Can I Upload My Ancestry Dna to Ftdna

Somehow, I missed the proclamation that Family unit Tree DNA at present accepts uploads from MyHeritage.

Other people may have missed a few announcements too, or don't understand the options, and then I've created a quick and easy reference that shows which testing vendors' files tin can be uploaded to which other vendors.

Why Transfer?

Just and so that everyone is on the aforementioned page, if y'all test your autosomal Dna at ane vendor, Vendor A, some other vendors permit you to download your raw data file from Vendor A and transfer your results to their company, Vendor B.  The transfer to Vendor B is either free or lower price than testing from scratch.  One site, GedMatch, is not a testing vendor, but is a contribution/subscription comparison site.

Vendor B then processes your Dna file that you imported from Vendor A, and your results are then included in the database of Vendor B, which ways that y'all tin obtain your matches to other people in Vendor B'due south data base who tested there originally and others who accept likewise transferred.  You lot can also avail yourself of any other tools that Vendor B provides to their customers.  Tools vary widely between companies.  For example, Family unit Tree DNA, GedMatch and 23andMe provide chromosome browsers, while Ancestry does not.  All 3 major vendors (Family unit Tree Dna, Ancestry and 23andMe) have developed unique offerings (of varying quality) to help their customers understand the messages that their unique DNA carries.

Ok, Who Loves Whom?

The vendors in the left column are the vendors performing the autosomal Dna tests. The vendor row (plus GedMatch) across the top indicates who accepts upload transfers from whom, and which file versions. Please consider the notes below the chart.

(Nautical chart updated September 28, 2017)

Delight annotation that on Baronial 9, 2017, 23and Me began processing on the Illumina GSA chip which is not compatible with earlier versions.  As of tardily September 2017, only GedMatch accepts their upload and only in their Genesis sandbox area, not the normal production matching area.  This is due to the small overlap area with existing chips.  You tin can read more nearly the GSA chip and its ramifications here

• Family Tree Dna accepts uploads from both other major vendors (Ancestry and 23andMe) but the versions that are uniform with the bit used by FTDNA volition have more matches at Family Tree Dna. 23andMe V3, Ancestry V1 and MyHeritage results utilize the same bit and format as FTDNA. 23andMe V4 and Beginnings V2 utilize dissimilar formats utilizing just nigh half of the mutual locations. Family Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid even so allows free transfers and comparisons with other testers, just since at that place are simply well-nigh half of the aforementioned DNA locations in mutual with the FTDNA chip, matches will be fewer. Additional functions can be unlocked for a 1 time $xix fee.
• Neither Ancestry, 23andMe nor Genographic accept transfer data from any other vendors.
• MyHeritage does accept transfers, although that option is non easy to find. I checked with a MyHeritage representative and they provided me with the following data:  "You can upload an autosomal DNA file from your contour page on MyHeritage. To admission your profile folio, login to your MyHeritage account, then click on your name which is displayed towards the top right corner of the screen. Click on "My contour". On the contour folio you'll see a DNA tab, click on the tab and you'll see a link to upload a file."  MyHeritage has besides indicated that they will exist making ethnicity results available to individuals who transfer results into their arrangement in May, 2017.
• LivingDNA has just released an ethnicity product and does not take DNA matching adequacy to other testers.  Living DNA imputes Dna locations that they don't test, but the initial download only includes the Deoxyribonucleic acid locations really tested.
• WeGene's website is in Chinese and they are not a significant histrion, but I did include them because GedMatch accepts their files. WeGene's website indicates that they accept 23andme uploads, but I am unable to determine which version or versions. Given that their terms and weather and privacy and security information are not in English, I would be extremely hesitant before engaging in business. I would not be comfy in trusting on online translation for this type of document. SNPedia reports that WeGene has data quality issues.
• GedMatch is non a testing vendor, so has no entry in the left cavalcade, but does provide tools and accepts all versions of files from each vendor that provides files, to engagement, with the exception of the Genographic Project.  GedMatch is free (contribution based) for many features, only does take more advanced functions available for a $10 monthly subscription. The GedMatch Genesis platform is a sandbox area for files from vendors that cannot be put into production today due to matching and compatibility issues.
• The Genographic Project tested their participants at the Family Tree Dna lab until November 2016, when they moved to the Helix platform, which performs an exome exam using a different chip.
• The Beginnings V2 scrap began processing in May 2016.
• The 23andMe V3 chip began processing in December 2010. The 23andMe V4 chip began processing in November 2013. Their V5 chip August ix, 2017.

Incompatible Files

Please be aware that vendors that take different versions of other vendors files can only piece of work with the tested locations that are in the files generated by the testing vendors unless they utilise a technique called imputation.

