How to download your AncestryDNA raw data

A step-by-step guide · Updated June 2026

23andMe & raw DNA

What is AncestryDNA raw data?

When AncestryDNA processes your saliva sample, it uses a genotyping array — a lab chip that reads specific, pre-chosen positions in your genome called SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms). A SNP is simply a spot in your DNA where people commonly differ by a single letter: one person has an A, another a G. AncestryDNA measures several hundred thousand of these positions. The ethnicity estimate and DNA Matches you see in your account are built from only part of that data, and they're presented as a genealogy product — family trees, regional percentages, relatives who share DNA with you.

The raw data is the underlying table of markers the chip actually measured, before Ancestry turned any of it into ethnicity charts. It's a plain-text file you can download and keep, analyze yourself, or import into other tools. Crucially, it's your data — Ancestry lets you download it for free, and once you have a copy on your own computer, it's yours regardless of what happens to your subscription or account later.

It's the same fundamental kind of file you'd get from 23andMe or MyHeritage: a genotyping-array SNP file. The formatting differs slightly between companies, but the substance is the same, which means analysis tools built to read a 23andMe file can almost always read an AncestryDNA file too.

Why download your AncestryDNA raw data?

You might reasonably ask why to bother, since Ancestry already shows you results in the app. A few solid reasons:

• Own a permanent copy. Your genome doesn't change, but companies do. Subscriptions lapse, terms of service change, and consumer-genomics companies have been sold, restructured, and shut down. Downloading the raw file means you keep your data even if you close the account or the service disappears. (For why this matters, see what happens to your DNA data when a company is sold.)
• Explore health, not just heritage. AncestryDNA is deliberately focused on genealogy — ethnicity estimates and finding relatives. It doesn't surface the health-relevant markers its chip measured. But those markers are in the raw file. With a separate interpretation tool you can look at carrier status, trait markers, pharmacogenomics, and genetic risk factors the genealogy product never mentions.
• Use it in other tools. The same file works across many third-party services — other genealogy databases, trait explorers, and health-interpretation tools. Downloading once lets you reuse your data anywhere without re-testing.
• Keep it before closing the account. If you're planning to delete your data or cancel, download the raw file first. Once an account is deleted, that free download is gone.

A short caution before the health part: this data is research and educational, not a medical test. Genotyping arrays are excellent for what they do, but they read selected positions rather than sequencing your whole genome, and consumer files aren't a substitute for clinical genetic testing. Treat anything you learn as a starting point for questions, not a diagnosis.

How to download your AncestryDNA raw data, step by step

The raw-data download is done on the Ancestry website, not the mobile app. On a computer:

1. Log in to your account at ancestry.com.
2. Click the DNA tab and open Your DNA Results Summary.
3. Click Settings (top-right of the DNA results page).
4. Under Download your raw DNA data, click Download.
5. Enter your password to confirm, then check the box and submit. Ancestry emails you a confirmation link — you must click it to start the download (a security step).
6. Follow the link from the email and click Download DNA Data. It saves as a .zip containing a tab-separated .txt file.

A few practical notes on the process:

• Do it on a desktop or laptop. The download flow lives in the website's account settings, and the confirmation link opens most cleanly in a full browser.
• Use the email address on the account. The confirmation link is sent there, so make sure you can access that inbox. If you don't see the email, check spam and give it a few minutes.
• The wait is usually short but not instant. Ancestry prepares the file server-side, then sends the link. This is often just a few minutes, but the company allows for up to 24 hours during busy periods.
• Save it somewhere safe. The download is a .zip file. Store it in a place you control — an encrypted drive or a personal folder — rather than leaving it in a shared Downloads folder or emailing it to yourself. This is a file you can never regenerate the contents of, only re-download while the account exists.

What your AncestryDNA raw data file looks like

Unzip the file and open it in any text editor. After some header lines you'll see one row per marker, with columns for:

• rsid — the reference ID for the marker (e.g. rs429358)
• chromosome and position — where it sits in the genome
• allele1 and allele2 — the two letters you inherited at that spot

AncestryDNA splits the genotype into two columns (allele1/allele2) and separates fields with tabs, much like 23andMe. A single row might read something like: an rsID, then a chromosome number, then a position, then the two letters you carry — for example an A and a G. Multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of markers on the chip and you have the whole file: a long, simple lookup table of where you sit at each measured position. There's nothing mysterious in it, and nothing interpreted — it's raw in the truest sense. Good analysis tools handle the small format differences between vendors automatically.

How AncestryDNA's file compares to 23andMe's

People often ask whether an AncestryDNA file is "as good" as a 23andMe file, or whether tools built for one will read the other. The short answer: they're close cousins, and for most third-party interpretation the difference barely matters.

Both companies use genotyping arrays that read a curated set of SNPs rather than sequencing your entire genome. Both output a tab-separated text file listing, for each marker, an rsID, a chromosome, a position, and your genotype. The main differences are cosmetic and technical:

• Genotype layout. 23andMe typically writes the two alleles together in one column (e.g. AG), while AncestryDNA splits them into two columns (A and G). Any competent parser normalizes this.
• Which markers are on the chip. Each company chooses a somewhat different set of SNPs to genotype, and updates its chip over the years. So the two files won't contain exactly the same list of markers — but they overlap heavily on the well-studied variants most interpretation tools care about.
• Reference build and header format. The header lines and the genome build referenced can differ. Again, mature tools account for this.

