Extract text from Family Tree Maker backups (FTMB)
To convert FTMB backups to another format, you need Family Tree Maker or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Genealogy Data Archive" file type, you need software like Family Tree Maker or a similar tool.
An .FTMB file is a proprietary backup archive generated by Family Tree Maker, a popular genealogy software currently developed by Software MacKiev. Functionally, this file is a compressed ZIP container that bundles your primary family tree database (FTM) along with a folder of linked media assets (photos, scans, and audio).
The main issue for users is that .FTMB files are not "working" documents; you cannot double-click them to instantly edit your tree. Instead, the software requires you to go through a specific "Restore" process to unpack the data back into a readable format. This proprietary lock-in poses a significant challenge if you no longer have a valid Family Tree Maker license or if you are trying to migrate to a web-based platform like Ancestry.
Because the file structure uses standard compression, a pragmatic workaround for retrieving lost photos is to rename the extension from .FTMB to ZIP and extract the contents manually. However, for preserving the actual genealogical data (names, dates, and relationships), the only reliable conversion path is to restore the file in the native software and export it as a GEDCOM (GED) file, which is the universal standard for family history data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FTMB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted FTM, FTW, GED, EXE and FBC files.
If you want to convert FTMB file to BAK, BACKUP, OLD, TMP, TEMP, ARC, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z, RAR or ISO, you can use Family Tree Maker or similar software from the "Family Tree Backup Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SNAPSHOT, OLD, IMG, RESTORE, ISO, COPY, VMDK, TMP, VHD, BAK, ARCHIVE or BACKUP files to FTMB, try Family Tree Maker or another comparable tool in the "Family Tree Backup Archive" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our FTMB converter.