Family Historian runs on the following operating systems only: Windows 11 and 10

If you have a subscription (annual or monthly) to Family Historian, you will not have or need an activation code. If you have any other kind of licence, an activation code will have been emailed to you. You will need this activation code when you first run the program (unless you are reinstalling).

Step 1 – Download and Install

Click the button above to download the installation program. If your browser asks if you want to run or save the download file (“install_fh8….exe”), click ‘Run’. If Run is not available select Save, wait for it to download, and then double click the file to start the installation. When installation is complete, run the program.

Step 2 – Login

The first time you run the program after installation you will need to login to a Family Historian account. Your computer will need to be connected to the Internet.

If you purchased a subscription (annual or monthly) you must login with the account your used for your purchase. Your licence is already attached to that account.

If you have previously installed Family Historian 8 and wish to reinstall it, you must login with the same account that you used previously. This is the account that your licence is attached to.

If you have any kind of licence other than a subscription, and you have never previously installed version 8, you should have an activation code which will have been emailed to you. Before you can use your activation code, you will need to login to a Family Historian account. If you previously owned version 7 (see note for version 7 users below), or if you have ever purchased anything from the Family Historian Store, you should already have an account and we recommend that you use that one. If you don’t already have an account, or have forgotten your account details, click the link on the login page to create one. Make a careful note of the account details you use. You will need to login to the same account whenever you reinstall the software.

Once you have created your account or logged in, if your account is not already licensed to use the software, you will be prompted to enter your activation code. If the code was emailed to you, you are recommended to copy-and-paste it from the email to reduce the risk of typing errors. Press Ctrl-C to copy and Ctrl-V to paste.

Note for Version 7 Users

If you can’t remember your account name, open version 7 and click on the ‘About Family Historian’ on the Help menu. Your account details will be displayed there. If you have forgotten your password, when you are prompted to login (see above) there will be a link you can click on to reset it.

Version 8 installs alongside version 7.