For years the standard advice to anyone researching family history with DNA was to test once and upload your data everywhere else. In 2026 that advice needs a footnote. Some companies stopped accepting uploads, others set limits on file versions, and guides written even a year ago can be wrong. This post explains the basics of transferring DNA data, what company statements and third-party guides report, and how to check the current position before you act.
What transferring means
When you test with a company, you can usually download your raw data, a file of the genetic markers measured by the test. Some other companies and tools accept that file, which lets you appear in their database without a new sample. The transfer gives you a new set of matches among that company’s customers, and sometimes extra tools. It does not change your DNA or the original results. Matches from different companies are separate, because each database contains only its own customers and uploaders.
What companies and guides say
| Company | Reported position on accepting uploads | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MyHeritage | No longer supported; a MyHeritage DNA kit is needed for matches and ethnicity reports | MyHeritage help centre, article dated July 2026 |
| AncestryDNA | Does not accept uploads from other companies | UK professional genealogy guide, updated October 2025 |
| 23andMe | Does not accept uploads from other companies | Same guide |
| FamilyTreeDNA | Reported to accept uploads from several companies, with limits on file versions | Third-party guides, 2026; check the company’s help page |
| Living DNA | Reported to accept uploads | Third-party guides, 2026 |
The MyHeritage entry is the one that has changed most visibly. The help centre says plainly that uploads are no longer supported, while some guides and search summaries still list it as an upload destination, so a statement from the company is the one to trust. A UK professional genealogy site updated in October 2025 to reflect the change, and a comparison of upload sites in 2026 lists the sites that still accept files and the versions each accepts. Treat any third-party list as a starting point, and verify on the company’s own help page.
Strategy when uploads are limited
- Choose the test by the pool you need. If your relatives are in one database, test there first.
- Use transfers where the rules allow. Upload to services that still accept files, within their limits.
- Do not assume a file will be accepted. Companies change accepted versions.
- Keep your raw data. Download it and store it safely, so you keep the option.
- Consider a second test if the pool matters. A new sample at a company that no longer accepts uploads is the only way into its database.
Costs of a second test
If a database matters to you and uploads are closed, a second test is the only way in. Weigh that against what you expect to gain: relatives who have tested only there. Ask your cousins which company they used, look at whether your key relatives appear in a database through a tree, and decide whether the gain justifies another sample. Many researchers test at one company and build the rest through records and transfers.
Privacy and terms
Every upload gives another company a copy of your genetic data, and each has its own policies. Before you upload, read the terms on research use, visibility of your matches and deletion. Our post on privacy and company changes lists the questions to ask. If a company changes owners or terms, you can only act on data you control, so keep track of where your file is.
Why it matters for Austrian research
Austrian and Central European families are spread across companies. Relatives in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe tend to have tested in different places, and the cousin who holds the key photograph may be in a database you have not joined. A narrower transfer landscape therefore makes it more important to ask relatives where they tested before you choose. The choosing guide helps you decide, and the matches post explains what to do with the results.
Invented example: Imagine an invented researcher, Elena, who tested at one company years ago and now wants to reach cousins in a database that no longer accepts uploads. She checks the company’s help page, confirms the position and decides whether a new test is worth it. Meanwhile she downloads her raw data and uploads it to a service that still accepts files, which gives her another set of matches at no extra sample. She also asks two cousins which company they used. This is a made-up case to show the order of checks.
Whole-genome and array tests
Most consumer tests have been array tests, which read a fixed set of markers. Some companies are moving toward whole-genome sequencing, which reads much more of the DNA. A third-party report says MyHeritage announced a move to whole-genome sequencing for its kit in October 2025, and that FamilyTreeDNA lists array files from before October 2025 among those it accepts. The practical lesson is that file formats change, and a file from an older test may not be accepted by a newer service, so check the version rules before you upload.
How to check the current position
- Search the company’s help centre for upload. Look at the date on the article.
- Check which file versions are accepted. Older and newer files may differ.
- Note the date of any third-party guide. Many are out of date.
- Read the privacy terms for uploaded data. They may differ from those for kits.
- Keep a record of what you uploaded where. It prevents confusion later.
Where to go next
The post on what DNA can show explains the limits of any result, and the DNA and Austrian ancestry page gives an overview. MyHeritage and other platforms are compared on the genealogy records hub, and the starter kit includes a log for tests and uploads.
Upload rules change quickly, so use this post as a checklist and not as a statement of what is allowed today. If you find that a statement here no longer matches a company’s help page, trust the help page, and note the date you checked it in your research log so you can see later what changed.
