How to Create a Family Tree in Excel for Mac

Edited 3 days ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Microsoft OfficeExcel for MacFamily treeGenealogyAppleMacBookTemplatesOffice productivityCustomizationPersonal projectsVisual toolsDIY tools

Creating a family tree can be a rewarding task, helping you visualize your ancestry and understand family relationships across different generations. Microsoft Excel for Mac provides a flexible platform for designing your family tree. By taking advantage of the drawing tools and hierarchy options, you can create a custom family tree that is both informative and visually appealing. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a family tree in Excel for Mac.

This guide is for complete beginners, so even those who have not used Excel extensively can follow it. We will cover each step in detail to ensure clarity. The goal is to organize your family information using Excel and create an easily navigable representation of your genealogy.

1. Understanding the basics

Before we start creating your family tree, it is essential to understand some basic features of Excel for Mac that will help us in the process.

• Cells: An Excel sheet is made up of boxes called cells. You can enter information in cells and use them to organize text, numbers, and formulas.
• Charts and shapes: You can insert various shapes and charts into an Excel workbook, which are useful for creating visual representations such as a family tree.
• Text box: Text boxes allow you to insert text anywhere on the sheet without being limited by cells.
• SmartArt Graphics: SmartArt is a set of visual elements available in Excel that includes hierarchy diagrams, which we can use to layout a simple family tree.

2. Setting up your Excel worksheet

Start by opening Excel and creating a new workbook. Here are the initial steps:

• Open Excel: Launch Microsoft Excel on your Mac.
• Create a new workbook: Go to File > New Workbook to start with a clean slate.
• Sheet layout: Decide the size of your family tree. Consider the generations you want to include. You can always add more rows or columns later.

3. Using SmartArt for a simple family tree

SmartArt provides an easy way to create a hierarchical diagram. Follow these steps to create a family tree using SmartArt:

1. Insert SmartArt: Go to the menu bar and choose Insert then SmartArt.
2. Choose a hierarchy layout: In the SmartArt Graphics dialog, choose from the hierarchy options. An organization chart is a good starting point for a family tree.
3. Modify the chart: Click the text areas to enter the names of family members and add additional shapes. You can do this by selecting the shape and using the SmartArt Design toolbar.
4. Adjust the size of the shape: To make sure all the names fit, you may need to resize the shapes by clicking and dragging their borders.

4. Customizing your family tree

SmartArt provides a basis for your family tree, but you can further customize it to suit your needs. Here are some suggestions for customization:

• Change colors: Use the Change Colors option in the SmartArt Design tab to adjust color schemes to differentiate between generations or families.
• Text formatting: Format the text in each shape for consistency. Right-click the text, and choose Font to change the font style, size, or color.
• Adding pictures: To make your tree more attractive, you can add pictures to the cells. Right-click a shape and choose Add Picture.

5. Adding more expert details and features

Consider adding the following details to make your family tree more informative:

• Birth and death information: Include dates of birth and death along with names to provide historical context.
• Notes or comments: Use the Insert > Comment option to add additional comments or stories about family members.

6. Expand your family tree

If you have a large family, you may soon outgrow the size of your initial tree. Here's how you can expand your family tree:

• Add more shapes: Select an existing shape, then use SmartArt Design > Add Shape to add new family members.
• Reorder layout: Adjust the layout to rearrange boxes to fit more members or different relationships.

7. Manual method using shapes

Those who want more flexibility can create a family tree manually using basic shapes:

1. Insert a rectangle: Instead of using SmartArt, you can insert a rectangle to represent family members. Go to Insert > Shapes > Rectangle.
2. Add shapes: Use lines or arrows from Insert > Shapes to show relationships.
3. Group shapes: Once you've arranged the family boxes, select them all, right-click, and choose Group to ensure they stay in the desired layout.

8. Saving and sharing your family tree

Once you've completed your family tree, you'll want to save it and possibly share it with others:

• Save the file: Go to File > Save As, and choose a location and file name to save your document.
• Export as PDF: For easy sharing, export your workbook to PDF via File > Export > PDF.
• Email or print: You can email the saved document or print it for a hard-copy version.

Conclusion

Creating a family tree in Excel for Mac is not only a great way to learn about your family history, but it also provides a practical application for taking advantage of Excel's capabilities beyond the basics of number crunching and data handling. Using SmartArt and manual shaping tools, you can create a detailed, personalized family tree that accurately reflects family relationships in a visually appealing way. Whether you're tracing back a few generations or creating a detailed pedigree chart, Excel gives you the resources to create something meaningful.

  Share This Article

If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can request an update