RootsMagic UK Technical Support

If you're having problems with RootsMagic, our FAQs below should help you.

We also recommend making sure you have the latest update installed, as this may solve any problems you are having.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Some users have recently encountered an issue when trying to download the program - if you are having problems, right-click on the button on the page and choose 'Save Link As'. This will then download the file. You may get a notification to say the file is unsafe - click 'Keep anyway' and this should continue the download.

You can download and install the PlaceDb.dat file from the RootsMagic website here:
https://rootsmagic.com/Download/RootsMagic-9/

RootsMagic 8/9 has a different file format and extension for database (.rmtree) and backup (.rmbackup) files. The RootsMagic 7 database (.rmgc) and backup (.rmgb) files cannot be opened inside RootsMagic 8/9. The RootsMagic 7 database (.rmgc) file needs to be imported into RootsMagic 8/9 by creating a new file. The new database will then have the correct (.rmtree) file extension.

1. Select the File page, then click Create a New RootsMagic file.
2. If you do not already have a file open, you can also select the Home page, then click New File.
3. Select what program to import data from - choose RootsMagic 1-7.
4. Select the file to import
5. Select the folder where you want to create the RootsMagic file
6. Enter a name for the RootsMagic file
7. Choose the options for the new RootsMagic file and click OK

Your main database in RootsMagic is an RMTREE file (e.g. SmithFamily.rmtree), and any backups you make are RMBACKUP files (e.g. SmithFamily.rmbackup).

You can open an RMTREE file in RootsMagic by going to File > Open a RootsMagic 8 file, however you can't open RMBACKUP files in the same way. This is because an RMBACKUP file is a compressed version of your database and is therefore smaller than your RMGC files. To open a RMBACKUP file, you need to go to File > Restore from Backup.

The RMBACKUP files are designed to be used when you need to revert to an earlier copy of your database after making a mistake, or if you need to restore your database after losing your original. Because of this, when you restore a backup file, it will overwrite your existing database - therefore we suggest only restoring a backup file if it's absolutely necessary, as when you restore the file you will lose any changes you've made since making that backup.

This can happen with computers with a Gaming GPU or are heavy into graphic, video and moving editing. The Scaling (GPU) issue can be resolved by following these steps:

1. Right click on the RootsMagic desktop shortcut
2. Select Properties > Compatibility tab
3. Click "Change high DPI settings" button
4. Check the box "Override high DPI scaling behaviour"
5. Change dropdown to System or System (Enhanced)
6. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect
7. Start RootsMagic 8

RootsMagic 9 has an extensive Wiki, with instructions and details on how to use the program. You can visit this here:
http://wiki.rootsmagic.com/wiki/RootsMagic_8:RootsMagic_8

RootsMagic 9 can be run off a flash drive. The RootsMagic To-Go utility program to install and move the database files is not currently in RootsMagic 8. Click on File, RootsMagic To-Go for the manual directions to install on a USB drive. The direct link for instructions are here:
http://wiki.rootsmagic.com/wiki/RootsMagic_8:RootsMagic_To-Go