpassing the abilities of Google Docs.

Let’s find out how:

ClickUp Whiteboards

Let’s start with ClickUp Whiteboards. It’s an intuitive and flexible way to build your family tree online.

Open ClickUp Whiteboards and create a new board for your family tree. Use shapes for family members and lines to show relationships. Upload photos and color-code generations or family branches.

You can use sticky notes and text fields to create a detailed diagram with birthdates, marriages, and other family facts. Share the Whiteboard in one click with relatives to edit and contribute.

Whiteboards also let you attach ancestry records by embedding Docs. If you want to create ClickUp Tasks for further genealogy research, you can do so directly from your family tree.

Make the most of Whiteboards with the quick start guidelines shared in this video!

Leverage a pre-built, customizable template

If the above sounds like a lot of effort (which family tree creation definitely is!), use the ClickUp Family Tree Template to get a headstart and reduce manual adjustments. 

Download This Template

This simple family tree template helps you easily organize and visualize your family lineage, tracking members and their relationships. Here’s what it offers:

• Customizable family nodes: This family tree template allows you to easily add and customize nodes for each family member. Include key details like names, birthdates, milestones, and color-code branches to differentiate between family lines and generations
• Drag-and-drop simplicity: The template’s drag-and-drop feature lets you effortlessly move nodes and connectors to rearrange family members. This feature makes it quick to adjust the layout as your tree grows. No need for tedious manual formatting
• File attachments: Enrich your family tree by attaching photos, certificates, and important documents directly to each family member’s node. This feature allows you to create an interactive, media-rich diagram that preserves family history
• Collaborative family tree building: With real-time collaboration, multiple family members can update the tree simultaneously. Add details, upload images, and revise information together, making genealogy research a shared experience
• Task management for genealogy: ClickUp templates integrate task management, allowing you to assign family members tasks such as updating information or contributing research. Set deadlines and priorities and track progress within the tree itself
• Export and share options: Easily export your completed family tree as a PDF or share it via a link. This makes sharing with relatives or printing for family events a breeze

ClickUp Mind Maps

If you want a more polished, flowchart-like, collapsible family tree, ClickUp Mind Maps provide a structured solution.

Easily collapse or expand sections of the tree, managing large family trees better while maintaining a clear overview. This option is great when you don’t want to add pictures for your family members yet want to document your lineage clearly and methodically.

While Whiteboards offer a freeform, drag-and-drop experience, Mind Maps follow a structured hierarchy with auto-arranged branches.

ClickUp Docs

ClickUp Docs provide a robust platform for creating narrative-style family trees. They let you capture the stories, history, and personal details behind your family tree, rather than just mapping out relationships visually. 

Instead of just listing names and dates, you can structure the document like a family history book, blending genealogy with storytelling.

1. Organized generational structure

• Use H1, H2, and H3 headings to structure generations
• Example:
  • The Smith Family Legacy (H1)
    • First Generation: John & Mary Smith (H2)
      • Born in 1850, John was a blacksmith who moved from England to the U.S.
      • Married Mary in 1875, and they had three children: Henry, Alice, and Thomas.

2. Rich storytelling & anecdotes

• Instead of just listing names, include personal stories, traditions, and major life events
• Example:
  “Henry Smith, the eldest son, was known for his adventurous spirit. At just 16, he left home to work on the railroads, sending letters back to his mother about his travels across the country.”

3. Embedded photos & documents

• Upload family portraits, letters, or scanned records directly into the doc
• Example: A section titled “Letters from the Past” could include handwritten notes from ancestors

4. Interactive elements & collaboration

• Use @mentions to tag family members and ask for missing details
• Enable comments so relatives can add insights or corrections

5. Timeline or table for quick reference

• Embed a table with names, birth and death dates, and key events for an at-a-glance view.

Example:

If you prefer a visual, quick-reference structure, Whiteboards or Mind Maps might be better. But if you want a rich, detailed history of your family, Docs is the way to go!

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Preserve History, Traditions, and Anecdotes—Build Your Family Tree in ClickUp

Creating your own family tree is an interesting way to visualize your family history and understand the relationships that connect generations. With the help of Google Docs, you can quickly build a simple family tree that’s easy to customize, edit, and share. 

However, while Google Docs is a great starting point, it has several limitations in visual representation, scalability, and collaboration. Transitioning to ClickUp allows you to use its advanced features, such as customizable templates, intuitive Whiteboards and Mind Maps, and detailed Docs, to simplify the creation of a family tree.

Whether you’re detailing your family history or collaborating with relatives, ClickUp offers the tools you need to create a comprehensive and visually appealing family tree that stands the test of time.

Get started with ClickUp today!

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