Family Tree Maker not connecting to Ancestry.com
August 12, 2019Update 20 February 2023: MacKiev, the makers of FTM posted this about a day ago: https://support.mackiev.com/440789-Ancestry-Login-Issue-in-FTM-2017-and-FTM-2019
Update January 2023: In the past week, several people have come to this post that I wrote more than 3 years ago looking for answers. I don’t have any answers beyond what I posted here and what some commenters have suggested. I don’t connect to Ancestry via FTM anymore, finding it much easier to search directly from the website. Because I don’t have my tree linked with Ancestry.com, that’s not an issue for me, though it may be for others who do. Also, be aware that FTM is owned by a software company based in Kyiv, Ukraine, so I have no idea what sort of help they can provide under their current wartime conditions.
This post is for me in case this happens again in the future.
I couldn’t connect my Family Tree Maker (FTM) software to ancestry.com—the username and password were correct, but FTM kept telling me one of them was invalid. I even reset my password on ancestry.com but still I couldn’t connect. Then I remembered that I’d set two-factor authentication (2FA) on my ancestry.com account—perhaps that was it?
I disabled 2FA on my ancestry.com account, and was then able to successfully connect my FTM software to ancestry.com. I don’t upload my family tree to Ancestry, but like being able to search for a person’s details on Ancestry via the web search area in FTM.
Seems like they may not play nicely together if you have 2FA turned on.
Update August 2019: In the comments below, Jason says you need to append the authentication code sent to you to the end of the password. I haven’t tried it yet but will next time I’m back in Family Tree Maker and want to search Ancestry.com from there. Thanks Jason!
CyberText Newsletter 
When it texts you the authentication code, you just need to add it after your password when logging in through FTM, e.g. if the code is 123456, you’d enter “[yourpassword]123456” as the password
Wow! Thanks for that, Jason. Great to know for future.
–Rhonda
I do NOT have two-factor authentication on my Ancestry.com account yet I keep getting the invalid username or password when I try to log on from family tree 2017 to my Ancestry account. Tried changing my password, turning off my anti virus, checking the date and time, but doesn’t help.Was on a chat with the company for over an hour and they cant fix it. So it is now useless. Worked fine last time I went on end of last year.
Having the same problem. Always worked now it does not. Ancestry is no help and FTM is closed and wait time is pathetic. FTM is useless for sync to ancestry. Cant even get missing data from ancestry.
I cant get FTM 2017 to sync with Ancestry. Log in button does not allow me to log on. Tried all the suggestions from the FTM tech people. What other program will allow we to bring my tree from Ancestry to a computer program?
I am ready to move on.
Tried all of the above, still cannot sync using Ancestry. Called to no avail…any other suggestions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I finally solved my problem. It turned out another program on my computer was interfering with FTM. Once I disabled that program I could again sync.
Eileen, please tell us what program was interfering with FTM so we can try it. Same problem. Thanks!
@Eileen, yes, please tell us which program was causing the conflict, and how did you figure it out?
I am part of a panel with a group called Digital Reflection. They pay me $5 a month to keep a box attached to my computer to spy on me, basically, to see what I buy and so forth. it is a marketing thing. Anyway, I suddenly found I couldnt sync my FTM. I normally always use Firefox. But during this time I found if I used any other browser I got a security certificate error. Somehow the Digital Reflection update was messing with it. Once I disconnected the box everything worked fine. Now, none of you probably participate in Digital Reflection, but check all your browsers and see if you have any issues with your security certificates. Maybe another update in a program you have is the cause also!
still need help
I had to reinstall my Family Tree Maker and now it tells me it has no internet connection. Not just one computer for 2. I have internet on both computers. I can go into my email’s, google, yahoo, etc. I have unstilled it and then reinstalled the program but still it tells me no internet service. Has anyone had this problem and if so how did you solve the problem.
Hi Marcia
I suggest you contact Family Tree Maker support. They should be able to help you.
–Rhonda
I can’t connect my Family Tree Maker (FTM) software to ancestry.com—the username and password were correct, but FTM kept telling me one of them was invalid.
I see from above that this has been an issue for some time.
I have solved the FTM connection problem on my server. FTM only works through port 80 ! So if port 80 is used for any kind of redirect it won’t connect to servers for login or anything else.
