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Fix crossing lines or covered names

Several tools help when lines cross people or names crowd one another. This article covers tidying the layout, reshaping relationship lines and reducing the text under each symbol.

1 min readChecked 16 October 2026

Crossing lines and crowded names have different causes. The black lines of the family structure follow the positions of people, so they are straightened by arranging the people. The coloured relationship lines take an automatic shape, which can be changed one line at a time. Names become crowded when people stand too close together or when too much is written under each symbol.

Procedure

  1. 1

    Click Arrange, select Tidy, and click the button at the foot of the dialog to straighten the rows and even out the spacing.

  2. 2

    If names still touch, click More options in the same dialog and set Space between people to More.

  3. 3

    Click a relationship line that crosses someone, and select Arc or Step in its toolbar.

  4. 4

    If the arc passes over a name, click the button in the toolbar that bows the line to the other side.

  5. 5

    In View, open the What is written tab and clear the rows that the reader does not need.

  6. 6

    Select a smaller Text size, or switch on Wrap long text.

Tip

If a relationship line has been reshaped by hand and no longer fits, click Back to automatic in its toolbar. Dragging a person up or down moves the whole generation with that person, so the couple lines stay level.