Prioritizing people helps you keep track of key people you're focused on researching. It adds them to a list of prioritized people and applies a "Prioritized Person" tag, making them easier to find and revisit later. It also prompts Ancestry to check for hints about them, which may help you uncover new information.

When you prioritize someone:

A solid star (★) appears next to their name.
They’re added to your tree’s list of prioritized people.
A "Prioritized Person" tag is applied.
They may receive more hints.

Priority status

A person's star status and MyTreeTags™ show if they’re prioritized:

Star status

Solid star (★): Prioritized.
Empty star (☆): Not prioritized.

MyTreeTags™

"Prioritized Person" tag applied: Prioritized.
No "Prioritized Person" tag: Not prioritized.

Prioritizing and unprioritizing someone

Each tree can have up to 10 prioritized people at a time. If you've reached the limit and want to prioritize someone new, you'll need to unprioritize someone first by clicking their star (★) or removing their "Prioritized person" tag.

How to prioritize or unprioritize someone

Using the star (★): Click or tap the star (★ / ☆) next to their name in the tree or on their profile.
Using MyTreeTags™: Add or remove the "Prioritized Person" tree tag.

Where to prioritize or unprioritize someone

You can prioritize or unprioritize someone from different places in your tree or a person’s profile.

From a tree:

On a person’s card: Click on someone, then tap the star (★ / ☆) on their card.
Right-click: Right-click on someone and select Prioritize/Unprioritize this person.
Through MyTreeTags™: Click on someone, then tap More (three dots) on their card > choose Add tag or Edit tags > select/deselect Prioritized Person.

From a person’s profile page:

Next to their name: Click or tap the star (★ / ☆).
In Tools (top-right): Click Tools > Prioritize/Unprioritize this person.
Through MyTreeTags™ (under their name):
- To add the tag, click the add tree tag icon or pencil and select Prioritized Person.
- To remove the tag, click the Prioritized Person tag, then tap its X in the panel.

Viewing prioritized people

Clicking someone from the list of prioritized people will take you to that person in the tree.

Using the "View prioritized people" list:

Go to your family tree.
In the tree’s toolbar (left-side), click More (three dots) and select View prioritized people.

Using the "Find in tree" panel:

Go to your family tree.
In the top-right corner, click the Find in tree button.
In the opened side panel, click Prioritized people.

Or,

Go to a person's profile.
In the top-left corner, click the Find in tree button.
In the opened side panel, click Prioritized people.

Frequently asked questions

How many people can I prioritize in my tree?
You can prioritize up to 10 people in a tree. To see who’s prioritized read viewing prioritized people.

Who can see and change prioritization?
If your tree is public, others can view your tree but won’t see who you’ve prioritized unless they’re invited as a guest, contributor, or editor. Only you and your invited editors can prioritize or unprioritize people.

Will prioritizing someone guarantee more hints?
No. Prioritizing someone doesn’t guarantee they’ll get more hints, but it does prompt us to check for hints about them. Hints still depend on available records and other factors, so if you don’t see hints for your prioritized people, check back later.

Will prioritizing people change how many hints I get for others?
No, prioritizing people won’t affect the number of hints you get for others in your tree. You’ll still get hints for others like normal.

Will I still get hints for people I unprioritize?
Yes, you may still get hints for people you unprioritize. When you unprioritize someone, we simply return to checking for their hints like normal.

Is starring someone in my tree the same as starring someone in my DNA matches?
No, starring someone in your tree (prioritizing them) and starring someone in your DNA matches (favoriting them) are separate actions. To star them in both places, you’ll need to star them in each place individually. Additionally, connecting a DNA match to your tree doesn’t automatically star, prioritize, or favorite them.