For example, Family unit Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid tests about 700,000 locations which are on the same chip as MyHeritage, 23andMe V3 and Ancestry V1. In the later 23andMe V4 test, the before 23andMe V2 and the Ancestry V2 tests, only a portion of the aforementioned locations are tested.  The 23andMe V4 and Ancestry V2 chips only test nearly one-half of the file locations of the vendors who utilize the Illumina OmniExpress bit, merely non the same locations as each other since both the Beginnings V2 and 23andMe V4 chips are custom. 23andMe and Ancestry both changed their chips from the OmniExpress version and replaced genealogically relevant locations with medically relevant locations, creating a custom bit.

Update:  In Baronial 2017, 23andMe introduced their V5 scrap which has just about xx% overlap with previous fries.

I know this is disruptive, so I've created the following nautical chart for scrap and exam compatibility comparison.

(Chart updated Sept. 28, 2017)

You can easily see why the FTDNA, Ancestry V1, 23andMe V3 and MyHeritage tests are compatible with each other.  They all tested utilizing the aforementioned chip.  However, each vendor and so applies their ain unique matching and ethnicity algorithms to customer results, so your results will vary with each vendor, even when comparison ethnicity predictions or matching the aforementioned ii individuals to each other.

Apples to Apples to Imputation

It's difficult for vendors to compare apples to apples with not-compatible files.

I wrote about imputation in the article nigh MyHeritage, here and also more than generally, here. In a nutshell, imputation is a technique used to infer the Dna for locations a vendor doesn't test (or doesn't receive in a transfer file from another vendor) based on the location's neighboring Dna and DNA that is "usually" passed together as a packet.

Nevertheless, the imputed regions of Dna are not your DNA, and therefore don't comport your mutations, if whatsoever.

I created the following diagram when writing the MyHeritage commodity to explicate the concept of imputation when comparison multiple vendors' files showing locations tested, overlap and imputed regions. You tin click to enlarge the graphic.

Family Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid has chosen not to use imputation for transfer files and only compares the actual Dna locations tested and uploaded in vendor files, while MyHeritage has chosen to impute locations for incompatible files. Family Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid produces fewer, but accurate matches for incompatible transfer files.  MyHeritage continues to take matching issues.

MyHeritage may be using imputation for all transfer files to equalize the files to a maximum location count for all vendor files. This is speculation on my office, just is speculation based on the differences in matches from known uniform file versions to known matches at the original vendor and then at MyHeritage.

I compared matches to the same person at MyHeritage, GedMatch, Ancestry and Family Tree DNA. It appears that imputed matches do not consistently compare reliably. I'grand not convinced imputation can ever work reliably for genetic genealogy, because we demand our own Deoxyribonucleic acid and mutations. Regardless, imputation is in its infancy today and due to the Illumina GSA chip replacing the OmniExpress bit, imputation volition be widely used within the industry before long for backwards compatibility.

To date, 2 vendors are utilizing imputation. LivingDNA is using imputation with the GSA chip for ethnicity, and MyHeritage for Deoxyribonucleic acid matching.

Summary

Your best results are going to be to exam on the platform that the vendor offers, considering the vendor's match and ethnicity algorithms are optimized for their ain file formats and Dna locations tested.

That means that if you lot are transferring an Ancestry V1 file, a 23andMe V3 file or a MyHeritage file, for case, to Family Tree DNA, your matches at Family Tree Dna volition be the aforementioned as if y'all tested on the FTDNA platform.  You exercise not demand to retest at Family unit Tree DNA.

Notwithstanding, if you are transferring an Ancestry V2 file or 23andMe V4 file, you volition receive some matches, someplace between one quarter and half every bit compared to a exam run on the vendor'south ain chip. For people who can't be tested again, that's certainly better than nothing, and cantankerous-flake matching more often than not picks up the strongest matches because they tend to friction match in multiple locations. For people who can retest, testing at Family Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid would garner more than matches and better ethnicity results for those with 23andMe V2 and V4 tests too every bit Ancestry V2 tests.

For absolutely best results, swim in all of the major DNA testing pools, exam as many relatives every bit possible, and test on the vendor's Native chip to obtain the most matches.  Afterwards all, without sharing and matching, there is no genetic genealogy!

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Disclosure

I receive a small contribution when you click on some of the links to vendors in my articles. This does NOT increase the price y'all pay but helps me to keep the lights on and this informational blog free for everyone. Please click on the links in the articles or to the vendors below if yous are purchasing products or Dna testing.

Cheers so much.

Dna Purchases and Free Transfers

• Family Tree Dna
• MyHeritage DNA only
• MyHeritage DNA plus Wellness
• MyHeritage FREE DNA file upload
• AncestryDNA
• 23andMe Ancestry
• 23andMe Ancestry Plus Health
• LivingDNA

Genealogy Services

• MyHeritage FREE Tree Builder
• MyHeritage Subscription with Free Trial

Genealogy Enquiry

• Legacy Tree Genealogists for genealogy research

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Source: https://dna-explained.com/2017/04/11/autosomal-dna-transfers-which-companies-accept-which-tests/

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