While Ancestry DNA continues to be my favorite place to test DNA and build a tree, there have been some exciting things going on at My Heritage DNA. I have uploaded all of the kits that I manage, with the test taker’s permission, of course, to My Heritage DNA, and I have begun to recommend that my readers consider doing the same.
It’s really easy to do, and if you want to learn how to upload to My Heritage DNA, just keep reading.
Which companies does My Heritage accept uploads from?
My Heritage DNA currently only accepts DNA uploads from the following companies:
- Ancestry DNA
- 23 and Me
- Family Tree DNA
Why should I upload to My Heritage DNA?
This article’s main focus is to help you understand how to upload, but here are three reasons why you should go ahead and do the upload:
- It’s free, so you don’t have to spend any more money doing a completely new DNA test.
- You can get access to thousands of DNA matches that have not tested with other companies. This is great, especially if you are looking for living relatives, or really need to find out as much as you can about your family’s history. I lost three great-grandparents to tuberculosis, and the families were split up – DNA tests are a great way to locate those 2nd and 3rd cousins.
- Your ethnicity estimate is like a “second opinion”. You might find trace ethnicities that you didn’t know about, or get a completely different estimate which might help you understand your roots better.
Especially for people who are adopted, searching for an unknown biological parent, or have relatively recent brick walls in their family tree, uploading your DNA to as many websites as possible is the best strategy to learn the most from your DNA. (Read about other free places to upload your DNA here)
How to upload your DNA to My Heritage
There are several simple steps to follow to get your DNA uploaded to the My Heritage DNA database.
Step One – Download your DNA from your testing company
The first thing you will need to do is to download your raw DNA file. Read here how to download your raw DNA data from Ancestry DNA, or here how to download your DNA from Family Tree DNA.
Step Two – Create your My Heritage DNA account
Once you have saved your raw data on your computer, you should go ahead and create a My Heritage DNA account.
Step Three – Visit the My Heritage DNA Autosomal DNA Transfer page
Once you have downloaded your DNA, and have a shiny, new My Heritage account, you will want to visit this page:
My Heritage DNA Autosomal DNA Upload Page
and then, click on the purple “Start” button.
Step Four – Fill out the form and click “Go”
If you are uploading your own data, then all you need to do is verify that the data is yours, agree to the consent and terms of service, as shown in the image below:
If you are uploading someone else’s DNA, you will need to indicate whether the person who took the test is male or female, enter their first and last name, year of birth, accept the terms of service, accept consent, and verify that you have been given permission to upload the DNA file. Below is an image of what this process looks like:
Step Five – Click “Upload” and choose your DNA file from your computer
The final step is to click the purple “Upload” button, and choose the correct DNA file from your computer. Ancestry DNA files are in a .zip format, so make sure that you just click on the .zip folder exactly how you downloaded it (don’t open it or extract it first).
That’s it! See? I told you it was easy. It’s one of the easiest uploads that I have experienced doing genetic genealogy.
How long does it take to get your results after you upload to My Heritage DNA?
It usually takes 5-7 days, but can sometimes take up to two weeks to receive your complete results. Usually, your ethnicity results are done before your DNA matches populate, so check back in a few days after you complete your upload to see if your estimate is ready yet.
Conclusion
I hope that this post helped you get through the steps required to upload your DNA to My Heritage DNA. Don’t forget that there are several websites that accept transfers of DNA. Another great place to find DNA matches is Family Tree DNA. If you use the following link, you will get taken directly to the upload page. It’s free to make the transfer, but if you make any purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which really helps me support this website: Click here to transfer your DNA to Family Tree DNA
If you have any questions about something that you’ve read here, or any of your results, please feel free to leave a message in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by!