What is color coding for family trees?
Color coding is a visual feature that displays each branch of your family tree in different colors, making it easier to navigate and understand relationships at a glance. Each direct ancestor branch gets assigned a specific color.
How does the color system work?
The color system follows a standard pattern:
Blue: Paternal grandfather's side
Green: Paternal grandmother's side
Red: Maternal grandfather's side
Yellow: Maternal grandmother's side
Purple: Your descendants
White: Neither direct ancestors nor descendants
Which views support color coding?
Color coding is available in:
Family view
Pedigree view
Fan view
Family Tree Timeline
How do I enable color coding?
Family view: A pop-up will appear once introducing the feature. Check the box to enable it, or click the palette icon at the bottom right to toggle it on/off later.
Enabling color coding for Family view in the pop-up
Checking the box closes the pop-up and refreshes the tree, which now appears with color coding.
AFTER: Family view with color coding
You can reopen the pop-up at any time to turn color coding off or on, or to view the legend, by clicking on the palette icon on the bottom right of the screen.
Palette icon to open the color coding pop-up
Pedigree view: Color coding is automatically enabled by default. Use the palette icon to turn it off if desired.
Color coding in Pedigree view
Enabling color coding for Pedigree view in the pop-up
Mobile web: Access through the Settings icon in the top right corner for Family view. Pedigree view shows color coding automatically and cannot be turned off on mobile.
Accessing tree settings from mobile web
Can I customize the colors?
No, the colors are automatic and cannot be customized. The system uses industry-standard color conventions for consistency.
What devices support color coding?
Color coding is for now available on:
Desktop browsers
Mobile web browsers
What's new about blood relative indicators?
When you click on any blood relative's profile, you'll see a two-drop icon below their name in the left panel, indicating they are your genetic relative.
How does color coding work with DNA Matches?
When viewing a DNA Match's family tree, color coding helps you understand relationships within their tree. The colors represent branches relative to the DNA Match, and you can see relationship diagrams showing exact connections.
Can I use color coding with Smart Matches?
Yes, color coding and blood relative indicators appear when viewing Smart Match family trees, but only if the site manager appears in their own tree. This helps you understand how matches relate to the tree owner.
Does color coding work in search results?
Yes, when viewing family trees found through historical record searches, you'll see color coding, blood relative indicators, and relationship diagrams relative to that tree's site manager.
Can I enable color coding for just one view?
Yes, color coding settings are separate for Family view and Pedigree view, allowing you to use it in both views, neither view, or just one view according to your preference.
Where can I find the relationship diagrams?
Relationship diagrams show the exact family connection path between two individuals in a tree. Click any underlined relationship text (marked with a dotted line) to view the diagram and see how people are related to each other or to your DNA Match.
Relationship diagram for a DNA Match
Conclusion
Color coding for family trees is designed to simplify your family history research by making relationships easier to understand at a glance. Whether you're exploring your own family tree or investigating DNA and Smart Matches, these visual enhancements help you quickly identify family branches and genetic connections. The feature works seamlessly across different views and devices, giving you the flexibility to customize your genealogy experience according to your preferences.
To learn more about the Color Coding feature, read our blog post: Introducing Color Coding for Family Trees on the MyHeritage