Can You Upload 23andMe Raw Data to AncestryDNA
AncestryDNA does not currently accept raw DNA uploads from 23andMe or any other company. Here is where your 23andMe file works without retesting.
AncestryDNA does not currently accept raw DNA uploads from 23andMe or other companies. Your file is still useful, but not inside AncestryDNA.
AncestryDNA does not currently take uploads from 23andMe. The raw file is not broken. The database is currently closed.
Can I upload my 23andMe raw data to AncestryDNA?
No. AncestryDNA currently requires its own kit if you want AncestryDNA results. The site does not currently have a raw DNA upload page for 23andMe files or any other company's data. If you want AncestryDNA's ancestry estimate or its DNA matching database, you must currently buy an AncestryDNA kit and submit a new sample.
That may sound like a file format issue. It is not. A 23andMe raw data file is a plain text list of genotype calls. An algorithm could read it, but AncestryDNA currently does not accept it as an input.
Why the file is not the problem
A raw DNA file from 23andMe is sparse data. It does not contain your whole genome. It contains a list of specific positions that a chosen chip could read. Different companies use different marker sets and keep their matching databases closed, so direct compatibility can be limited. That means a 23andMe report cannot simply read an AncestryDNA file as if it came from a 23andMe chip.
So this is not a universal file format problem. It is mainly a business choice to keep the matching database closed, plus data consistency considerations.
Where a 23andMe file does work
Some third-party tools may currently accept a 23andMe raw data file as an upload. They will read the file and produce something from it. Available features, match databases, and prices change, so check the current terms before uploading.
| Destination | Accepts 23andMe? | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| AncestryDNA | No | No upload tool. Must buy a kit. |
| Some third-party tools | Varies | May accept uploads. Features and terms change. |
| HealthOS DNA tool | Yes | Local trait and health report. Optional server-based ancestry. |
Scroll the table sideways for the rest →
Practical upload options after a 23andMe test. AncestryDNA is not one of them. Features and terms change.
Each service has its own database and its own rules. An upload to one service does not show you matches or reports from another.
For health and trait reports, HealthOS provides a free browser-based tool that analyzes a 23andMe file locally. The HealthOS optional server analysis sends only needed markers, deletes them afterwards unless the person chooses to keep the file, and reports against 1,840 reference genomes with 14 world regions and closest present-day populations.
Can I see AncestryDNA matches without retesting?
No. AncestryDNA's match list lives inside AncestryDNA's own database. You cannot see it by uploading elsewhere. Even if you upload your 23andMe file to a third-party service, you are seeing that service's database, not AncestryDNA's.
The common mistake is assuming that a raw DNA file is like a photo you can post anywhere and the same people see it. DNA matching does not work that way. Each company compares people inside its own database.
Do you need to retest with AncestryDNA?
If you specifically want AncestryDNA's ethnicity estimate or its cousin matching database, yes. There is currently no way around retesting.
If you already have a 23andMe file and want trait and health findings or an ancestry report, no. You can use the file you have.
What to do with your 23andMe file right now
If you want the fastest use from the file you already have, run it through the free DNA tool at HealthOS. The tool reads a raw 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA, WeGene, or whole-genome VCF file from Nebula, Dante Labs, Sequencing.com and others in the browser, free, and the DNA story needs no account (the full report opens in the HealthOS app after a 6-digit email code). The browser-based report shows trait and health findings locally without uploading your raw file to a server.
The optional server analysis sends only needed markers, deletes them afterwards unless the person chooses to keep the file, and reports against 1,840 reference genomes with 14 world regions and closest present-day populations.
A VCF file without rsIDs can receive the ancestry report only. The trait and health report needs rsIDs to match the genotype calls.
HealthOS does not provide a relative matching database, DNA sequencing, or polygenic risk scores. APOE and haplogroup reports are not part of the free report. They are available only through Ask your DNA with stored consent and 5 free questions, if relevant to your file.
The download steps for 23andMe, on the page itself.
Ancestry against 1,840 reference genomes.
That closes the loop on the original question: AncestryDNA will not currently take the file, but the file still has real value.
New to raw DNA files? Start with the full guide: How to Download & Analyze Your 23andMe Raw Data Free
Written by
HealthOS Research