Convert GEDCOM Files to Spreadsheet (Easy Python)

Do you want to convert a GEDCOM file into a spreadsheet with every person in your family tree in a row with their birth and death details?

This tutorial walks through how to do this for free. You’ll be working with a script or piece of code, but don’t worry if you’re not familiar with programming.

I’ll provide the script in a way that you only need to change one line to tell it where to find your GEDCOM file.

Then follow my instructions to run the amended script and download a CSV file you can import into Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet applications.

If it all seems too daunting, we have a super-cheap service that will run the conversion for you so you don’t need to do any of the code bits. Follow this link to convert your GEDCOM into a CSV file and an Excel spreadsheet. Two downloads for one dollar!

What The Spreadsheet Looks Like

This picture has most of the columns (I used a GEDCOM of fictitious names).

I like to include the parents with each person. Of course, the parents get their own entry in the spreadsheet too.

I find that the extra info helps with my Irish heritage. My spreadsheet is full of very similar names born in the same year and in the same village!

If you’ve ever looked inside a GEDCOM file, you’ll know that each person is assigned a unique identifier that looks like a long number.

The spreadsheet also includes those IDs — but they’re just out of the picture above).

Python — But Really Simple

I often use Excel macros to work with data. But I couldn’t get a macro to cope with converting the GEDCOM data format to a spreadsheet.

So, I built a Python package that does the conversion.

If you don’t know what Python is — it’s a programming language. But don’t worry if you’ve never encountered Python or have no background with programming.

I walk you through using a Google website with three simple lines of code you can copy-and-paste from here.

That means you don’t need to install Python or anything else on your local machine.

Step 1: Get Your GEDCOM File

You need to export your family tree to a GEDCOM file.

If your tree is on Ancestry or MyHeritage, here are links to tutorials to do that.

Step 2: Log Into Google Colab

Google Colab is a website and service from Google that lets you run Python scripts on the Google servers.

Follow this link to access the site.

It’s free. But you do need to have a free Google account to access the service.

If you have a Gmail account or use Google Sheets, then you already have one. If you don’t, the site will take you through the process of creating one when you try to sign in.

Click on the “Sign in” link (top right) to access Colab and use your Google account details.

The default Colab page may seem very busy. Ignore everything except the sign-in button at this point.

Step 3: Create A New Notebook

A pop-up screen will appear. Ignore everything and click on the blue “New notebook” link at the bottom right of the screen.

Think of a notebook as a project area for your work.

Step 4: Upload Your GEDCOM File To The Notebook

The notebook has a files area where we can upload our GEDCOM.

It’s kinda small, but I’ve marked it with a big red arrow in this picture:

Google Colab is for educational purposes and they provide sample data files to play with.

You can ignore all these. We are going to upload our own.

When you hover your mouse over the “sample_data” line, you will see an ellipsis (three vertical dots) appear to the right.

The warning message is telling you that the file you upload will be eventually deleted. For privacy reasons, that’s a good thing.

You don’t get a message telling you that the file has uploaded successfully. Depending on the size of your GEDCOM, it should be fast.

There were six files in the sample_data folder. You should simply see a seventh appear (in alphabetical order). It will be the only file with the “.ged” extension.

Mine is in the picture below.

Step 5: Install My Gedcom Package

This package does all the work for you. But you need to install it to use it.

Right now, you see a long white rectangular box on the screen. This is known as a “cell”. There is a “run” button to the left of the cell.

Place your cursor into the cell and copy or type this:

!pip install simple-gedcom

Yes, this starts with an exclamation mark.

When you have finished typing, click the run button to the left of the box.

The button should change to a spinning icon as the website goes to work for you.

It may take a few seconds to finish, but you should see this:

If you don’t see the above success message, you have most likely got a spelling mistake.

Step 6: Paste This Python Script Into a Cell

We now want a second code cell to type into.

There is a button below the top menu that gives us a new code cell. Click the button labeled “+ Code”.

This gives you a new cell. Copy these three lines into the cell:

from simple_gedcom 
import load_gedcom gedcom = load_gedcom('data/tree.ged') 
gedcom.save_person_list_to_csv()

Step 7: Change One Line Of The Script

You only have to change one line of code.

That is the second line. The picture below has a big red arrow pointing to it:

This line tells Google Colab where to find your GEDCOM script.

Remember, you have already uploaded it to the sample_data folder.

File paths can be tricky so we are going to let Google Colab tell us the exact details to use.

If the file area is collapsed then click on the File icon again to show the files.

Click into the sample_data folder and hover your cursor over your GEDCOM file. You want to see the ellipsis (three dots) appear beside the file.

Click on the ellipsis and choose “Copy path” from the dropdown menu.

Now, replace what’s inside the quotation marks (‘data/tree.ged’) with what you’ve copied. Be sure not to remove the quotation marks.

My GEDCOM file is named “Family Tree.ged” and the amendment looks like this:

input_file = ‘/content/sample_data/Family Tree.ged ‘

Notice that the slashes are going forward. That’s just the way it is!

Step 8: Run The Script

Now for the moment of truth.

Click the run button for this cell (it’s to the left of the top line of the script).

Scroll down to the end and watch the output window.

You should see some names appearing.

If you see an error message, you’ve most likely made a mistake with copying the file path. Did you erase one of the quotation marks?

One drawback with Google Colab is that it’s not always clear when the script has finished processing.

Take a look at the very bottom of the screen. You should see a tiny green tick and some text saying the code has completed.

But the real proof is the appearance of the spreadsheet in the sample_data folder.

You should see an extra file with the extension “.csv” in the folder.

The spreadsheet has the same name as your GEDCOM, but with the csv extension. It should be listed right next to your GEDCOM file.

Step 9: Download The CSV File

1. Hover over the csv file in the sample_data folder and click the ellipsis.
2. Choose the “Download” option.
3. Use the pop-up window to choose where you save the file.

If you use Microsoft Excel, then you’re all set. Open your new spreadsheet in Excel and away you go.

Step 10: Optional — Upload To Google Sheets

To upload a CSV file to Google Sheets, follow these steps:

1. Create a blank spreadsheet
2. Expand the File menu and choose “Import”.
3. Use the Upload tab and find your file.
4. Click the “Import data” green button.

Our “Done-For-You” Service

We have an online service that converts your GEDCOM into a CSV file and an Excel spreadsheet. Two downloads for one dollar!

There are some other great tools for you to check out too.

Originally published at https://dataminingdna.com on April 9, 2026.