Creating a Free-to-view Image Link from Ancestry.com

+131 votes
5.9k views

I've been asked a number of times how to do this, so I am posting instructions here for easy reference.

If you have an Ancestry.com subscription, and you wish to add a link to a source image on a profile, you can create a link to the image that is free for all to view (with or without a subscription) by following the instructions below.

1. Open the image on Ancestry.com.

2. Click the "tools" icon on the image page.

3. Select "Share"

4. I usually select Facebook from the share menu but choose a platform where you have an account or choose email and send to yourself.

5. Close the sharing window and copy the link in the small window that remains.

6. Use the link as is or truncate it as described below.

To truncate the link:

Here is what the link you copied will look like:

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/16090426?h=4d8605&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

To truncate it and still retain a working link remove all of the bolded portion which will leave a link that looks like this:

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/16090426?h=4d8605

You can then add it to your Ancestry citation using this format [https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/16090426?h=4d8605 Free Ancestry Image] to produce this link:

Free Ancestry Image

These images are best viewed on a PC and your mileage may vary on a mobile device.

Hope it helps and happy sharing!

in WikiTree Help by Deb Durham G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
retagged by Ellen Smith
I use an IPad also and the process above works for me. However, I do not understand what you mean by “transfer document from Ancestry to…”

You can only use the links, not the document on WikiTree. So you copy and paste the link, then truncate it as explained above.

What is the issue you are having?
I’m not very good on computers so I might use the wrong wording sorry about that. Now that I know you actually go to the document I found out how to share it but I don’t know where to look for the link that you were talking about. Could you please help me with that. Thanks and advance for all the time you spent helping me tonight. Gail.  I also can’t cut and paste.  What can I say, I’m old lol
Do you have a specific Ancestry image link you want to save to a particular profile? I can walk you through it.

I am going to send you a private message regarding how to copy and paste on an iPad.
Once again thank you for all your help. I’m trying to send the link for birth, marriage and death certificates to my Ggreatgrandmother Ann Kerr nee Milroy from ancestry to her spot  wikitree. I think once I can do one or two document being sent properly I’ll be able to do the rest of the family. I have to send things back from 1952 to 1600. So I have an awful lot of documents to send through to prove I am related to these people. I hope that’s enough information so you’ll be able to help me do at least one. Again thank you for all your help you’ve been wonderful. Gail  

Ps no hurry.
Once again thank you for all your help. I’m trying to send the link for birth, marriage and death certificates to my Ggreatgrandmother Ann Kerr nee Milroy from ancestry to her spot  wikitree. I think once I can do one or two document being sent properly I’ll be able to do the rest of the family. I have to send things back from 1952 to 1600. So I have an awful lot of documents to send through to prove I am related to these people. I hope that’s enough information so you’ll be able to help me do at least one. Again thank you for all your help you’ve been wonderful. Gail  
I transferred over her tomb stone. I’m not sure if I did it right or not but at least it’s on her page so I guess maybe you can help me fix that if it is wrong.
Ps no hurry.
The option to share an image hasn't been available for me in the past few days. I'm wondering if anyone else is having the same experience?
I agree. I have spent the better part of a year reading entire volumes rather than just accepting the research of others. I want to do this right. I have discovered so many errors on Ancestry. Tress that have Parents only 10 yrs older than their children, confusion caused by similar names. In reading I learned that a grandparent of 4 Bryant orphaned children, changed their last name, "Because they were fatherless and I wanted them to have a better station in life." It is amazing what you find when you actually read the texts.
Share icon is located under the Tools Menu on Ancestry images you open when trying to build Ancestry sources to add to WikiTree.

At least that is where I just found it.
So this only works if you have an Ancestry.com subscription?
Anyone can view the shared link without a subscription but an Ancestry account is needed to create the shared link.  Wikitree Sourcer can create the link automagically; it previously worked with the Library version of Ancestry, but that seems to have gone away.

