Step-by-step installation on MacOS

This page documents a detailed step-by-step installation of Ancestris on a MacOS system.

We will show an example that occurred on January 2021, of the installation of Ancestris version 11 on MacOS Catalina.

Since then, both the stable and daily versions of Ancestris can now be installed by just downloading and clicking on the MacOS package. Therefore all the details below are only useful in case you need to install a ZIP package rather than a MacOS package.

These steps include the following:

• Installation of Java which was not already installed on Catalina
• Download of Ancestris version 11 from the secure Ancestris web site
• Confirmation of the security check to allow Ancestris to run even though it comes from an unidentified developer
• Launch of Ancestris
• Creation of a Dock icon of Ancestris

Please note that the screenshots shown here might look different from those of the current Ancestris web site or the current Ancestris software version.

Special note for users of MacOS Big Sur: please follow the steps below and then, please do read this specific section at the bottom of this page.

Installation of Java

1. From the MacOS desktop...

2. Open a terminal and type "java -version"

If Java is not installed, a popup window will suggest to install it. Click "More Info...".

If java is installed, you can directly go to screen 11.

3. You are on the Java web site. Click on "JDK Download"

We can see from the web site that Java 15 was suggested. Let us install that version even though we recommend to use version 8 or 11 which are long terme versions (see required configuration).

4. Go down to the "macOS Installer" line and click on the ".dmg' file

5. Click on the green download button.

6. Downloading starts... Wait.

7. Downloading is completed. Open the Downloads folder to check out the file.

8. Double click on the JDK package.

9. The JDK installer starts. Just follow the steps.

10. The installation should be successful. Close the window.

11. Then type again "java -version" in the terminal.

The following result should appear, indicating Java 15 is installed in our example.

Your are now done with the Java installation. Let's install Ancestris now.

Installation of Ancestris

12. Go to the https://www.ancestris.org web site

13. In the menu, click on DOWNLOAD. This will scroll down to the download section.

14. Click on the Ancestris 11 button of the MacOS panel.

15. Allow downloads from the Ancestris web site if this is the first time you do it.

16. Downloading starts. It will take a couple of minutes.

17. Wait a bit more ... we said a couple of minutes !

18. Once complete, move the file to your genealogy folder.

If you have downloaded the stable version of Ancestris, just click on the Ancestris package and it will install itself in the /Applications folder. Then skip to step 29.

Steps 19 to 28 are for the daily version of Ancestris only, which does not included in a package.

19. It is better to place your Ancestris application in a separate folder from your genealogy files.

• You may for instance place Ancestris in a Documents/Genealogy folder.
• And you may place later your genealogy data in a folder such as {Home}/Public/Genealogy Files/

Do not place your genealogy files in the Documents, Desktop or Downloads folders, or underneath them. MacOS will not let you see them from Ancestris as a security check for non-signed application like Ancestris.

20. To make sure it is the version you expect, click on "Quick Look "Ancestris" from the context menu.

21. The application panel should tell you about the file version and date.

22. Click 'Open ancestris' or go back top your Genealogy folder and click on the icon to launch Ancestris.

29. Ancestris starts.

30. You can see the Welcome window.

31. Please note that from the application Menu, you can access the Preferences and the "About Ancestris" panel.