Port 80 is a default for a browser but if you are going through FTM, this is not helpful.
I fixed the problem by updating my FTM 2017. At some time in the last couple of years, the developers of FTM, MacKiev, introduced their own ‘FamilySearch’ account, separate from the Ancestry account, and the old login page on FTM 2017 couldn’t deal with these two separate account logins.
I didn’t go for the paid upgrade to a new major version (getting fed up paying to upgrade every year or two), I just installed the free update to FTM 2017. MacKiev’s own description says the update is necessary if you want to remain compatible.
Having same problem logging in to Ancestry from FTM 2019. Login and password worked just fine for months, if not a year or so. Cannot find anywhere on the FTM Login page to update or change login or password. On two-year old iMac. Cookies unblocked. Any suggestions?
I just tried to login to FTM 2017 same issue, says my credentials are invalid, I signed out of Ancestry and back in to make sure I had them correct which I did, then googled the issue and found this page, perhaps now even more concerned, will see if I can find the ‘update’ mentioned above….so frustrating we don’t get a lot fo time to do family research and we don’t want to spend the precious time we have dealing with software issues.
@ Jean Thompson I opened FTM and went to “check for updates” in the dropdowns from the main bar at the top and it said there was one, I downloaded and installed 23.3 (its the free one) and now I am logged in again. Good Luck :-)
Thanks Jean Thompson, The update worked. I can now log into FTM
This may resolve your problem: On the upper right of the main screen you will see two “Log-In”s. One is for access to Ancestry, the other is for access to Familysearch.org. If you have a Familysearch account try logging in here first. If it shows that you can log in, then exit FTM. The problem is that Ancestry has instituted firewalls and done a poor job of it. The workaround is as follows: Install a VPNl stand-alone version, Windscribe. Establish your VPN coonection, preferably using the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia as the connection point. Reopen FTM and now try logging into Ancestry. The connection takes about a minutes but the access screen should now appear. You may have to follow this process in the future because the connection does drop; it could be the VPN or Ancestry. This is a known issue with Ancestry and FTM but they choose to do nothing about it.
Suddenly, I can no longer link FTM17 to my account at Ancestry. I open FTM and select log Ancestry log-in. The sign-in screen does not respond. Separately, I confirmed that I can sign directly into Ancestry online.
I haven’t been able to link FTM1 to my Ancestry account to sync. I agree — the sign in screen does not respond but I can get into Ancestry with no problems. Anyone out here have some feedback? Help!!
I have just got the same problem. Fill in username and password and click sign in. Screen does not change. No error message; No Busy indication. Browser window is logged in with same credentials. Recently FTM has been logging me out at about hourly intervals which it never used to do.
Robert A. Kentworthy exactly described my issue: I can’t log into Ancestry from FTM17. The sign-in screen does not respond at all — even “Show” for the password doesn’t do anything. I have no problem logging into Ancestry.com on the Web. HELP! I need to sync my Ancestry and FTM trees for offline use.
I’ve had exactly the same issue as the last 4 posters. I was able to login and sync on Sunday 25/01 but have not been able to login since. I’ve tried disabling Windows Defender but that made no difference. I’ve upgraded to Windows 11 too. Why has sync stopped working? Also I now get Internal server error 500 when trying click on a link in the Family Search window.
I have the same exact problem with Ancestory logging in as described above. Funny thing though, I can login to Ancestory with FTM 2017 on my Mac, no problem. So th e problem has to do with Windows. It was working just a couple of weeks ago. Very strange.
I have the same issue with Ancestory, cant login from FTM2017. Was working a few weeks ago. It works on a Mac but not PC. Any help Please!
I have now received a response from Mackiev support to say that FTM 2019 does not have this problem. A discounted upgrade can be obtained by signing up to their mailing list at familytreemaker.com. About to try this. I will post again if it does not work.
I chatted with customer support, and they stated that the problem is at their end (MacKiev) and that they are working on it. It effected both 2019 and 2017. They stated that the 2019 problem is resolved butthe issue with 2017 is still being worked on.
