How to Make a Genogram in Word
A complete guide to creating genograms in Microsoft Word using shapes and connectors. We cover every step, then show you why a dedicated genogram tool saves hours of frustration.
Why People Try to Make Genograms in Word
Microsoft Word is familiar, widely available, and already installed on most computers. When students get a genogram assignment or therapists need a quick family diagram, Word seems like the obvious choice. It can work for simple 2-generation genograms, but it quickly becomes painful for anything clinical. Below, we walk through every step honestly, including where Word falls short.
How to Make a Genogram in Word: 8 Steps
Follow these steps to create a basic genogram using Microsoft Word's built-in shapes and connectors.
Open a Blank Word Document
Launch Microsoft Word and create a new blank document. Switch to landscape orientation for more horizontal space.
- Go to File > New > Blank Document
- Switch to Layout > Orientation > Landscape for a wider canvas
- Set margins to Narrow (Layout > Margins > Narrow) to maximize space
- Consider using a larger paper size (A3) if your genogram spans 3+ generations
Tip: Landscape orientation is essential. Genograms grow horizontally across generations, and portrait mode will leave you running out of room quickly.
Insert Shapes for Family Members
Use Word's shape tools to draw squares for males and circles for females. This is the foundation of your genogram.
- Go to Insert > Shapes and select Rectangle for males
- Use Oval (hold Shift to make a perfect circle) for females
- Make each shape roughly 1 inch by 1 inch for readability
- For deceased persons, draw an X through the shape using two diagonal lines
- For the index person, use a double-border (Format > Shape Outline > Weight > 3pt)
Tip: Hold Shift while dragging to create perfect squares and circles. Use Ctrl+D to duplicate shapes and keep them consistent in size.
Arrange Shapes by Generation
Position family members in horizontal rows, with each row representing one generation.
- Place grandparents in the top row
- Place parents in the middle row
- Place the index person and siblings in the bottom row
- Center children beneath their parents
- Leave equal spacing between shapes (use View > Gridlines to help align)
Tip: Turn on gridlines (View > Gridlines) and use Align tools (Format > Align) to keep your generations in straight rows.
Add Text Labels to Each Person
Add names, birth years, and other key information inside or below each shape.
- Right-click a shape and select Add Text to type inside it
- Include the person's name, birth year, and death year (if applicable)
- Use a small font size (8-9pt) to fit text inside the shapes
- For additional details like occupation or medical conditions, add a text box below
- Keep text centered for a clean, professional look
Tip: If text doesn't fit inside the shape, insert a separate text box beneath it. Use Format > Text Box > No Outline to keep it clean.
Connect Family Members with Lines
Draw horizontal lines between partners and vertical lines down to their children. This is the most tedious part in Word.
- Go to Insert > Shapes > Line to draw connection lines
- Draw a horizontal line between married partners
- Drop a vertical line from the middle of the marriage line down to each child
- For siblings, draw a horizontal line connecting their vertical lines before dropping down
- For divorce, manually draw two short diagonal slashes across the marriage line
Tip: Hold Shift while drawing lines to keep them perfectly horizontal or vertical. This prevents crooked, unprofessional-looking connections.
Add Relationship Type Indicators
Modify lines to show different relationship types: marriage, divorce, separation, and cohabitation.
- Solid line = marriage (default line style)
- Two slashes through line = divorce (draw manually with short diagonal lines)
- One slash = separation
- Dashed line = cohabitation (Format > Shape Outline > Dashes)
- Dotted line = dating or engagement
Tip: Word has no built-in genogram relationship symbols. You'll need to manually create every slash, dash, and indicator by layering shapes.
Format and Color-Code Your Genogram
Apply formatting to improve readability and highlight patterns.
- Use consistent fill colors: leave shapes white/no fill for a clean clinical look
- Make all connection lines the same weight (1.5pt works well)
- Increase the outline weight on the index person's shape to 3pt
- Use red for conflict relationships, green for close relationships (if using colors)
- Group related elements: Select All > Format > Group so they move together
Tip: Select all shapes (Ctrl+A), then use Format > Align to straighten everything before grouping. This final alignment pass makes a big difference.
Save and Export Your Genogram
Save your Word genogram and export it if needed for presentations or clinical records.
- Save as .docx to preserve editing capability
- To share as an image, take a screenshot or Save As PDF
- For presentations, copy and paste the grouped shapes into PowerPoint
- Word does not have a native PNG export for diagrams
- Consider printing to PDF for the cleanest output
Tip: Word's lack of image export means you'll rely on screenshots or PDF conversion. For professional PNG exports, dedicated genogram tools are more reliable.
