Get the Offline Version

First, where your data actually lives. When you use My Fan Chart — whether from the website or the offline file — everything you type is stored in a small database built into the web browser you're using, right on your own computer. It is never sent to a server or the internet. The website only delivers the program; it never sees or keeps your family information. So your data is private either way.

Important quirk: that database belongs to the specific browser you used. If you enter people in Chrome, they won't appear if you later open the program in Edge or Firefox — each browser keeps its own separate database. The same is true between two different computers. The way to move your work anywhere is the backup file described below.

The offline version is the exact same program — it just runs from a file on your own computer instead of the website. As explained above, your family data always stays in your browser's database on your own device, never on a server. The offline copy adds two things — it works with no internet, and it can't be affected if the website ever changes. This page walks you through it in five short steps.

Already entered people into your browser's database (from using the website)? Do Step 1 first so you can carry them over.

If you've been using My Fan Chart in your browser and added any people, save a copy of your work first — this pulls it out of that browser's database and into a file you can keep and move anywhere:

• In My Fan Chart, click the Save / Load tab.
• Click Download backup.
• A file ending in .json will be saved to your computer (usually your Downloads folder). That file is your family data — keep track of where it went.

If you haven't entered anything yet, skip this step.

Click the button below. Your browser will download a single file named my-fan-chart.html.

⬇ Download My Fan Chart (offline copy)

If your browser warns that this type of file could be harmful, choose Keep. It's a plain web page — completely safe, but also scan it with Anti-Virus software to be sure. It looks unusual to the browser because it's a program you run yourself.

Move (or save) my-fan-chart.html to a folder you'll remember. Any of these work well:

• Documents — a tidy long-term home; good if you want to keep it for years.
• Desktop — easiest to find; the file sits right in front of you.
• Downloads — fine to leave it here, but this folder gets cluttered, so you might misplace it.
• Or any folder of your choice — maybe a "Family History" folder you make just for this.

Tip: you might make a folder called Family History and keep both the program and your .json backups together in it.

Just double-click my-fan-chart.html. It opens in your web browser and runs exactly like the website — but now it's all on your computer, no internet needed.

• To make it easy to reopen later, you can right-click the file and create a shortcut on your Desktop.
• It will remember your data in that browser between sessions automatically.

On some computers a plain double-click opens the page's code instead of running it. If that happens, right-click the file, choose Open with, and pick your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari).

If you saved a backup in Step 1, bring it into your new offline copy:

• In the offline program, click the Save / Load tab.
• Click Restore from backup.
• Choose the .json file you downloaded in Step 1.
• Everyone you entered online is now in your offline copy.

From now on, get in the habit of clicking Download backup at the end of each session. That backup file is your safety net — it's how you protect your work and move it between computers.

That's it

You now have your own copy that runs anywhere, anytime. Build your family tree how you think it is — you can always perfect the details later. When you're ready for the bigger tools, the Save / Load tab can also export a GEDCOM file for FamilySearch, RootsMagic, and others.