You can upload DNA results from other providers to MyHeritage and enjoy access to all the DNA features — with no need to purchase a MyHeritage DNA kit.
If you or any of your family members have taken a DNA test with a different provider, it’s a great idea to upload the results to your MyHeritage account. Here’s why:
It’s free
MyHeritage is one of the few DNA matching databases that allows you to upload your raw DNA data for free. So you really have nothing to lose! When you upload your data, you’ll have free access to your list of DNA Matches on MyHeritage and you’ll be able to contact your matches free of charge.
If you don’t have a paid MyHeritage subscription, you will need to pay a one-time unlock fee of $29 to access the advanced DNA features, such as the Ethnicity Estimate and the Chromosome Browser. If you do have a subscription, you’ll be able to access those features at no additional cost.
It’s fast
The process of taking a DNA test can involve a lot of waiting: waiting for the kit to arrive, waiting for the kit to be received by the lab, waiting for the lab to process your sample, and so on. If you’ve already done all that waiting, there’s no reason to do it again.
When you upload your raw DNA data to MyHeritage, your matches and ethnicity results will be calculated within a few days — often as fast as 24 hours.
It helps you cast your net wider
Even if you’ve found valuable information on other DNA databases, there is always more to learn. Many adoptees searching for their biological families have tested with other providers with no success, and when they finally uploaded their results to MyHeritage, they immediately found what they were looking for.
MyHeritage is the leading DNA matching service in Europe, and our reach is global. Our platform is available in 42 languages — more than any other DNA testing service.
It can increase the amount of data you have to work with
Chances are, someone in your family has done a DNA test in the past. If they tested with MyHeritage, you will probably already find them in your DNA Matches, and you can use that information to extrapolate clues about how your other DNA Matches might be related to you.
Some may have tested with other providers. But thanks to the MyHeritage DNA feature, you can still take full advantage of their data to help you with your research. Simply ask them to download their raw DNA results from the website they tested with and send it to you. Then, you can upload their results to your account on MyHeritage and manage their DNA kits.
It allows you to benefit from other unique MyHeritage features
MyHeritage has so much more to offer than just a list of DNA Matches. Our advanced DNA features, such as Theory of Family Relativity™, Autoclusters, and the Chromosome Browser, can help you figure out how your matches are related to you. The integration with the family tree platform makes it possible to learn much more about the ancestors you have in common, too.
It can give you higher-quality DNA Matching results
DNA testing services don’t analyze your entire genome. 99.9% of human DNA is identical, so there’s little value in sequencing that data. The remaining 0.1% also includes a great deal of information and not all of it is useful or necessary to determine DNA matches, ethnicity estimates, or health reports. Therefore, most DNA testing services examine only a portion of the remaining 0.1% — and exactly which SNPs (genetic markers) they analyze can vary from company to company.
Therefore, your MyHeritage DNA results may contain information that your results from another provider do not, and vice versa. That means that if you’ve tested with multiple companies and upload all your results to MyHeritage, the database will have a more complete picture of your genome and will be able to produce higher-quality DNA Matches.
The limitations of uploaded DNA results
All that said, if you haven’t yet purchased a DNA test and are still weighing your options, there are still some advantages to testing specifically with MyHeritage DNA:
- Testing with MyHeritage DNA gives you access to your Ethnicity Estimate at no additional cost and with no need for a paid subscription.
- The Health upgrade is only available to MyHeritage DNA customers. Health reports cannot be generated from raw DNA results from other companies, so if you haven’t done a MyHeritage DNA test and would like to receive health reports, you’ll need to purchase a MyHeritage DNA Health kit.
- There may be additional features added in the future that will require the equipment or materials specific to MyHeritage DNA.
How to upload your raw DNA data to MyHeritage
- Download your raw DNA data from the service you tested with. (You can find a detailed guide for downloading your data from each of the other major DNA testing services on the Upload DNA page.)
- Go to www.myheritage.com/dna/upload, or select “Upload DNA data” from the DNA menu in the navigation bar.
- Click “Start” and follow the instructions onscreen to accept the terms and conditions.
- When you reach the consent summary, verify that you’ve filled in the information correctly, then click “Upload.”
- Locate the DNA data file on your computer and select it.
- Once the data has been uploaded, it can take a few days to be processed. You’ll receive an email when your results are ready.
This how-to video will guide you step-by-step through the process:
