How to Download And Share Your Raw DNA

Tom Johnson - 2019-12-13T22:00:00.000Z

Whether you are thinking about getting a DNA test and want to know how easy it is to use the data, or you already have used one of the best DNA testing kits and want to know how to download and share your data, this guide will tell you exactly what to do.

First of all, the steps for downloading and sharing varies depending on which genealogy testing company you have chosen, so find the one that is relevant to you from the following options:

How to download your DNA file

To download from AncestryDNA:

1. Sign into your account
2. Click on the 'DNA' tab that you will see at the top of the page
3. From the 'Settings' option, choose 'Download Raw DNA Data' from the Actions
4. You will then need to enter your password
5. Tick the box to indicate you have read the notice regarding downloading
6. Click 'Confirm'

You should shortly receive an email from Ancestry that includes a zipped file containing your DNA raw data.

When you open the email, click on the link that they have sent to you and choose to 'Save' the file [do not select 'Open']

To download from Family Tree DNA:

1. Sign into your account
2. From the 'Family Finder' section, click on 'Download raw data'
3. You will now see three download options and you should choose 'Build 37 Concatenated Raw Data'
4. Choose to 'Save' to your computer [do not select 'Open']

To download from MyHeritage DNA:

1. Sign into your account
2. Place the cursor over the DNA menu
3. Click 'Manage DNA kits'
4. Your kit should be displayed showing three dots in the right-hand column
5. Click on the three dots to view the dropdown menu
6. Select 'Download kit'
7. Read the information in the popup box and tick the box to confirm you have read the notice

You should shortly receive an email from MyHeritage that includes a link to your raw data file.

Click on the link within the email and enter your password, then click 'Download' and save the zipped file to your computer [do not select to 'Open' the file].

To download from 23andMe:

1. Sign into your account
2. Next to your profile picture and name, there is an arrow that you should click on
3. This will present a dropdown list, choose 'Browse Raw Data' from the options
4. Next click on the 'Download' tab or the link within the text
5. Scroll down to read the information and tick the box to confirm you understand
6. Click on the 'Submit request' button at the bottom of the page

You should receive an email from 23andMe that contains a link to download your data file. Click on the link and save the file to your computer.

To Download from Living DNA:

1. Sign into your account
2. Click on the blue 'View Test' button
3. Now click on 'Download Raw Data' from the lefthand menu
4. Read the information and tick the box to confirm you have read it and give your consent
5. Click the large button at the bottom 'Download autosomal (family ancestry) raw marker data'
Save the file to your computer

Share your Autosomal DNA test

If you want to look for more matches on some of the other best DNA testing kits sites, then you can upload your raw data, rather than doing the test with the other companies.

It is worth noting that AncestryDNA and 23andMe do not allow users to upload their own raw data file, so you would need to do the test with those two companies if you want to check them for matches.

From the best DNA testing kits available, the following companies allow users to upload their raw data:

MyHeritage DNA

The MyHeritage DNA upload site allows you to transfer raw DNA files from all of the best DNA testing kits including AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, 23andMe and Living DNA.

They provide this service at no cost, although if you require additional features such as Chromosome Browser and Ethnicity Estimate, you would be required to make a payment of $29.

Family Tree DNA

The Family Tree DNA upload site will also allow the free transfer of your DNA data.

It will accept uploads from AncestryDNA, 23andMe and MyHeritage DNA. If you want to use more features of Family Finder like paternal and maternal matches then you would need to pay a fee of $19.

Living DNA

The Living DNA upload site will allow you to transfer files from AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage and 23andMe.

It also accepts files from Gene by Gene and Geno 2.0.

You will need to unzip/extract the files before you upload onto Living DNA.

The free service from Living DNA provides the basic features to view matches but any additional features would require you to take a DNA test with Living DNA.

GEDmatch

The GEDmatch site allows you to check for matches in all of the main DNA testing sites such as AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage DNA and Living DNA.

It also provides any available matches that have come from other sources such as forensic DNA and research kits.

All of these options provide services that will allow you to look for your DNA matches and you may also want to try the premium features to get more information regarding your ancestry.

Before paying any fees for the services, you should check through the details of what each testing kit company provides to see which one best matches your requirements.

Hopefully, this guide to downloading and sharing data from the best DNA testing kits should have given you all the information you need to get started.