23 Answers

+7 votes
 
Best answer
Thank you very much for the instructions!
by Pamela Parker G2G6 Mach 3 (36.6k points)
selected by Stuart Bloom
+29 votes
Most useful thing I've read all week.  Thanks for sharing, I've copied this to my WT notepad.
by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)

You're welcome, RJ. Happy to be of service! blush

SJ Horace I guess wink

Oops. I'm old and my brain misfires. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! blush

+30 votes
This is awesome. Since I don't have a paid account, I can never see Ancestry sources. But if people start adding this, then that would make those sources accessible. Thank you! Merci! ¡Gracias! Hvala! Vielen dank!
by Greg Slade G2G6 Pilot (669k points)

Yes, it can be very useful. smiley

+27 votes
Thanks.  This is very helpful!
by Caryl Ruckert G2G6 Pilot (205k points)
You are most welcome!
+23 votes

This is awesome, thanks very much for sharing!

I tried your suggestion here for this profile: Dawley

I'm not sure if it worked, because I have an Ancestry subscription. I'll certainly use more of this in the future. 

by Alex Stronach G2G6 Pilot (363k points)

It worked. You can tell they are different than the images you open normally on Ancestry and they also have the little blurb next to them saying you "discovered" the record. Congrats on your first free link! laugh

Amazing, that worked for me too and I don't have a subscription. I will have to play with this when I do get access. Love it!
+15 votes

I'm a little unsure about this.  Ancestry themselves have confirmed that yes, you can create a 'sharing link' and put it up on a website, but that only one person will ever be able to look at it.  So, for example, say I created one of those 'sharing links' and put it up on roshaywood.com, then Person A looked at it, then nobody else would ever be able to view it.  It would be forever linked to Person A and their account (even if they did not have a subscription).

Colour me confused. indecision

by Ros Haywood G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
I'd be surprised if pretty much everyone who has stopped by this thread hasn't clicked to look at the link I used to demonstrate. If you can click on the link and see the share page, I'd say whoever told you that was mistaken.
I've posted these links in many threads where FamilySearch didn't have the record I needed to show a relationship someone asked about. I've never once had someone tell me the links didn't work.
Sorry, I also just realized it would be pretty pointless to allow you to post these links directly to Facebook and Twitter if only one person could look at them.
+19 votes
This is a very valuable bit of advice. Thanks, Deb!!!
by Ellen Smith G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
You're welcome!
+16 votes
Thank you, Deb, for posting these instructions. This has been a productive morning reading G2G! This is second really informative post I have bookmarked.
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)

You're welcome, Ginny! The things I've learned from G2G posts by other members have made my WikiTree time so much easier. I'm always glad when I can give a little something back. heart

+15 votes
Has something changed on Ancestry? I followed the directions and did not find a share option. I then checked in Help on Ancestry and the directions were the same, but still I do not find a share option.

I have an Ancestry account, so I do not think that is the problem.

Any ideas?
by Kristina Adams G2G6 Pilot (343k points)
I don't see a change. You must be on the image page (a census record image for example), then click the tools icon (a crossed hammer and wrench) on the right side (it's just above the zoom +/-). That will expand to show a Share option with a little arrow at the right. When you click it, you get options to share to different platforms.
I tried that yesterday, and just tried again and still cannot find a share button for the record I want ( an application for Sons of the American Revolution). I did find the Share option available for a city directory with all the options you mention.

I wonder what the Ancestry criteria are for Sharing.
Kristina, I think maybe SAR applications are an exception to sharing.  I have an Ancestry account, and although I can view SAR applications, when I tried to download them it would not allow the download nor would it allow me to share the image.
Well..I was able to Share and put the link to a census item on another profile. But I just went back to Ancestry and found a reference to my ʻproject guyʻ in the revolutionary war - a book reference, and that does not have a Share option either.

