AncestryDesk migration guide
How to validate a GEDCOM file before import
A GEDCOM that opens is not necessarily ready to migrate. Broken references, ambiguous duplicates and provider-only fields can survive export and fail differently in the destination service.
1. Preserve the original export
Keep the source GEDCOM unchanged and record where it came from. All review and repair work should produce a separate copy.
2. Resolve relationship targets
Confirm that every HUSB, WIFE, CHIL, FAMC and FAMS value points to an individual or family record that actually exists.
3. Review people and dates
Inspect duplicate candidates and chronology warnings in context. Never merge people or rewrite uncertain dates based only on a heuristic.
4. Export a documented copy
Apply only reviewed copy-safe changes and keep the audit report, change log and checksums beside the repaired GEDCOM.