Why simplifying can improve clarity

TreeLine can include your entire family in a single chart — but for large families, this often produces a chart that is dense and difficult to navigate. Pruning is the process of selectively removing people from the visible chart, retaining the ones most relevant to the story you want to tell.

You decide what to prune. Select a person to see their branch overlays — their ancestors, descendants and the families around them — then hide or show the branches you choose. TreeLine rearranges the chart around what remains.

Pruning does not delete anyone from your family data. Hidden people remain in your family and can be restored at any time. The pruned chart simply reflects a curated view of your family — a choice about what to emphasise.