In a recent article published on the FamilySearch Blog site, a simpler interface was created to improve merge experiences in the FamilySearch Family Tree. If you’ve spent much time working in the FamilySearch Family Tree, you’ve probably encountered duplicates—two Family Tree profiles that represent the same deceased person. Since the goal of Family Tree is to have only one profile per person, Family Tree offers the ability to merge duplicates.
But merging can be tricky. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if two profiles really are duplicates, especially if one or both don’t have much information. As a result, incorrect merges—merges of two profiles that really don’t represent the same person—have been an ongoing challenge in the collaborative family tree. Incorrect merges often lead to tangled family lines. They cause confusion and are difficult and time consuming to repair.
The new merge experience helps address the challenge of incorrect merges. The interface is simpler. The new process is also simpler and provides better guidance. As a result, you can have greater confidence that you are merging correctly. The new process also helps avoid incorrect merges.
Simpler Interface
The previous merge experience required navigating through three pages. On the third page, you could no longer see a comparison of the profiles, which made it harder to ensure that the merge was correct.
The improved merge experience shows a side-by-side view of the profiles being merged. It also shows what the surviving profile will look like after the merge.
Explanation for the numbers on the image: 1. The profile that will be deleted if you complete the merge. 2. The profile that will survive (shown in its premerge state) if you complete the merge. 3. The profile that will survive with any changes that will be made as part of the merge. 4. Recommendation on whether or not to merge.
Simpler Process with Better Guidance
The previous merge experience offered some guidance (for example, users might see a warning about different birth years or a high number of past merges). But the guidance appeared only on the first page in the merge tool, so it wasn’t visible when it was needed the most. In the new experience, the guidance stays visible until the merge is completed.
Guidance in the new experience includes an overall recommendation, as well as specific warnings. The overall recommendation appears at the top of the merge page. You’ll see one of the following messages, depending on the consistency of the profiles
When information conflicts or is inconsistent, clear warnings appear by the information. (See the yellow boxes in the example below.)
These messages make conflicts and inconsistencies easy to see. You can then do the necessary research to make sure that the profiles really represent the same person before merging them.
The table below shows other improvements in the new merge experience.
The new experience makes merging easier and reduces the risk of bad merges. However, correct merging still requires care, attention, and usually some research. For more information on merging, see “Best Practices for Merging Duplicates in the FamilySearch Family Tree.”
– Published by FamilySearch on August 17, 2026, by Kathryn Grant