I have the exact same problem, contacted FTM and was informed that they were aware of the problem and that their engineers were working on a fix. They then intimated that there was no problem connecting with FMT 2019. This looks like a con to try and encourage more sales of FMT 2019. I am not happy with there response.
by Jim January 28th 2023
I thought I was crazy, and here I find a random post with people having the EXACT SAME ISSUE. At least I feel better knowing it’s not just me. It doesn’t do anything when you click login.
Well, glad it wasn’t me, too. I appreciate all the comments here, and look forward to MacKiev fixing this faux pas. And if they don’t, well, I guess I’ll upgrade. This seems to be part of technoworld….”old” things no longer working, and let’s encourage them to buy the fix.
I’m having the same issue with Ancestry & FTM 2019 on macOS. The agent I chatted with suggested I upgrade my system as a fix & said others had recently begun reporting the same issue. Reading other comments makes me think it’s a problem on their end?
To be fair to Mackiev (which I have no connection to), the problem was almost certainly caused by Ancestry which changed something their end that meant Mackiev had to change FTM in order to counteract the effect of that change. I am sure that FTM2017 has not been changed recently to cause the problem It does not seem unreasonable that after 8 years Mackiev are not allocating resources to changing FTM2017. Most other manufacturers such as smart phone and tablet suppliers stop issuing updates to their much more expensive products after far shorter periods. I am more critical of Ancestry who changed their web software without checking that this might prevent FTM working and then refused to resolve the problem at their end. Since they sold FTM to Mackiev, they certainly knew that there might be a problem.
I bit the billet and paid £29.99 to upgrade to FTM2019 which works perfectly and synched fine again with Ancestry.
I’m also having the same issue. Tried everything as instructed. I can log into Family Search with no problem but the Ancestry login does nothing. Ihad even uninstalled FTM 2017, cleared the CME cache, rebooted, cleared the registry and browser cache, reinstalled FTM 2027, reinstalled patch for FTM 2017, check for updates. Same results. Apparently from post above FTM is aware of the problem, it has been fixed for FTM 2019 and they are working on a fix FTM 2017.
You Should upgrade your FTM 2017 Software to New FTM 2019 program. Then your issue solved
I had similar problems suddenly in February 2023.
It may have bee my first login of 2023, which may be significant.
I tried many things which did not work, including the CEF
folder removal.
Ultimately decided to risk the upgrade to the
latest update (2022?)version which I had avoided
due to the need to backup all my trees.
This sorted the logon issues & all trees
converted, upgraded & synced to Ancestry ok.
January 2023 – I noticed that on the day FTM2017 stopped logging in to Ancestry that Windows update KB4023057 had been applied to my laptop. It is possible that this contained something that impacted something in the FTM2017 login that is different to FTM2019. I did suggest this as a potential cause to Mackiev. I have not yet gone for the FTM2019 upgrade as my primary research is on Ancestry and I use FTM mainly to do mass changes on placenames and use color coding to classify my research status on individuals/
Guys I want to Tell you Now Latest Version is Family Tree Maker 2019 not FTM 2022. So, If you want to upgrade your software you can visit mackiev Website. If you are not fixing your Problem So I want to Tell you Last time November 2022 My Laptop was crash and I lost my Trees. Then I Called Family Tree Maker Support Team and he fixed my Problem. Annie is the one of them.
I could not log into FTM 2017 since Feb 1. Tried multiple times and even uninstalled FTM 2017 but had no luck. Against my better judgement I upgraded to FTM 2019 at a cost of $29.99. I can now log on.
I’ve had the same issue. For last couple of months I had to re-login to Ancestry every hour or so, then a couple of weeks ago it stopped logging in. No error message but the sign in button did nothing. Upgraded to FTM 2019 today and all is good. Couldn’t be bothered waiting for a fix to FTM 2017.
I can’t log into Ancestry from FTM17. The sign-in screen does not respond at all — even “Show” for the password doesn’t do anything. I have no problem logging into Ancestry.com on the Web.
I have the same problem. Fill in username and password and click sign in. Screen does not change. No error message. Logging in on the Ancestry web page works BUT no link within FTM17
The more people who pay for the upgrade to FTM 2019 to fix this problem, the less likely it becomes that they’ll actually fix FTM 2017. They have never fixed any of the problems that I have reported – just given me clumsy work-arounds or crickets & tumbleweeds.
