Why is my exported GEDCOM missing notes and sources I know I entered?

RootsMagic's export dialog has separate checkboxes for notes, sources, multimedia links, and several other categories — none of them are included by default just because the data exists in your file. If a box wasn't checked at export time, that data simply isn't in the resulting GEDCOM, even though it's still safe in your RootsMagic database.

What are RootsMagic's 'extra details' in the export dialog?

These are RootsMagic-specific tags that go beyond the standard GEDCOM fields — details other genealogy software generally won't recognize even if you do include them. Leaving this unchecked produces a more broadly compatible file at the cost of some RootsMagic-only detail; checking it preserves everything but risks other programs ignoring or mishandling the extra tags.

Does exporting to GEDCOM and back into RootsMagic keep my FamilySearch links?

Yes, if you're re-importing into RootsMagic (or transferring via drag-and-drop) — RootsMagic preserves its TreeShare/FamilySearch ID mapping through that round trip. That mapping is a RootsMagic-specific feature, though, so it won't survive a transfer into a different program's GEDCOM import.

RootsMagic: GEDCOM Export Settings That Prevent Data Loss

RootsMagic's GEDCOM export has checkboxes that silently drop notes, sources, and custom tags if left unchecked. Here's what each setting actually does.

GEDCOM Fix Editorial TeamUpdated August 26, 20263 min read

RootsMagic is one of the most common desktop programs used to prepare a GEDCOM file before uploading it to FamilySearch, and its export dialog gives you more granular control than most competitors — which also means more places to accidentally leave something out.

The export dialog is opt-in, category by category

From RootsMagic's File → Export menu, the GEDCOM export screen lets you choose who to export (the entire database, a selected list of people, or a named group), and then presents a set of checkboxes for what to include: notes, sources, LDS information, addresses, tasks, multimedia links, note formatting, and "extra details." None of these are bundled together — each is its own checkbox, and an unchecked box means that category is silently absent from the exported file, even though the underlying data is completely intact in your RootsMagic database. This is the single most common cause of "my export is missing things" reports: not a bug, but a setting that wasn't checked.

What "extra details" actually means

The "extra details" option specifically covers RootsMagic-specific tags — fields and structures that go beyond what the standard GEDCOM specification defines. These are details other genealogy software generally won't recognize, even if you include them in the export. Leaving this box unchecked produces a file that's more broadly compatible with other platforms; checking it preserves everything from your RootsMagic file, but expect other programs to ignore or mishandle the RootsMagic-only tags rather than lose the whole import.

Character set: pick deliberately, don't leave it on the default

RootsMagic's export dialog also lets you choose the GEDCOM character set for the output file. If you're exporting a tree that includes names with accented characters or non-Latin scripts, and you're uploading to a modern platform, choosing a Unicode-based option rather than an older legacy encoding avoids the garbled-name problem that older encodings like ANSEL are prone to when read by software that doesn't fully support them.

Privacy settings for living people

The export dialog includes a "Privatize living" option that restricts which names and facts are included for people RootsMagic considers still living, and a related option to strip the { } brackets RootsMagic uses internally to mark private notes if you've chosen to include those notes at all. If you're preparing a file to share publicly or upload to a platform with a public-by-default tree setting, it's worth confirming this option is set the way you expect before exporting, rather than after the file is already out in the world.

FamilySearch links survive round-trips within RootsMagic, not elsewhere

If your RootsMagic file is connected to FamilySearch via TreeShare, the ID mapping between your local records and FamilySearch's Family Tree is preserved when you export to GEDCOM and later re-import that file back into RootsMagic (or transfer it via drag-and-drop). That mapping is a RootsMagic-specific feature, though — it's not part of the GEDCOM standard, so it won't carry over if the file is imported into a different program instead.

Before you upload what you export

Once you've exported with the settings above confirmed, it's worth running the file through the Upload Readiness Checker before sending it to FamilySearch specifically — it checks your file's actual size and individual count against FamilySearch's documented and observed thresholds, entirely in your browser.

Sources: RootsMagic Wiki — Exporting Data; SQLite Tools for RootsMagic — GEDCOM & Drag-and-Drop Transfer Losses.

Do it now

Check your exported file before uploading it to FamilySearch

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Common questions

Why is my exported GEDCOM missing notes and sources I know I entered?: RootsMagic's export dialog has separate checkboxes for notes, sources, multimedia links, and several other categories — none of them are included by default just because the data exists in your file. If a box wasn't checked at export time, that data simply isn't in the resulting GEDCOM, even though it's still safe in your RootsMagic database.
What are RootsMagic's 'extra details' in the export dialog?: These are RootsMagic-specific tags that go beyond the standard GEDCOM fields — details other genealogy software generally won't recognize even if you do include them. Leaving this unchecked produces a more broadly compatible file at the cost of some RootsMagic-only detail; checking it preserves everything but risks other programs ignoring or mishandling the extra tags.
Does exporting to GEDCOM and back into RootsMagic keep my FamilySearch links?: Yes, if you're re-importing into RootsMagic (or transferring via drag-and-drop) — RootsMagic preserves its TreeShare/FamilySearch ID mapping through that round trip. That mapping is a RootsMagic-specific feature, though, so it won't survive a transfer into a different program's GEDCOM import.