5 easy steps to get the most out of a free Findmypast account

2-3 minute read

By The Findmypast Team | March 30, 2016

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You don't need to be a paying subscriber to benefit from Findmypast!

By registering for a free account (no credit card required), you'll be able to make leaps and bounds in your family history research.

With a free account, you can:

How to register for a free account

Registering for a free account couldn't be easier. Simply fill in some basic information and click the button at the bottom of the screen:

Step 1: Upload your family tree

Adding your family tree to Findmypast is totally free, and can instantly knock down brick walls for you - our hints feature will automatically scan our records for your ancestors, many of which are not available anywhere else online.

If you have a tree already stored on a website or computer program, you'll easily be able to import it to Findmypast. For a detailed guide on how to import your tree, click here.

Upload your tree

Step 2: View our free record sets

Did you know that Findmypast offers access to dozens of record sets for free? Here are some of the most useful:

Free US Records

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Step 3: Search all our records

Even if you're not a subscriber, you're still able to search all our records for free.

You won't be able to see the transcipts or images, but it's still useful to do if you're looking for a certain ancestor.

For instance, say you're looking for the marriage certificate of your ancestor, Thomas Jones. You know he was born in 1885 and was married in 1906 in Alabama. You can still search our records and view the results:

You can't always tell if someone in our records is your ancestor just from the search results, but sometimes you can. In this case, I can be pretty confident that the Thomas Jones I'm looking for is somewhere in these records.

It's always worth searching to see what comes up - you may be able to get a pretty good idea of whether or not a certain ancestors can be found in our records. And of course, if you want to look into the records, you can always sign up for a free trial and see for yourself.

Step 4: Get new records and genealogy tips delivered to your inbox

When you register, make sure to check the box that says "Send me an occasional newsletter with news about the site."

This allows you to receive our once-a-week newsletter, with tons of helpful trips and tricks that will make you a better researcher.

As mentioned above, you'll still be able to search these records even if you are not a subscriber.

Step 5: Pay attention for free weekends and special offers

If you're registered for a free account, you'll be the first to know about our awesome promotions. We routinely open up all of our records for free weekends or even weeks at a time.

Far too many of our fans find out about a free week too late and are unable to take advantage - don't be one of them! We'll also email you promotional offers and discounts - things like 1 month for $1, or discounts should you decide to subscribe for a yearly membership.

So what do you have to lose? It's free, it's quick and you'll be a better genealogist for it!