The AncestryDNA dots help you organize your DNA matches. What if you want to remove those dots and reorganize your match list? Here’s how to remove AncestryDNA dots, and why you might want to. 

Here at Your DNA Guide, we recognize there is no single “right way” to use AncestryDNA’s colored dots in your genetic genealogy research. The AncestryDNA dot system is one method for organizing your DNA matches. Each colored dot represents a group that has meaning to you. For example, you can use the groups and dots to organize your matches according to your four great-grandparent couples, or groups created to address a specific mystery in your family tree.

But what if, along your research journey, you discover you need to delete or remove a match from a group? What if you want to start over, removing all the dots so you can use them in a totally different way? Here are two ways you can accomplish either of those goals.

For both options, you’ll first want to go to your DNA matches list and click on the “All matches” tab.

Option #1: Edit dots or groups from your DNA match list

You can easily edit and remove dots from your DNA match list. Click on the “+ Add” button for a match as if you were going to add them to a group.

This will open a list of the different ways you can add or edit your matches. Click on “Add / Edit Groups.”

This opens a list of all of the groups with their designated colors. Click on the pencil to the right of the dot that you want to remove.

From this point on, you can click on “Delete group,” confirming that you want to remove the group.

This will bring up a dialog box for that group, with a delete option at the very bottom.

When you click on delete, another dialog box will open, making sure you want to delete the group, reminding you that this does not delete the matches, just the dots!

Choose “Yes, delete group.” That group will be immediately deleted from your groups and that colored dot will be available to use again.

Option #2: Edit dots or groups from a DNA match’s page

Open any match page and click on “Add/Edit Groups”

This will open a drop-down box with your existing groups and dots. From the dropdown, click on the tiny gray pencil next to the name of a group to edit it.

This will bring up the dialog box for that group, just like you saw from the match page.

When you click on delete, another dialog box will open, making sure you want to delete the group, reminding you that this does not delete the matches, just the dots that correspond with the group!

From this point on, you can click on “Delete group” like you could in the example above, confirming that you do want to delete the group.

The colored dots on AncestryDNA are an essential research tool we talk about in our DNA Skills Workshop, a hands-on, six-week long masterclass experience. Learn how students in the DNA Skills Workshop have used the dots in this story about researching a foundling ancestor or this one about researching brick wall ancestors. If you want to try learning these strategies on your own, pick up a copy of Your DNA Guide–the Book, the textbook that comes with the Workshop. It is sold separately.