I will use the best work around I can think of!
No one mentioned that you had to be on the document page and I think that’s for people who are using iPads are having trouble with hitting the tool fine and not finding share. Thanks for explaining it a bit better. Gail
+16 votes
Thanks for the very useful tip! Does anyone know if it's possible to share links to sources like this from Ancestry Library Edition?
by Trevor Powell G2G1 (1.5k points)

I was just coming to ask the same thing - I'm sitting in the library right now and don't see that option in the toolbox, so I suspect it's one of the capabilities that's limited to paid. So I think I'm going to go with the "{{Ancestry Record|1234|5678}}" convention seen in the WikiTree help section. Word of warning there though, I think you need to be in the library to access the necessary URL for that format, because if you send to your email for later the URL seems to be different. 

I'd love to have someone prove me wrong on that though, and will let you know if I find a workaround in the meantime!

Edit: it looks like you might be able to do it with links you've emailed to yourself - the difference being that instead of looking for "dbid", look for "collectionId", and instead of "h", look for "recordId". I hope this helps!

+15 votes

Thanks for posting this Deb!  This is very helpful indeed - and works like a charm.   HOWEVER ... I've been recently struck by the "pop-up blocker" bug with Ancestry links while using Chrome.  I'm wondering if you know a way around that?

I have found that if I use the Ancestry templates, as described on this help page:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Links_to_Ancestry  that I can put links to Ancestry trees, images, media, and they do NOT get blocked by the pop-up blocker.  I'm wondering if there is an Ancestry template available for Sharing as well ?

(For those unaware of the issue:  If you have a pop-up blocker running, in Chrome, and reportedly other browsers, then when viewing a profile, ancestry links are "blocked" and thus not visible or clickable.  If you're in edit mode, and even using the Preview button while editing a profile, everything looks great - but - once you switch to Profile view (public or private) - the links disappear.  Really freaks you out when it first happens!  I was hoping this Sharing format would circumvent that ... but alas ... no)

Thanks again Deb!

 - Greg

:-)

by Greg Clarke G2G6 Pilot (109k points)
+13 votes

Like Greg, I was having issues making the link visible in profile mode (showed in preview). All the previous Ancestry image links using the {{Ancestry Image|1234|5678}} style of construction also had stopped showing in profiles I had created.

I found that the problem was my Ad Blocker (Adblock Plus is the one I'm using). When I set it to be turned off on Wikitree pages, the links all showed beautifully!

by Jo Fitz-Henry G2G6 Pilot (169k points)
edited by Jo Fitz-Henry
I'd much rather people put a full citation for the source they have found at Ancestry, that way I can find the source myself, even if I can't see it on Ancestry.com. A bunch of numbers is not a source citation and shouldn't count for one.
Amen to that Gillian, I totally agree with you.
+15 votes

Deb, I've been using the dickens out of this method since you posted it about 8 months ago.  Most of the profiles I've created since have a link to the shared image in the source.

While tweeking this process, I've come to (what I think) is an improvment.  When you get the share link you're taken to a page that has the document as a sub-window and an Ancestry.com description of the document and who found it.  But I have found that when you click on the document to get a full size view, the zoom and move around the page feature is lacking; I find that the scroll and scan movements of the mouse ont the document are counterintuitive.  I'd prefer just a static document to look at.

So when I get the share page, like the one you posted here: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/16090426?h=4d8605

I then click on the image and when it zooms in, I then right cick and "copy image address."  It is this image address that I share because it leads to a page that has only the image that can be zommed to much larger size and doesn't jump around the page when you zoom in or out.

Compare the above link to this:

https://mediasvc.ancestry.com/image/4114545_00592.jpg?Token=AQAdYRgAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXq2ZjBut1giAACIDsh0AAA0ANAAxADEANAA1ADQANQBfADAAMAA1ADkAMgA=7342ac1bd5954309f6a3600bc4bb4611&NamespaceId=7602&Client=Share

And, from this link, you can direct share documents directly to G2G:

I hope that this is useful to others; I'll likely create a new post for it on G2G.

by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
deep linking that that is usually bad, because of link rot (sometimes they'll change the actual deep link)

If no one linked because of fear of "link rot," there wouldn't be much to look at on the internet. indecision

In my case, I often upload the document to the profile or a space page and in the source have a link to the actual document location, the shared image, and the local (WikiTree) file image.

