Download Raw DNA from FamilyTreeDNA
If you take a DNA test at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA), you should download your raw DNA file(s) for safekeeping—and to use them on other websites. Here are steps on how to access and download your raw autosomal DNA, mtDNA, or YDNA.
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Watch the video below or keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions for downloading raw autosomal Family Finder DNA data from FamilyTreeDNA.
Download your autosomal DNA (Family Finder):
There are two ways you can access your autosomal DNA data:
From your dashboard:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. Find the Autosomal DNA Results & Tools widget.
3. Within the Autosomal DNA Results & Tools widget, click See More.
4. Select Data Download from the dropdown menu.
3. In the download menu, you’ll want to choose Build 37. Just click on the arrow and the file will be downloaded to your default download folder. You will need to download the main autosomal file as well as the X chromosome file. Don’t try to open or rename it. You can later move it to a location where you will be able to easily find it.
From the navigation bar:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. In the navigation bar at the top of the page, go to Results & Tools > Autosomal DNA > Download Raw Data
3. In the download menu, you’ll want to choose Build 37. Just click on the arrow and the file will be downloaded to your default download folder. You will need to download the main autosomal file as well as the X chromosome file. Don’t try to open or rename it. You can later move it to a location where you will be able to easily find it.
Download your mtDNA:
From your dashboard:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. On your dashboard, find the mtDNA Results & Tools widget.
3. Click the See More button, and select Mutations from the dropdown menu.
4. Click the orange FASTA button in the bottom right corner of the page. This will download a text-based FASTA file and will contain your mtDNA nucleotide sequence in the order of HVR2, CR, and HVR1.
From the navigation bar:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. In the navigation bar at the top of the page, go to Results & Tools > mtDNA > Mutations
3. Click the orange FASTA button in the bottom right corner of the page. This will download a text-based FASTA file to your computer and will contain your mtDNA nucleotide sequence in the order of HVR2, CR, and HVR1.
Download your YDNA:
This is how to download your Y-STR results
From your dashboard:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. On your dashboard, find the Y-DNA Results & Tools widget.
3. On the Y-DNA Results & Tools widget, click the See More button, and select Y-STR Results from the dropdown menu.
*If you’ve taken a Big Y test, you’ll click on the Big Y widget instead of Y-DNA Results & Tools
From the navigation bar:
1. Log in to your account at FTDNA.
2. In the navigation bar at the top of the page, go to Results & Tools > Y-DNA Results & Tools (or Big Y)> Y-STR Results
3. Scroll to the very bottom of the page, and click the orange CSV button in the bottom right corner of the page. This will download a .csv file to your computer.
Now that you have your FTDNA raw data, you can upload it to the websites shown below. (MitoYDNA just takes YDNA and mtDNA test results.) Just click on the images to find out how.
Don’t miss out on what your DNA is telling you, just because you haven’t learned to work with your test results.
To get THE MOST about your DNA, you’ll want Your DNA Guide—the Book. Its step-by-step plans teach you the techniques you need to use DNA to address specific questions about your origins.
