How to download your DNA data

GeneOps does not test your DNA — it reads the file your testing service already made for you. Below is how to get that file out of each service we can read. Download it, then upload it here. If you have files from more than one service, upload them all: each chip tests different SNPs, so combining them gives you better coverage.

What we can read

Genotyping files from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA and tellmeGen, and VCF files from whole-genome sequencing services such as Nebula Genomics, Dante Labs, Sequencing.com and Nucleus Genomics.

Upload the file exactly as it downloaded — .txt, .csv, .vcf, or still packed as .zip or .gz. We unpack it for you. Raw sequencing reads (.fastq, .bam, .cram) cannot be read; take the VCF instead.

Genotyping services

The consumer spit-in-a-tube tests. Their export is a small text file of a few hundred thousand to a million markers.

23andMe

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at 23andme.com and open the profile menu at the top right, then Settings.
  2. Scroll to 23andMe Data and click View.
  3. Scroll to Request your raw data download, tick the consent box and click Submit request.
  4. 23andMe emails you a download link, usually within minutes. Follow it and save the file.

What you get genome_<name>.zip — a tab-separated .txt inside a .zip. Upload the .zip as it is.

  • If you bought the imputed genotype data, that download is a .zip of per-chromosome .bcf files. We read those too — upload the .zip unchanged.
  • The ancestry composition .csv is not genotype data and will be rejected. The file you want starts with the word genome.

AncestryDNA

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at ancestry.com with the account that manages the test.
  2. Open DNA in the top menu and choose Your DNA Results Summary.
  3. Click the Settings gear near the top right.
  4. Scroll to Download or delete and click Download DNA data.
  5. Tick the confirmation box, click Continue, and verify yourself with your password or an emailed code.
  6. Ancestry emails you a download link — it can take up to 24 hours. Follow it and save the file.

What you get dna-data-<date>.zip — a .txt inside a .zip. Upload the .zip as it is.

  • The download link works once and expires after a week. If you miss it, start again from Settings.

MyHeritage DNA

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at myheritage.com, hover DNA and choose Manage DNA kits.
  2. Click the three dots to the right of the kit and choose Download.
  3. Accept the terms and click Continue.
  4. MyHeritage emails you a download link. Follow it, enter your password and click Download.

What you get A .csv inside a .zip. Upload the .zip as it is.

  • Only the manager of the kit can download it, not a person the kit is merely assigned to.
  • The download does not work on an iPhone or iPad — use a computer or an Android device.
  • A kit you uploaded to MyHeritage from another service cannot be downloaded again. Get that file from the service that produced it.
  • The emailed link is valid for 24 hours. If it expires, repeat the steps for a new one.

FamilyTreeDNA

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at familytreedna.com.
  2. Go to Results & Tools → Autosomal DNA → Download Raw Data.
  3. Choose the Build 37 autosomal file, which also carries the X chromosome.
  4. Save the file that downloads.

What you get A .csv compressed as .csv.gz. Upload the .gz as it is — no need to unpack it.

  • Two-factor authentication has to be switched on for your account before FamilyTreeDNA will let you download raw data.
  • Windows and macOS do not unpack .gz files out of the box. You do not have to: upload the .gz straight to us.

Living DNA

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at livingdna.com and click your name at the top right, then Profiles.
  2. Select the profile whose data you want.
  3. Click Download next to the profile name and tick the consent box.
  4. Three download buttons appear — autosomal, mtDNA and Y-DNA. Take the autosomal one.

What you get A .txt file. Upload it as it is.

  • Only the autosomal file carries the genotypes we analyze. The mtDNA and Y-DNA files will be rejected.

tellmeGen

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at tellmegen.com and click your initials at the top right.
  2. Go to Settings → Kits.
  3. Click Download Raw Data at the bottom of the page. The .zip downloads immediately.

What you get A .csv inside a .zip. Upload the .zip as it is.

Whole-genome sequencing services

These sequence your whole genome and give you a VCF of your variants. The VCF is what you want — it is the smallest of the files they offer and the only one we read.

Nebula Genomics

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at nebula.org and open your genomic data — the reports or data section of the account.
  2. Choose the raw-data download and pick the VCF file.
  3. Save it. It is large; leave the download running.

What you get The VCF — around 1 GB, often named .vcf.gz. Upload it as it is.

  • Nebula also offers BAM and FASTQ files, tens of gigabytes each. We cannot read those — take the VCF.

Dante Labs

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at genome.dantelabs.com.
  2. Open the Reports menu and choose Raw Data Library.
  3. Start the VCF download.

What you get The variant file, usually named .snp.vcf.gz and a few hundred megabytes. Upload it as it is.

  • Dante Labs download links expire about 60 seconds after you generate them, so start the download straight away rather than copying the link somewhere.
  • Some Dante Labs accounts only expose the raw files while a subscription is active.

Sequencing.com

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at sequencing.com and open Files.
  2. Select the genome, then open the Genome Files tab.
  3. Download the .vcf file — small files start downloading at once.

What you get A .vcf or .vcf.gz. Upload it as it is.

  • FASTQ and BAM downloads have to be prepared and can take days. You do not need them; the VCF is enough.

Nucleus Genomics

Official instructions
  1. Sign in at mynucleus.com.
  2. Open your account or data settings and choose the raw-data download.
  3. Save the VCF file.

What you get A .vcf or .vcf.gz. Upload it as it is.

  • Whether the VCF download is offered depends on the plan you bought. If you cannot find it, ask Nucleus support for your VCF.

If something goes wrong

  • The upload was rejected. The most common cause is the wrong file from the right service — an ancestry-composition report, a PDF, a family tree export, or an mtDNA/Y-DNA file. Go back and take the autosomal raw data file.
  • Your service is not listed. If it can export a VCF, we can read it. If it exports a 23andMe-style text file, that usually works too — try it, and tell us if it does not.
  • Download links expire. Several services email you a one-time link with a short life. Repeating the steps generates a new one.
  • These steps do not match what you see. Services redesign their accounts without warning. Each card links to the service's own help page, which is always the authority; let us know so we can fix the card.
Upload your file