What to Do After Your DNA Test Results Come In

Your results notification just landed. The dashboard is open, the percentages look interesting, the matches list is longer than you expected. Now what. The first hour of looking at your results is mostly the fun part. The next few weeks are where the test actually pays off, if you take a few specific steps in roughly the right order.

Step 1: download your raw data, today

This is the single most important post-results action. Every major company lets you download a copy of your DNA data, and most users never do. Having your own copy means you do not lose access if the company changes terms, retires a feature, or restructures. 23andMe’s Chapter 11 filing in 2025 and the TTAM Research Institute transition are the recent reminder of why this matters; Nebula Genomics’ February 2025 shutdown was the other.

The process is a few clicks per company. Our raw DNA data guide covers what the file is, where to find the download in each company’s dashboard, and where you can upload it later for free matching.

Save the file somewhere you will find it again. Folder in your cloud storage, local backup, done.

Step 2: review your consent settings

Sample registration asked you to make several consent decisions before you mailed the kit. It is worth revisiting them now, with the results in front of you, because the defaults are not always what you would pick on reflection.

The two consequential ones at most companies:

Research consent. Whether your de-identified data can be used in internal or partner research. Reversible. Reading the current text of the research consent and deciding consciously is worth ten minutes.

Matching visibility. Whether you appear in other users’ match lists, whether your name and tree are visible, whether you can be contacted. Some platforms also let you opt out of matching entirely. If you have any reason to be careful about being discovered by unknown relatives, these settings are the place to be careful.

For the broader picture on consent, data use, and the post-23andMe-bankruptcy landscape, see our genetic data privacy guide.

Step 3: work your closest matches first

The matches list is sorted by shared centimorgans (cM), highest first. Start at the top.

A rough cM cheat sheet (drawn from genealogist Blaine Bettinger’s shared cM project, the standard reference):

• 1,700 to 2,400 cM: parent or full sibling
• 1,200 to 1,500 cM: grandparent, aunt or uncle, half-sibling
• 575 to 1,330 cM: first cousin
• 215 to 650 cM: second cousin
• 45 to 215 cM: third cousin
• under 45 cM: more distant or possibly noise

Any single cM number usually fits several possible relationships, not just one. The company’s “predicted relationship” is the most likely option in a set, not a final answer.

Practical first moves: identify which matches you already know (Aunt Linda, your second cousin Sam), which side of the family they likely come from, and which unknown matches share the most DNA with the known ones. “Shared matches” or “in common with” tools group matches who share DNA with each other and with you, which is how you start to identify branches of the tree.

If you uncover something unexpected (a previously unknown half-sibling, a parent who is not who you thought, a closer biological relative than the family tree implied), step away from the dashboard before deciding what to do. DNA Detectives on Facebook and Search Squad are two well-established support communities. A counselor or therapist with experience in non-paternity-event situations is the next step if it is significant.

Step 4: upload your raw data to the other databases

If you tested at AncestryDNA, your matches list only shows other Ancestry customers. Uploading your raw data to other services is free at several of them and surfaces matches you cannot see otherwise.

• MyHeritage accepts free uploads from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and others.
• FamilyTreeDNA accepts free uploads from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage for autosomal matching.
• GEDmatch accepts uploads from most major services and runs cross-database matching plus a variety of analytic tools.

For where to upload and what to expect, see our raw DNA data guide.

Step 5: build or upload a family tree

DNA matches without a family tree are a puzzle without a picture on the box. A basic tree (you, your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) attached to your DNA results unlocks features that make the matches make sense. AncestryDNA’s ThruLines and 23andMe’s family-tree tools both use your tree plus your matches’ trees to suggest common ancestors.

If you do not already have a tree, start small. Names, birth and death years, and locations for the people you know. The rest grows from records research, which is what the optional records subscriptions on Ancestry and MyHeritage are for; see our DNA test cost guide for what those run.

Step 6: read health and trait reports carefully (or don’t)

This is the section where reading without context can cause real harm.

If your test includes health reports (23andMe is the main one, along with tellmeGen and a few others), read with these principles in mind, which reflect the consensus position of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC):

• A “no variants detected” result does not rule out a condition. Consumer tests check a specific subset of variants, not the whole gene.
• A “variant detected” result is not a diagnosis. It is one input that needs to be weighed against family history, other variants, and other risk factors.
• Do not make medical decisions based on a consumer health report alone. Not medication changes, not surgical decisions, not reproductive choices.
• If a result concerns you, talk to a professional. The NSGC genetic counselor directory lets you search board-certified counselors by location and specialty. Many take insurance. Your primary care physician is also an appropriate starting point.

We do not interpret individual results on this site. Our how to read DNA test results guide explains what each section means in general terms; specific results belong with a professional.

Step 7: keep going (or don’t)

A DNA test can be a one-evening curiosity or a multi-year research project. Either is fine. If you want to keep going, the natural next steps are building out the family tree, exploring records, and corresponding with the matches who responded. If you don’t, you have the raw data file safely backed up and can come back to any of it later.

For broader buyer guidance, see our guide to choosing a DNA test.