The Problem with Genograms in Word
Word was designed for documents, not clinical diagrams. Here's what it cannot do for genograms.
No Standard Genogram Symbols
Word has basic shapes but no McGoldrick-standard genogram symbols. You cannot create proper medical quadrants, twin indicators, pregnancy symbols, or miscarriage markers without extensive manual workarounds.
No Emotional Relationship Lines
Clinical genograms require 24 types of emotional relationship lines (close, conflicted, enmeshed, cut-off, etc.). Word only offers basic solid, dashed, and dotted lines with no built-in way to draw zigzag, wavy, or multi-line connectors.
Extremely Time-Consuming
A 3-generation genogram with 15-20 family members takes 2-4 hours in Word. Every shape, line, and text label must be manually positioned, aligned, and formatted individually. Moving one element often breaks the entire layout.
No Medical History Tracking
Genograms use quadrant fills inside shapes to indicate medical conditions (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, mental health). Word shapes don't support quadrant fills, making medical genograms essentially impossible.
Layout Breaks Easily
Adding a new family member often means repositioning dozens of shapes and reconnecting lines. Word has no automatic layout engine, so every adjustment is manual and error-prone.
No Image Export
Word cannot export diagrams as PNG or SVG images. You're stuck with screenshots, PDF conversion, or copying into other tools. This is a major limitation for clinical documentation and presentations.
The Better Way: GenogramAI
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AI Builds It for You
Describe your family in plain English and GenogramAI creates a complete, properly formatted genogram in seconds. No manual shape placement needed.
48 Relationship Types
All 17 structural relationships, 24 emotional relationships, and 7 child connection types are built in. McGoldrick-standard symbols, medical quadrants, and cultural patterns included.
Export as PNG in One Click
Download your genogram as a high-resolution PNG image ready for clinical reports, presentations, or coursework. No screenshots or workarounds needed.
Real comparison: A 3-generation genogram with emotional relationships and medical history takes 3+ hours in Word vs. under 5 minutes in GenogramAI.
Try it freeWord vs. GenogramAI: Feature Comparison
Side-by-side comparison for genogram creation
Skip the Shapes. Describe Your Family Instead.
GenogramAI's AI understands family descriptions in plain English and creates professional genograms with proper symbols, relationships, and layout automatically.
Instead of hours in Word, type this:
"My grandparents Robert and Helen married in 1960. They have 3 children: my dad James (married to Susan, my mom), Uncle Tom (divorced), and Aunt Lisa. My parents have me and my brother. Grandpa had heart disease. Uncle Tom has diabetes."
Genogram in Word: FAQs
Can you make a genogram in Microsoft Word?
Yes, you can make a basic genogram in Microsoft Word using Insert > Shapes to draw squares (males), circles (females), and lines (relationships). However, Word lacks genogram-specific symbols like medical quadrants, emotional relationship lines, and McGoldrick notation. For anything beyond a simple family tree layout, a dedicated genogram tool like GenogramAI is significantly faster and more accurate.
Is there a free genogram template for Word?
Microsoft Word does not include built-in genogram templates. While some websites offer downloadable .docx templates, they are extremely limited and difficult to customize. GenogramAI offers a free plan with 2 professional genograms that include all clinical symbols, AI generation, and PNG export, making it a better free alternative to Word templates.
How long does it take to make a genogram in Word?
A basic 3-generation genogram with 10-15 family members typically takes 2-4 hours in Word. This includes inserting shapes, positioning them, adding text labels, drawing connection lines, and manually creating relationship indicators. The same genogram takes 5-15 minutes in GenogramAI, or under 2 minutes using the AI text-to-genogram feature.
How do I show emotional relationships in a Word genogram?
Word cannot properly represent emotional relationships used in clinical genograms. Standard genogram notation requires specific line types: double lines for close relationships, zigzag for conflict, wavy for distant, and triple lines for enmeshed. Word only offers basic solid, dashed, and dotted lines. You would need to manually layer multiple shapes to approximate these, which is impractical for clinical work.
What is the best alternative to making a genogram in Word?
GenogramAI is the best alternative to making genograms in Word. It is purpose-built for clinical genograms with 48 relationship types, McGoldrick-standard symbols, medical quadrants, AI generation from text descriptions, and one-click PNG export. It works in any web browser, requires no installation, and offers a free plan.
Can I add medical history to a genogram in Word?
Medical history on clinical genograms uses quadrant fills inside person symbols (divided into 4 sections, each representing a condition category). Word shapes do not support quadrant fills, making proper medical genograms impossible in Word. You would need to use workarounds like colored dots or text annotations, which do not follow standard notation.
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