It’s working again! At last …
You can upload your DNA test results from Ancestry.com and/or 23andme to Family Tree DNA again! You get a free look and then can pay a mere $19 to get all the tools and information.
Click here for an old blog post of mine for help on getting your DNA data and transferring it. You have to be logged out of any account you have there with family finder results (mtDNA and Y are OK), before you upload. First you sign up for a new username and password (each test result has its own log in). Also be sure to use the zipped download of your data.
I recommend that you download your raw data again to do this. When I rezipped an old ancestry file and tried it, I was told that it was the wrong format but when I downloaded it again, the new version worked just fine.
After reading this, I remembered that I did this last year and never followed up with it that much. I went to the website and then spent nearly an hour trying to upload a GedCom from Ancestry to my family tree on the site. Virtually every thing I tried to do on their website was either impossible or unusually difficult. I even changed browsers to see if it helped. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong there?
Kate, using Family Tree DNA after being accustomed to ancestry is a culture shock… also the site might be suffering from too many people getting on there.
The connection between your tree and your DNA is not like at ancestry so your tree is not strictly necessary there although helpful to others. I upload only about 12 generations of ancestors and 2 generations of their descendants.
The main strategy is to look at your closest matches, which segments, who is in commons, and contact them.
Here is my page on using the site with links to more information:
http://blog.kittycooper.com/dna-testing/dna-basics/family-tree-dna-basics/
Thanks so much! I’ll check this out. It seemed to me to hardly be worth the effort, but I’ll use your suggestions.
Kate
One of my 23andMe matches informed me of this (and said it was free! which is was – not like when I did it in 2012) on Feb 16, the same day of this post. I thought I had just missed it when I had checked several days earlier. I swore it said they weren’t accepting 23andMe v4. I uploaded my dad, which was super easy, and his results were available almost immediately, but the site was so slow I had trouble viewing anything. If this is brand new, I expect high user volume as all of the people who have been waiting to be able to upload rushed the site. 😀
$19 to unlock other functions and additional matches is phenomenal. As I mentioned, I did this with my own results in 2012, and had to pay (I think it was $37? More?) to even be able to upload, and then I’m pretty sure I had to wait for results to be processed. The free version includes the first page of matches, which is really all the most useful information in the case of my dad. I didn’t find anything there that was not already on my own list. The ability to link him to my tree and use him to find “in common with” matches on my account is more useful than anything.
I also want to add that I am really most excited about this, because I have an FTDNA kits for other family members, and now those on my paternal side who choose to maintain their own accounts will also be able to see my dad in their matches without having to play around in GedMatch.
Target has 23andMe me kits in pharmacy aisle for $5.00 off the $69. Price!!! My
I stumbled upon this post by complete chance and am so glad I did. I tried transferring my 23andMe data to Family Tree DNA late last year and it wasn’t accepting the particular version at that time. Completely forgot about that until a general search led me here. Tried again and now my data is being processed by Family Tree DNA for $19. I was actually considering buying one of their kits but now I don’t have to. Thanks so much for the timely tip 🙂
You are very welcome, I plan to try to convince a few of my ancestry matches who have been delaying on GEDmatch over privacy concerns to try this!
I have uploaded my ancestry.com results but I can’t for the life of me access anything or even see that is transferred. I got an email from ftdna for the $19 thing but can’t seem to do that either. any help would be great!
Also if you can login, see http://blog.kittycooper.com/dna-basics/family-tree-dna-basics/ for some help on what you can do. Mainly you can see and contact your matches there without paying the $19
If you have your login credentials, login in and then click on matches under family finder… If you can’t log in, Contact their help desk
Sucks, very amateur database management. This week Y DNA can’t be researched. I was told its a Bug they know about. Amazingly childish, maybe they’ve hired their kids to be their IT department. Hard to believe it is so much like a High School project.
I always, YES “always” have to do my research on Ancestry.com At least their databases are searchable.
Oh, paid about $600 for the service – that is a known bug!