How to Delete My Information From a Family Tree Now
Remove your name, dates and relatives from genealogy and family tree sites with a direct opt-out request. Step-by-step instructions you can follow today.
To delete your information from a family tree site, find the page that lists you, locate the site's privacy or opt-out option, and submit a removal request with the exact URL of your profile. Most genealogy and family tree sites process these within a few weeks. Below is how to do it on the main services and what to do when there is no visible opt-out.
Before you start, be clear about what can and cannot be removed. A family tree page about a living person, built from aggregated data, is usually removable. Records drawn from public sources are not. Birth, marriage and death indexes, census records, voter rolls and obituaries are public by law or by the publisher's choice. You can often hide a living person from public view, but you cannot erase historical public records.
Find where you appear first
Family tree data shows up in two different places, and they need different requests.
- Genealogy platforms such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch and Findmypast host trees that other users build. Your details may sit inside a stranger's tree.
- People search sites such as those that advertise "family tree" or "relatives" sections pull names and link them as relatives. These are data brokers, not genealogy services.
Search your full name in quotes, then add a relative's name or your town. Open each result and note the exact URL. You will need that URL for the removal request.
Remove yourself from a living person's profile
Most genealogy platforms treat living people differently from deceased ancestors. Living individuals are often hidden from public view by default, but mistakes happen when someone marks a living person as deceased, or enters your details directly.
- Open the profile that shows your information and copy the full page URL.
- Look for a privacy, help or contact link, usually in the site footer or in a support menu.
- Search the site's help centre for "living person" or "remove my information". Most large platforms have a dedicated request form for this.
- Complete the request. Give your full name, the profile URL, and a short statement that you are a living person and want your information removed or hidden from public view.
- Submit and keep a copy of any confirmation reference.
If the profile was created by another member, the platform may contact that member or hide the details on your behalf. You do not need an account to make most of these requests.
Contact the tree owner directly
On collaborative sites, the fastest route is often the person who built the tree. Many platforms let you message a tree owner without sharing your contact details.
- Open the tree and find the owner or manager name.
- Use the site's internal message tool to ask them to remove or privatise your entry.
- Be brief and polite. Say which person you are in the tree and ask them to mark you as a living person or delete the entry.
If the owner does not respond within a reasonable time, fall back to the platform's own removal form.
Remove yourself from people search sites with family sections
Sites that list "possible relatives" are data brokers. They assemble your profile from public records and purchased data. Each one has its own opt-out.
- Find your listing and copy its URL.
- Scroll to the footer and look for "Do Not Sell My Personal Information", "Privacy", or "Opt Out".
- Follow the opt-out flow. You will usually paste your profile URL and confirm you are the person listed.
- If the site asks for an email, use one you check. Many send a confirmation link that must be clicked for the request to take effect.
- Record the date and any reference number.
Removing yourself from one of these sites does not remove the relative links held elsewhere. You have to repeat the process on each broker that lists you.
If there is no opt-out form
Some sites bury removal behind a privacy policy rather than a public form. If you live in California, you can rely on the CCPA, which gives you the right to request deletion of your personal information. Other regions have similar rights.
- Open the site's privacy policy and find the section on your rights or deletion requests.
- Note the method they specify, usually an email address or a web form.
- Send a clear deletion request. State your full name, the URL of the page listing you, and that you are exercising your right to deletion of personal information.
- Ask them to confirm in writing once the information is removed.
Deceased relatives and public records
You cannot delete a deceased ancestor's record from indexes built on public sources. Census entries, historical registers and probate records are public. What you can sometimes do is ask a platform to remove a photo, document or note that you uploaded yourself, or that infringes your copyright or privacy. That is a separate request from a general opt-out and is handled case by case.
An important limit
Removal is not permanent on data broker sites. These companies rebuild their records from upstream feeds, public filings and purchased lists. A profile you remove today often reappears within a few months when the broker refreshes its data. Genealogy platforms are more stable, because the data sits in a user's tree rather than an automated feed, but a living person's details can still be re-added by another member.
Plan to repeat the search every few months. Keep a simple list of the sites you have contacted and the dates, so you can tell what is new.
Doing this at scale
Working through each genealogy platform and each people search broker by hand is slow, and the same information often sits on dozens of sites. Vanish is a Mac app that finds where brokers publish your details and sends CCPA deletion demands for you, then checks again as listings return. It automates the repetitive part of the work described above. The manual steps here still work on their own if you prefer to handle it yourself.
Summary
Copy the exact URL of any page that lists you, use the site's own privacy or opt-out tool, and contact tree owners directly where you can. Use your legal deletion rights when no form exists. Accept that public records stay public and that broker listings tend to return, then recheck on a regular schedule.
Common questions
Can I remove a living relative's details from a family tree?
You can request removal of your own information. For another living person, you would usually need their consent or a legal basis. Most platforms will act on a request made by the person whose details are listed, so ask them to submit it directly where possible.
Will my information stay off the site permanently?
On data broker sites, no. They rebuild records from public filings and purchased feeds, so listings often reappear within a few months. Genealogy trees are more stable, but a member can re-add a living person. Recheck every few months.
Can I delete census or historical records about my family?
No. Census entries, historical registers, probate and other public records cannot be deleted. You can sometimes remove content you uploaded yourself, or hide a living person from public view, but the underlying public records remain.
What if a family tree site has no opt-out form?
Read its privacy policy for the stated method to request deletion, usually an email or web form. If you are in California, cite your right to deletion under the CCPA, include the URL of the page listing you, and ask for written confirmation.
Do I need an account to request removal?
Usually not. Most platforms offer removal and privacy request forms that do not require you to register. You will typically need to provide the profile URL and confirm your identity as the person listed.
Doing this for all 54 brokers by hand?
Vanish finds every listing about a person, sends the deletion demands from their own email, then re-checks later and tells you which ones actually came down. The scan is free — you only pay if there is something worth removing.