Pick the install door that matches the computer in front of you. This family tree guide maps Windows AIO first, then macOS brew or dmg, then Linux snap or apt.
Windows PCs
Download GrampsAIO-*-win64.exe from GitHub Releases and run it. No winget id was verified. After install, open Gramps and create a Family Tree. Guide: Windows.
Macs
If Homebrew is available, run brew install --cask gramps. Otherwise download the Arm or Intel dmg that matches your CPU. Guide: macOS.
Linux desktops
Prefer sudo snap install gramps. Debian-family systems can use sudo apt install gramps. Guide: Linux.
Shared labs
If policy blocks unknown executables, ask an admin instead of grabbing a mirror binary. Portable experiments still need a machine you control for a clean family tree proof.
First proof
Create one Family Tree, add a Home Person, save, and exit. That proof beats importing a 10,000-person GEDCOM on day one. Next: first hour.
Disk and backups
Choose a folder you can back up. Export GEDCOM or Gramps XML before risky merges. Media files often live beside the database and need the same backup plan.
Offline vs research
Gramps keeps the pedigree offline. Online record searching stays in a browser when you want it. Do not expect paid hints to ship inside the AIO.
Why exact filenames matter
Search results for a family tree install are crowded with renamed wrappers. Matching the upstream asset on GitHub Releases, or a verified brew or snap package, is the difference between a clean Family Tree and a second cleanup afternoon. Prefer stable tags over betas when your research PC needs predictability.
Write down which door this computer used. The next volunteer who opens the archive should not have to guess whether the machine used an AIO, a dmg, Homebrew, or snap. That note belongs beside your GEDCOM backups.
Local database habits
A family tree only helps when the database path is intentional. Create trees on disks you back up. Export GEDCOM or Gramps XML before risky imports. Keep media folders in the same backup set. Living-person details deserve the same care you would give any other personal archive.
Charts and reports can wait until a handful of people exist. Graphviz helps some graph outputs on Linux and other systems; install it when a report asks. Geography views and maps are optional power features, not first-hour requirements.
Parallel research without cloud lock-in
Many researchers keep a local family tree as the system of record while browsing online genealogy sites for clues. That hybrid approach works when you export carefully and avoid deleting the only copy of either side too early. GEDCOM remains the bridge when you need to move.
If a society already standardized on a commercial suite, evaluate migration cost before you switch for branding alone. Gramps wins when GPL-2.0 and offline disks matter. Online SaaS wins when you cannot install software or you need hosted hints every day.
Update discipline
Return to the same door forever. Windows users take the next AIO from Releases. Homebrew users upgrade the cask. Snap users refresh. apt users follow distro tools. Do not stack three mirrors “just in case.” One honest door prevents dual launches and confusion after a reimage.
When a newer stable tag appears, read the release notes, back up Family Trees, then upgrade. Beta tags are for testers. This family tree guide defaults to stable assets so classrooms and societies can reproduce installs.
Where to go next
Home install panel: family tree install. Windows deep dive: Windows. Safety: is it safe. First hour: installed. Guides hub: guides.
Corrections to filenames or package ids belong on the contact page with a source URL. Software bugs belong on the upstream GitHub issues list for gramps-project/gramps in a new tab.