If you have to pay for an upgrade to restore functionality that you’ve already paid for, how is this different from ransomeware?
I’m not affiliated with the company but in the past they have been very responsive and helpful. My impression was that they were not the type to pull shenanigans to force you to upgrade. I’d offer that being located in Ukraine, they have more serious worries to contend with right now.
It is definitely an issue at their end. There is now an update about it on the Mackiev website in the support section. I had previously spoke to an advisor who said that Ancestry made some changes which affected the log in with FTM 2017. As Ancestry will not roll back any changes the update does suggest that you either upgrade to FTM 2019 (for a price of course) or ‘if you aren’t yet interested in upgrading to FTM 2019, you’ll simply have to wait until we have a fix ready for FTM 2017’. No time frame on when that may happen. I’m not inclined to upgrade unless absolutely necessary so probably best to keep an eye on their website for any future updates.
With regard to all the above about not being able to sign into Ancestry from FTM 2017, if I have to bite the bullet and buy the 2019 upgrade where can I buy it please?
Lesley – I won’t post a link as I’m not affiliated to Mackiev in any way, and would rather not upgrade myself, but for anyone interested in their updates about this issue. Go onto their website and under their support section look under Family Tree Maker. There is an article named ‘Ancestry Login Issue in FTM 2017 and FTM 2019’ and there are links regarding upgrading there. Presumably any future updates about this issue will also appear there
Are there any Mac users who can login to Ancestry and if so which OS are you using? I’m not able to login with FTM 2019 (24.1) running Mojave 10.14.6. Thanks in advance.
FTM 2019 New Update 24.2:- The Family Tree Maker (FTM) 2019 24.2 update was released in Feb 2023 and included several new features, improvements, and bug fixes. In this response, we will discuss the major changes introduced in this update.
If you want to fix your family tree maker program you can search on a google family tree maker support … the first link open or you can call these guys and take the service. you can read review for your Qurey and these guys give you a best service. I’m not with the company but, last time they have been very responsive and helpful. thank you
For more information you can visit this post
https://helpfamilytreemaker.com/ftm-2019-new-update-24-2/
I have been using FTM 2019 since it was released and was successfully syncing to Ancestry until Jan 3rd 2023. It no longer works. The screen comes up and I enter my details (which are correct as I’m logged into Ancestry as I write this) but absolutely nothing happens when I hit sign in. So it is not just an FTM 2017 problem.
I’m on FTM 2019 v 24.0. I declined the updates because, quite frankly, I lost confidence in MacKiev software. They broke the backend interface to Ancestry and this issue is not helping with that. I’ve been developing software for decades and this is incompetence or manipulation from my perspective. I’d be sent packing if I did things like this. I did contact their tech support and while they pushed me to install the updates they did say that they were working on a fix.
hello to you i found the solution how to connect with ancentry
1 Upload your GEDCOM file to your tree
From any Ancestry page, click on the Trees tab and select a tree.
In the tree, click on the tree name menu in the upper left corner and select Tree Settings.
On the right side of the Tree Settings page, click Export Tree.
The button will start to rotate and will say Generate GEDCOM file.
2 open the family tree program and import your gedcom file
it will download dicet from ancentry apert it will sincronize with anentry its long take a good coffee when all is finished you will see in the right corner that all is ok
thank you
andre
After almost half a year of FTM 2017 not working right, I’m wondering how much incentive there is to get it fixed. Upgrades are offered as a solution, but I really don’t want to pay $50 just to access my family tree.
I’m using FTM 2019, 24.2.0.532 Build 560, for MacOS. Ancestry Login problem easily Solved by downloading & installing FTM 2019 update.
Andrew, which macOS are you using? I have FTM 2019, (24.2.2.560) Build 560. I can click the Ancestry Log in button now but can’t log in running Sierra 10.12.6, it just spins round and round.
Yeah, I chatted their support today about FTM 2017 sync troubles and they ‘have to rewrite the whole system’ b/c Ancestry.com changed their sync servers out. It’s ‘doubtful’ it will be fixed this year. yeah, I know……why would you rewrite the whole system that is six years old when you can sell another subscription to the version that’s ‘only’ 4 years old? ha!