How to Delete Your AncestryDNA Data: Step-by-Step (2026)

AncestryDNA’s deletion process has a useful feature most users miss: you can delete your DNA test results without deleting your whole Ancestry account. That matters if you have a family tree, photos, or a paid records subscription you want to keep. We walk through both options, plus the separate sample destruction request.

Step 1: Download your raw DNA data first

You cannot retrieve raw DNA data once the test has been deleted. If there is any chance you will want to upload your file to MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, GEDmatch, or a future service, download it first.

Sign in at ancestry.com. Go to DNA, then click “Settings” on the right side of your DNA results page. Look for the “Download Raw DNA Data” option. You will receive an email with a download link after a short delay.

Save the file somewhere durable. Our complete guide is at how to download your raw DNA data.

Step 2: Decide which deletion you want

AncestryDNA gives you three different scopes of deletion, and they are not the same thing.

Delete just the DNA test results. This removes your genotype data and DNA matches but keeps your Ancestry account, family tree, photos, and records subscription intact. This is the right choice if you want to stop being matchable but keep using Ancestry as a genealogy platform.

Delete the entire Ancestry account. This removes your account, family tree, uploaded photos, and DNA data together. You lose access to any records subscription you have paid for.

Request sample destruction. This is separate from either of the above and concerns the physical saliva sample, not the digital data.

Step 3: Delete your DNA test results only

If you want to remove only the DNA portion, sign in and go to DNA. Open “Settings” on your DNA results page. Scroll to the “Delete Test Results” option and follow the prompts.

You will be asked to confirm by email. After confirmation, Ancestry removes the test from your account. Your DNA matches lose you as a match. Per the company’s documentation, this removes the genotype data from the live consumer systems, subject to limited retention required for legal and operational reasons.

Step 4: Delete your entire Ancestry account

If you want to leave Ancestry altogether, sign in and go to your account settings. Look for “Delete Account” or a similar option, typically under account preferences or membership.

Deleting the account removes the DNA test, the family tree, uploaded photos, and personal information together. Any active paid subscription should be cancelled separately first, and a refund policy applies based on the timing.

Step 5: Request sample destruction

Ancestry stores the physical saliva sample after analysis unless you ask otherwise. Deleting your test results or your account does not automatically destroy the sample.

To request sample destruction, contact Ancestry support through the Ancestry Support site and ask for the physical sample associated with your kit to be destroyed. Provide your kit number or the email the test was registered under. Keep the support ticket as written confirmation.

What deletion does and does not do

Deleting your DNA results stops future matching, future processing, and future research participation if you had opted in. Deletion does not:

• Reverse research uses already completed under your prior consent.
• Affect your relatives’ DNA data. Cousins who matched with you will simply see one fewer match.
• Remove data from third parties you may have shared your raw data with separately (for example, if you uploaded your raw file to GEDmatch or to another service, those copies are not deleted by Ancestry).

If you want to be unmatchable on those third-party sites too, you need to log in to each separately and delete or hide your data there.

After deletion

You can re-test in the future if you change your mind, or upload your downloaded raw data to services that accept uploads. See DNA test privacy policies compared for how AncestryDNA’s policies stack up against the rest of the field, and who owns your DNA after a test for the broader legal context.

This piece is part of our Genetic Data Privacy guide.