I’ve adopted some profiles, one of them was made in 2011. They have links that still work. So that’s a good thing, they last :)
+12 votes

From a techo-incompetent, I have just tried this, and hallelujah, it worked for me, I am so happy now smileysmileysmiley, a million thank yous for this heartheart xxx

by Karen Butler G2G6 Pilot (157k points)

That is awesome  it worked! Can someone who doesn’t have a sub click on this to see if it still works?

https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011l4xx5/adref:deep/type:cpc/destination:https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/19770202?h=33df38&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts

It did indeed, I am a very happy bunny smiley xxx

+8 votes

I just tried this with my german account on Ancestry.de and it seems to work just the same:

Baptism Record of Michael Walker

What's even better, it seems like I can change the domains "de" and "com" interchangeably in the links. Both links below seem to display the same image:

https://www.ancestry.de/sharing/24040353?h=2c9f7a

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/24040353?h=2c9f7a

Thank you so much Deb, this is amazing!

by Markus Brenner G2G4 (4.7k points)

Just for information, there is also now a template that you can use in the profile instead of the web link if you want - see https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Links_to_Ancestry#Sharing_Link. So for your example you would enter {{Ancestry Sharing|24040353|2c9f7a}} and it will display on the profile as "Ancestry Sharing Link".

+8 votes
I was trying to follow this to create a free view but there is no longer a "share" option on the tools drop-down on Ancestry. What do I do now?
by Thressa Paplanus G2G5 (5.1k points)
There is still a Share access on the Toolbox icon on a sample Ancestry image I just looked at. (The Toolbox icon in question is a little grey-on-black picture of a hammer and spanner crossing each other, in a vertical column of icons at the right of the main image.)

Are you using your own Ancestry subscription, or the free version available in libraries? I think people have said before that image sharing is not available in the library version.
I am using my own subscription.
I posted a while back about the same problem.  I have been using the library edition of ancestry at home during the pandemic, and successfully generated quite a few free-to-view image links using Deb's procedure, along with Greg Clarke's Ancestry Citation Builder app.  And then the 'Share' link on the Tools menu suddenly disappeared, and I could find no solution or workaround.  And then somebody posted an unrelated link in G2G that allows Pennsylvania residents to access certain data bases of the PA State Archives on ancestry for free.  I tried that, and was able to access some records, and wah-lah, the sharing link was back when I was not logged in via the library account.

That whole scenario makes me wonder if ancestry has some sort of a throttle on the use of the sharing feature, and if an account holder generates too many free-to-view links in a given period of time, he is cut off from further use.  That's purely a guess, and I have no additional data to support it, and no clue if it's a reasonable explanation.  I would think, though, at the price of their subscriptions it's pretty shabby if they are giving that treatment to a paid subscriber.

Edited to add:  I was too quick on the trigger.  Also intended to suggest, Thressa, why don't you report the problem to ancestry tech support and see what they tell you?  If you get an answer, I'd love to know!
+7 votes
I think that Ancestry has slightly changed how you share the image link now so the instruction needs updating.
by Hilary Gadsby G2G6 Pilot (313k points)
I just noticed that. I have used this trick a lot in the past. I'm trying to use it right now and haven't figured it out yet. But the "share" option has disappeared. Does anyone know the new method?
I think I figured it out. You need to go into the "record" to be able to share it as opposed to the "image". The record still shows an option to share. The image doesn't. Hope that makes sense.
As Hilary indicated, it appears that for Ancestry images, the Sharing option has moved. It's been separated out from the Tools menu and is its own icon now (box with arrow coming out of it) below the Tools icon. Clicking on that Sharing icon allows you to share images via Email, Facebook, and Twitter.
I cannot see that option, it appears they have taken the Sharing Option off totally.

