Download
Quick summary
TreeView is a lightweight viewer for phylogenetic trees that makes it easy to open, inspect, and print tree files created by common phylogeny programs. It focuses on straightforward visualization and simple navigation rather than complex editing or analysis.
File formats handled
- PHYLIP-style trees, including those exported by tools like CLUSTALW and fastDNAml
- NEXUS trees (for example, outputs from PAUP and COMPONENT)
How to open trees
TreeView accepts files via drag-and-drop onto the running application window, so you can drop a tree file from a file manager directly into the program to load it. When a file with multiple trees is loaded you can pick a specific tree with the “Choose tree” option or step through them with the navigation controls.
Viewing and navigation features
- Only one tree is shown at a time in the main viewing pane, with the name of the displayed tree visible in the status area.
- If a session contains several trees, Previous and Next buttons let you move through them sequentially, while a direct selection command allows jumping to any particular tree.
Capacity and limitations
TreeView can render trees containing up to about 500 terminal taxa (per the developers’ guidance). The total number of trees you can open in a single file is constrained by the memory available on your computer rather than by a fixed program limit.
Why use it
For researchers and students who regularly work with phylogenies, TreeView provides a simple, dependable way to organize and preview tree files without the overhead of more feature-rich packages. Its quick-loading viewer and basic navigation controls improve the workflow for inspecting results and preparing figures for printing.
Other programs to consider
- Dendroscope — for handling very large trees and more advanced visualization options
- FigTree — a popular choice for editing and annotating phylogenetic trees
- iTOL (Interactive Tree of Life) — a web-based option for richly annotated, publication-ready trees
Technical
- Windows
- Free
