Skip to main content

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.

macOS-01.png

These steps include the following:

  • Installation of Java 15 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 MacOS Big Sur:

  • From this MacOS version, it might be necessary to specify the path to the java version in the ancestris configuration file (see the corresponding section in this documentation)
  • For security reasons, it might be necessary to store Gedcom files in another folder than the 'Documents' folder

 

Installation of Java

1. From the MacOS desktop...

macOS-02.png

 
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.

macOS-03.png

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

macOS-04.png

 
4. Go down to the "macOS Installer" line and click on the ".dmg' file
macOS-05.png

 

5. Click on the green download button.
macOS-06.png

 

6. Downloading starts... Wait.
macOS-07.png

 

7. Downloading is completed. Open the Downloads folder to check out the file.
macOS-08.png

 

8. Double click on the JDK package.

macOS-09.png

 

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

macOS-10.png

 

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

macOS-11.png

 

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

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

macOS-12.png

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

macOS-13.png

 

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

macOS-14.png

 

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

macOS-15.png

 

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

macOS-16.png

 

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

macOS-17.png

 

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

macOS-18.png

 

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

macOS-19.png

 

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

macOS-20.png

 

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

macOS-21.png

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

macOS-22.png

 

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

macOS-23.png

 

 

Confirmation of the security check

23. Ancestris starts but MacOS tells you it comes from an unverified developer. Not a problem. Ancestris is open source and does not have any malware. Let's authorize it.

macOS-24.png

 

24. For that, go to the System Preferences

macOS-25.png

 

25. Click on "Secutiry & Privacy"

macOS-26.png

 

26. Click on "Open anyway"

macOS-27.png

 

27. If it is the first time you do this, confirm with your password.

macOS-28.png

 

28. Yes, you are sure. Click "Open".

macOS-29.png

 

29. Finally, Ancestris starts.

macOS-30.png

 

30. You can see the Welcome window.

macOS-31.png

 

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

macOS-32.png

 

Keep in dock

32. Let's fixkeep the application toin the Dock by clicking on the Ancestris icon in the dock panel.

macOS-33.png

 

33. Choose "Option" and "Keep in Dock".

macOS-34.png

 

34. This is it. Ancestris is intalledinstalled and in the Dock. Yessss !

macOS-35.png