Genomeats

How do I download my raw DNA file?

Every major DNA-testing company lets you download your "raw data": a text file listing your two letters (A, C, G or T) at several hundred thousand positions. You request it from your account settings, confirm your identity, and the company emails you a link — within a day at AncestryDNA, and usually about a week at 23andMe.

The steps below are summarised from each company's own help page, read on 23 October 2026. Companies change their menus; if a step does not match what you see, the linked help page is the authority.

23andMe

  1. Sign in and open the raw data page: click your profile name (top right) → Resources → Browse Raw Genotyping Data → Download. You can also go to Account Settings and click View under 23andMe Data.
  2. Confirm the date of birth on the profile, read the notes, tick the box and choose Submit request.
  3. Wait for the email "Your 23andMe raw data download is ready!". 23andMe says this usually takes about one week and can take up to thirty days.
  4. Follow the email link and confirm the birth date again. The file downloads as a .zip whose name begins with genome.

Source: 23andMe Customer Care, "Accessing Your Raw Genetic Data", read 2026-10-23. 23andMe also notes that only a subset of markers in the raw data has been individually validated, and that the data is for informational use only.

AncestryDNA

  1. Open your DNA Settings and select the test you want.
  2. Scroll to Download or Delete and select Download DNA data.
  3. Tick the box to confirm you understand, then Continue.
  4. Verify your account with your current password or with a code sent by email.
  5. Check your inbox — the email can take up to 24 hours. Select Download DNA Data in the email. The link works once and expires after a week; only the most recent request's link is valid.
  6. The file downloads as dna-data-(date).zip.

Source: Ancestry Support, "Downloading DNA Data", read 2026-10-23.

MyHeritage

  1. Hover over the DNA tab and go to Manage DNA kits.
  2. Next to your kit, click the three dots and choose Download kit.
  3. If you see "Choose what to download", select DNA data file, then Continue.
  4. Tick the box to accept responsibility for the downloaded copy, then Continue, and follow the remaining instructions in the help article.

MyHeritage notes that only the kit manager can download, that the option appears only once results are published, that kits uploaded from another company cannot be downloaded again, and that raw-data downloads work on a computer or Android device — not on an iPhone or iPad.

Source: MyHeritage Help Center, "How do I download my raw DNA data file or CRAM file from MyHeritage?", read 2026-10-23.

FamilyTreeDNA (Family Finder)

  1. Turn on two-factor authentication — FamilyTreeDNA requires it before you can download data.
  2. Sign in to your kit. On the dashboard, find Autosomal DNA Results & Tools → See More → Data Download; or use the top menu Results & Tools → Autosomal DNA → Download Raw Data.
  3. Download Build 37 Concatenated Raw data (all autosomal and X-chromosome positions). It arrives as a compressed .gz file containing a CSV.

Data you transferred into FamilyTreeDNA from another company cannot be downloaded again.

Source: FamilyTreeDNA Help, "Downloading Your Family Finder Data", read 2026-10-23.

Getting the file onto your iPhone

Genomeats opens the file straight from the Files app and accepts the formats these companies deliver (.txt, .csv, .zip, .gz), so you do not need to unzip anything. If you downloaded on a computer, move the file to your phone with iCloud Drive or AirDrop, then pick it in the app.

Handle the file like a medical record

What to look up first

Genomeats reads your file on your phone — nothing is uploaded. Coming soon to the App Store.