Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started is easy:

1. Go to the Web App
2. Click anywhere on the canvas to add your first person
3. Fill in their details (name, gender, birth date, etc.)
4. Add more people by clicking on empty areas
5. Select two people, right-click, and choose a relationship type

New users will see an interactive tutorial that guides you through building your first family diagram.

No! You can use all free features without an account. Your work is saved locally in your browser.

Creating a free account lets you:

• Upgrade to Professional for cloud sync and exports
• Apply for the free Student Professional program
• Start a 7-day free trial of Professional

Note: Cloud sync requires a Professional subscription.

WebGeno supports standard keyboard shortcuts:

Space	Toggle controls reference
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Y	Redo
Ctrl + C	Copy selected person
Ctrl + V	Paste person
Delete	Delete selected element
Escape	Deselect all

For canvas navigation:

• Pan: Middle mouse button drag
• Zoom: Scroll wheel or zoom toolbar
• Multi-select: Ctrl + click

The Free tier includes everything you need for professional genograms:

• 42 predefined health conditions with visual quadrants
• All relationship types (couple, parent-child, emotional)
• Parent-child types: biological, adopted, foster, guardian
• Dynamic legend that updates automatically
• Local file save/load (.wgeno format)
• Unlimited undo/redo
• Person photographs
• Visual groups

Professional ($4.99/month or $47.88/year) adds:

• Cloud Sync: Access genograms from any device
• Folder Organization: Organize cases into folders
• PDF/PNG/SVG Export: Publication-ready output
• Custom Health Conditions: Create your own conditions
• AI Genogram Builder (Beta): Generate from text descriptions
• GenoPro Import: Import existing .gno files

The AI Genogram Builder (Professional feature, Beta) lets you describe a family in natural language, and AI creates the genogram for you.

Example input:

"My grandparents John (deceased, heart disease) and Mary (82). My father Tom (55) and uncle Mike (52) are their sons. I'm Sarah (28), an only child. Uncle Mike has two kids: Emma (25) and Jake (22)."

The AI extracts people, relationships, health conditions, and automatically positions them in generations.

Yes! Professional users can import .gno files from GenoPro (Beta feature).

The importer converts:

• All people with their details
• Couple relationships
• Parent-child relationships
• Embedded photographs

Note: Some advanced GenoPro features may not transfer perfectly. Review your imported genogram and adjust as needed.

WebGeno supports four parent-child relationship types using standard genogram notation:

• Biological: Solid line (default)
• Adopted: Dashed line
• Foster: Dotted line with "F" label
• Guardian: Dotted line with "G" label

To change the type, right-click on any parent-child connection line and select the appropriate type from the "Child Type" menu. The legend automatically updates to show which types are used in your genogram.

WebGeno supports standard genogram notation for pregnancy outcomes. When editing a person, use the "Life Status" dropdown to select:

• Living: Normal appearance (default)
• Deceased: Shape with X overlay
• Pregnancy: Shape with ? symbol (current pregnancy)
• Miscarriage: Small shape (spontaneous loss)
• Stillbirth: Small shape with X and "SB" label
• Abortion: Small shape with X (induced termination)

Pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion) appear as smaller symbols. You can also select "Unknown" gender, which displays as a diamond shape - useful when the gender wasn't determined.

WebGeno supports seven couple relationship types, divided into formal and informal categories:

Formal relationships (displayed with thicker lines):

• Marriage: Solid line (supports separation, divorce, widowed modifiers)
• Engagement: Dashed line
• Union in Fact: Dotted line (cohabitation/common law)

Informal relationships (displayed with thinner lines):

• Dating: Thin solid line (supports separation modifier)
• Casual: Thin dotted line
• One-Night Stand: Thin short-dashed line
• Love Affair: Thin dashed line

This visual hierarchy helps distinguish formal committed relationships from informal ones at a glance. To create a couple relationship, select two people, right-click, and choose from the Couple submenu.

Yes! You get a 7-day free trial of Professional when you subscribe to the monthly plan. No charge until the trial ends, and you can cancel anytime.

Plus, all core features are free forever - no trial needed for basic genogram creation.

Yes! Students in mental health programs get free Professional access for 1 year.

How to apply:

1. Create a free account
2. Go to Settings > Student Discount
3. Verify with your .edu email, or upload your Student ID

We support ~500 universities worldwide with automatic verification.

Note: AI Genogram Builder is not included in Student Professional due to API costs.

Absolutely. Cancel anytime from your account settings. You'll keep Professional access until the end of your billing period.

Your genograms remain accessible - you just won't be able to use Professional features like cloud sync or exports after your subscription ends.

Same features, different pricing:

• Monthly: $4.99/month (includes 7-day free trial)
• Annual: $47.88/year ($3.99/month - save 20%)

Annual is best value for long-term use. Monthly is great if you want flexibility or just need it for a specific project.

WebGeno works best on modern desktop browsers:

• Google Chrome (recommended)
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari

Mobile: We have basic mobile support (still in development). Touch gestures work for panning, zooming, and basic editing. For the best experience, we recommend using a desktop browser. If you encounter issues on mobile, please use the Feedback form in the File menu to report them.

Without an account: Your genograms are saved locally in your browser's storage. They stay on your device and are never sent to our servers.

With a Professional account: You have the choice to save locally (like free users) or use cloud storage. Cloud-saved genograms are protected with end-to-end encryption - your data is encrypted on your device before being sent to our servers. Only you can decrypt your genograms; not even WebGeno administrators can access your data.

You can always export your genograms as .wgeno files for local backup, regardless of your account type.

WebGeno requires an internet connection to load. However, once loaded, you can work without a connection for basic editing.

Cloud sync, exports, and AI features require an active connection.

Save/Load (Free):

• .wgeno - WebGeno native format (JSON-based)

Export (Professional):

• .pdf - For printing and sharing
• .png - Image format for presentations
• .svg - Vector format for publications

Import (Professional):

• .gno - GenoPro files (Beta)

A genogram is a visual representation of a family tree that includes additional information about relationships and medical history. Think of it as a "family tree plus."

Unlike basic family trees, genograms show:

• Emotional relationships (close, conflictual, distant, etc.)
• Health conditions across generations
• Relationship statuses (married, divorced, separated)
• Patterns that repeat across generations

Learn more in our blog post: The History of Genograms

Genograms are used by many professionals:

• Family Therapists: To understand family dynamics and patterns
• Social Workers: For case assessment and documentation
• Counselors: To explore client backgrounds
• Medical Professionals: To track hereditary health conditions
• Researchers: For family systems studies
• Students: Learning family therapy techniques

Genograms use standardized symbols:

• Square: Male
• Circle: Female
• Diamond: Unknown/Other gender
• X through shape: Deceased
• Filled sections: Health conditions (quadrants)
• Line types: Relationship quality (solid, dashed, zigzag)

See our complete guide: Understanding Genogram Symbols

Typically, genograms include 3 generations:

1. Grandparents
2. Parents (and aunts/uncles)
3. The identified patient/client (and siblings/cousins)

However, you can include more or fewer generations depending on your clinical needs. Some patterns only become visible across 4+ generations.