The practical upshot: if a tool advertises support for "23andMe raw data," it very likely accepts AncestryDNA and MyHeritage files too, because they're the same category of file. If you've read our guide to the best tools to interpret 23andMe raw data, essentially all of it applies to an AncestryDNA file. The differences are in the plumbing, not in what you can learn.

What to do with your raw data next

On its own the file is unreadable, so you feed it into an analysis tool to translate those genotypes into plain-language findings — health risk, carrier status, pharmacogenomics, and traits. The same tools that interpret 23andMe raw data generally accept AncestryDNA files, and our complete guide to analyzing raw DNA data applies here too. (Have a different test? See our guides for 23andMe and MyHeritage.)

This is where the important choice comes in.

Is it safe to upload your raw DNA to third-party sites?

Most interpretation tools ask you to upload your raw file to their servers — handing your genetic data, the one piece of information you can never change, to another company subject to its policies, breaches, and whatever happens if it's sold. As the collapse of consumer-genomics companies has shown, uploading is a one-way decision with permanent data.

There is a safer path: analyze the file on your own device, so it never leaves your phone. Quanome reads your AncestryDNA, 23andMe, or MyHeritage raw file locally, alongside your labs and Apple Health data, and never uploads it. For more on owning your genetic data, browse the rest of the Quanome blog.

Frequently asked questions

What's actually in the AncestryDNA raw data file?

A long list of genotypes. For each of the several hundred thousand SNPs the chip measured, the file records the marker's rsID, its chromosome and position in the genome, and the two DNA letters (alleles) you carry there. It does not contain your ethnicity estimate, your DNA Matches, or any interpretation — those are separate products Ancestry builds on top of a portion of this data. The raw file is the neutral, uninterpreted measurement layer.

Can I use my AncestryDNA raw data for health insights?

Yes, with an important caveat. AncestryDNA is a genealogy product and doesn't present health information, but the raw file it gives you contains many health-relevant markers. Loading that file into a health-interpretation tool can surface carrier status, trait markers, pharmacogenomic notes, and genetic risk factors. However, this is educational, not clinical. A consumer genotyping file reads selected positions and isn't a diagnostic test; anything notable is a prompt to talk with a doctor or a genetic counselor, not a conclusion. If you want the fuller picture of what these files can and can't tell you, see what 23andMe raw data reveals about health — the same principles apply to AncestryDNA files.

Is it safe to download my raw data?

Downloading the file itself is safe and is the whole point of ownership — it's your data, delivered over Ancestry's secure, password-and-email-confirmed flow. The real question is what you do after you have it. Storing it carelessly (a shared computer, an unencrypted cloud folder, an email attachment) or re-uploading it to third-party servers is where the risk lives. Keep the file somewhere you control, and prefer tools that read it locally rather than uploading it.

How is AncestryDNA's file different from 23andMe's?

They're the same category of file — genotyping-array SNP text files — with minor formatting differences. AncestryDNA splits your genotype across two allele columns; 23andMe usually keeps them in one. The exact set of markers on each company's chip differs somewhat, and header details vary. None of this stops mainstream interpretation tools from reading either file. If you have both a 23andMe and an AncestryDNA test, you can often analyze both and compare coverage. See our companion guide on how to download your 23andMe raw data if you want to grab that file too.

What if I want to delete my Ancestry data later?

Download the raw file first, then delete. Once your account and data are removed, the free download is no longer available, so an offline copy is the only way to keep your genome. If deletion is on your mind, our walkthrough on how to delete your 23andMe data covers the general download-then-delete approach that applies across these services.

Frequently asked questions

Is downloading my AncestryDNA raw data free?

Yes. Downloading your own raw DNA data from your AncestryDNA account is free. Some third-party tools then charge to interpret it; on-device options like Quanome avoid uploading it at all.

What file format is AncestryDNA raw data?

AncestryDNA delivers raw data as a tab-separated text file inside a .zip, listing RSID, chromosome, position, and your two alleles. Most analysis tools accept this format alongside 23andMe and MyHeritage files.

How long does the AncestryDNA download take?

After you request it and confirm by email, AncestryDNA prepares the file and sends a download link. This usually takes a few minutes but can take up to 24 hours.

Can I use my AncestryDNA raw data for health insights?

Yes. AncestryDNA focuses on ethnicity and family matching, but the raw file contains health-relevant markers you can explore with other tools. The most private option is an on-device app like Quanome that reads the file locally instead of uploading it.

How do I read or interpret AncestryDNA raw data?

The raw file is just genotypes (rsID plus your two alleles) — unreadable on its own. To interpret it, load it into an analysis tool that translates those markers into plain-language health, carrier, and trait findings. You can try it instantly and privately in our free in-browser DNA explorer, or follow our complete guide to analyzing raw DNA data.