How to remove yourself from FamilySearch

In short

FamilySearch is not a commercial broker — it's a free nonprofit genealogy service run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But its indexed records often include living people and are searchable by anyone with a free account.
They have a documented living-person removal policy. You find the indexed record, copy its URL, and submit a Data Privacy Request form. Each request is reviewed manually.
Typical processing: 30 to 90 days. Recheck annually if your records are in source materials young enough to plausibly be re-indexed.

4 min read Last reviewed May 2026 Free scan available

What FamilySearch is, briefly

FamilySearch is the world's largest free genealogy service. It is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church) as part of their religious mission to support family-history research. It does not sell ads, does not sell your data, and has been free to anyone (LDS member or not) since launch.

What it does have: an enormous indexed archive of vital records, censuses, immigration manifests, military records, and similar source materials going back hundreds of years. Many of these source records include people who are still alive — especially modern censuses, marriage records, and obituaries from the last 30 to 50 years. When those records are indexed and made searchable, your name (and often your address, family relationships, and dates) becomes findable.

From a privacy standpoint, the effect is similar to a data broker: your information is searchable by anyone who knows your name. The difference is the institution, not the visibility.

FamilySearch's living-person policy

FamilySearch has a published policy that indexed search results referencing living individuals can be removed at the individual's request (or at the request of a legal guardian). The underlying source record — the microfilm scan, the census image, the actual archival document — is preserved as part of the historical archive. What gets removed is the search index that surfaces your name in results.

This is a useful distinction. The historical record is treated as sacrosanct. The privacy harm (your name being searchable) is what gets fixed.

The step-by-step removal process

Search yourself first. Go to familysearch.org, create a free account if needed, and search your name plus a year of birth or location to narrow results. Identify each indexed record that's about you.
For each record, copy the URL. Click into the record, copy the full URL from your browser's address bar. You'll need one URL per record you want removed.
Open the Data Privacy Request form. FamilySearch publishes their living-person removal instructions and form at familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter (search "remove the name of a living person").
Submit your request. Include the URL(s) you collected, the name(s) to be removed, and verification that the person is living. If you're requesting removal for someone else (e.g., a parent), you'll need to demonstrate legal standing.
Wait for manual review. Each request is reviewed by FamilySearch staff. They verify the record is of a living person and that the requester has appropriate standing. This is slower than algorithmic broker opt-outs but more thoughtful.

FamilySearch is one of 100+ places your data appears. The commercial brokers are louder and faster to re-list. Delist handles them all.

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What this removal does and doesn't do

What it does:

Removes your name from FamilySearch's indexed search results for the specific records you cited.
Stops casual searchers from finding you via FamilySearch.
Applies indefinitely as long as you are alive.

What it does not do:

Does not delete the underlying source record (census image, vital-records scan, etc.). Those are preserved as historical archives.
Does not affect other genealogy sites. Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, and others have their own removal processes.
Does not affect family-tree contributions that other users have made about you. If a relative added you to a public family tree, that tree may need to be edited separately.
Does not block future re-indexing. If a new volunteer indexing project covers source records that include you, your name may resurface. Recheck annually.

If you'd rather not be there at all

FamilySearch's collaborative family-tree feature lets any user add information about anyone, including living people. If a distant relative has added you to a tree, the entries can include your birthdate, current city, spouse, and children. The Data Privacy Request can address these too — you have the same removal rights for the collaborative tree entries that you do for the indexed historical records.

If you find tree entries about yourself or close family, list those URLs separately in your request along with the indexed records.

Tips for a successful FamilySearch request

Be specific. The more URLs you provide, the cleaner the removal. Vague requests ("remove all references to me") may be partially fulfilled or returned for clarification.

Note your right to privacy as the standing argument. FamilySearch processes requests faster when the reason is clearly the subject's own privacy concern, not a third-party dispute.

If a record is incorrect, dispute as well. If indexed information is wrong (wrong birthdate, wrong relationship), you can request correction in addition to removal. FamilySearch values accuracy in its archives.

Recheck after 12 months. Volunteer indexing projects run continuously. New indexing of source records that include you can resurface entries.

Frequently asked questions

Is FamilySearch a data broker?

Not in the commercial sense. FamilySearch is a free nonprofit genealogy service operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It does not sell your data and does not monetize ads. It does aggregate massive historical-records databases that often include living people, and those records are searchable by anyone with a free account. That last part makes it look and act like a broker from a privacy standpoint.

Can FamilySearch refuse my removal request?

Yes. FamilySearch's living-person policy applies to indexed records of living individuals. If the record is of a deceased person, or if you cannot demonstrate that the person is living, FamilySearch may decline. They also do not remove records from their underlying microfilm and digital archives — they suppress the indexed search visibility while preserving the underlying historical record.

Do I have to be a Latter-day Saints member to request removal?

No. FamilySearch's policies apply to anyone whose information appears in their indexed records, regardless of faith. The Data Privacy Request form is open to anyone.

How long does FamilySearch removal take?

Typically 30 to 90 days after submission. FamilySearch reviews each request manually — they verify the record is of a living person and that the requester has standing. The verification takes longer than algorithmic broker opt-outs.

Will my data come back on FamilySearch like it does on other brokers?

Less likely than with commercial brokers. FamilySearch does not actively re-ingest from public records the way Spokeo or Whitepages do. The risk is that the underlying historical record gets re-indexed in the future by a volunteer indexing project. Recheck annually if the source records are recent enough to plausibly include living people.