Hi Robyn,

Can you share a link to the Ancestry image for which you are unable to find the sharing options? The sharing options are still available on the Ancestry images that I've recently viewed. See my comment just above yours for the current location of the sharing options. The icon looks similar to this.

+6 votes
Deb, is there a way to get this to work for Ancestry.co.uk as well? I don't see the option on there to share. Maybe I should consider changing my account? Not sure what the differences are between them, but it seems with .com you can also use the sourcing app. and I'd love to be able to use the images as well.
by Monica Edmunds G2G6 Mach 3 (38.2k points)
It should work fine from the UK domain (I use that), the sharing icon is now a little box with an arrow, and they seem to have removed the facebook option from it.

It's also worth noting that when you have the sharing link, currently the zoom feature isn't working. Some of us have contacted Ancestry about it but have yet to hear if there's going to be a fix for it.

Gill, From Ancestry:

Thank you for contacting Ancestry regarding sharing records with others. We regret any frustration this issue may have caused you.

Our development team is currently working to resolve this problem. Unfortunately, we do not have an exact time frame for resolution.

Thanks!  I haven't heard a thing from them.
Thanks, Gill, I have it working now. I hope they do fix the zoom feature as it is too small to read, but it's still nice to have it. :)
+3 votes

Has Ancestry changed how this "sharing" works? I just tried to share an image here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reiland-207

and it does not actually show the image like I am used to seeing in other instances I have tried this.

Here is actually sharing link: Peter Reiland in Saarland, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1776-1875

by Lincoln Lowery G2G6 Mach 6 (66.8k points)

That's odd.  I just tried it and got a working image from the link:  https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/26862748?h=e9253b.  Hopefully just a temporary glitch.

I can see the shared image from your link, but I tried again through my account, no go. Now will delete cookies and see if that fixes it for me. Nope, it still won't show the image for me when I "share" it. Thank you Kerry for responding.

Very strange.  I tried a couple of more times without difficulty.  For anyone else wishing to verify, the indexed record is https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/205445:61110.

Have you tried sharing a different indexed record to see if it's specific to this record?  If it's happening on every record, you'll probably need to contact Ancestry support.

Thank you Kerry for the suggestion. I tried another record, and with that I also cannot see the  image I shared.

Hi, Lincoln. I just added a third link to Reiland-207 as a test and did so in the same manner as you did the first two. The only difference is that I always strip off from the URL the &utm_campaign and everything following it. But that's not the problem.

I tested the sharing options for email, Facebook, and Twitter and all gave me an identical URL, so that isn't the issue, either.

As the full-form URL, the one I generated was: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/26867291?h=cd8d89&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url.

In structure, that's identical to the last one you generated: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/26865606?h=0989ce&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url (which is structurally the same as the first one you posted).

But mine seems to display the image normally, while yours shows the source of the image as text on the right of the display, but shows only the default Ancestry image placeholder, not the page of the document.

Given that you've already tried again using a different record, I'm not able to offer anything new here. But I wanted to test it. As Kerry said, I think it may be something odd with your account and might require contacting Ancestry directly.

Thank you Edison for your post and your help. I have never contacted Ancestry, and have heard in the past their customer service is not very helpful. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet ;)
+5 votes
Thank you.  So helpful!  I saved this as a bookmark and am also hoping that by replying, it'll help me find this again.
by A Brasher G2G Crew (350 points)

You can also select it as a g2g favourite.  At the top of the page, right next to the main post is a light-grey plus-sign.  If you click that once, it will add it to your g2g favourites.  (If you click it again, it will de-select it.)

You can then find your marked favourites here — https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/favorites (which I find as a link at the bottom of my g2g feed (https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/following)).

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