Your data belongs to you
You control your data. Your personal account data, tree data, and DNA Data are available for you to download anytime. Once you submit a request, you are entitled to receive this information within 30 days.
Account data
- If prompted, sign in to your Ancestry account.
- If you need assistance with logging in, see Resetting a Forgotten Password.
- At the bottom of the "Account data" section, click Request account data.
- When your data becomes available, you’ll receive an email, and a download link will appear on the page. Most of your data will be available to download within a few hours, but some files may take up to 30 days to generate. When a file is available for download, you’ll receive an email at the email address associated with your Ancestry account.
- To download a file, click the download link for that file or Download all to download all the ready files. To protect your data, you’ll need to enter your password before the download will begin. Your account data files will expire 30 days after they are generated. To re-request your account data, restart the process at any time by clicking Request account data.
Tree data
- If prompted, sign in to your Ancestry account.
- In the "Your trees" section, select a tree.
- Select Download. The link to download your family tree will expire when you next update that tree. You can request a new download at any time.
- The file will be downloaded to your device. The filename will be (treename).ged. If you can’t find it, check your Downloads folder or your Desktop. You can also search for the filename (if you have a PC) by clicking the Windows key
on your keyboard and entering ".ged" in the search bar that appears, or (if you have a Mac) by clicking the Spotlight icon 
in the top-right corner of your screen and entering ".ged" in the search field that appears.
DNA Data
- If prompted, sign in to your Ancestry account.
- To download the DNA Data for a test on your account, in the "Your DNA tests" section, select a name.
- Check the box confirming that you understand that once you download your DNA Data, your downloaded copy will not be protected by our security measures, and select Confirm. This will trigger an email (to the email address associated with your Ancestry account) containing a link to confirm your download. It may take up to 24 hours for the email to arrive. The link will expire after 7 days.
- Enter your password and select Continue.
- When you receive the email, open it and click Confirm Data Download.
- On the Download DNA Data page, click Download DNA Data. If prompted, sign in to your Ancestry account. If you’re brought to a page of DNA advertisements rather than the Download DNA Data page, you may be in someone else’s account. Select the name or username in the top-right corner to sign out, then sign in to your account.
- The file will be downloaded to your computer. The filename will be AncestryDNA.txt. If you can’t find it, check your Downloads folder or your Desktop. You can also search for the filename (if you have a PC) by clicking the Windows key on your keyboard and entering the filename in the search bar that appears, or (if you have a Mac) by clicking the Spotlight icon in the top-right corner of your screen and entering the file name in the search field that appears.
FAQs
What information does Ancestry collect, and how is it used?
Learn how we safeguard your privacy by visiting our Privacy Center and reading our Ancestry Cookie Policy and Ancestry Transparency Report. Please see our privacy statement for more information about how your personal data is processed, the purposes of processing, and the type of data we collect (amongst other information).
How can I manage my information and privacy on Ancestry?
Manage your information and privacy options on these pages:
For more information about privacy, see these articles:
Account data
What will I receive in my download?
- A history of your financial transactions and billing information, including data you supplied for purchasing purposes (like your bank account number and billing address) and purchase transaction information.
- Data about the kind of device(s) (computer, mobile phone, etc.) you use to connect to Ancestry, including transaction logs and your IP address.
- Your communication(s) with Ancestry, if applicable. If you’ve contacted us, this will include chat transcripts and case notes from phone calls and emails.
- A history of your messages sent and received in the Ancestry messaging system, not including any that were deleted.
What type of file will I receive?
You’ll receive your data in one or more CSV (.csv) file(s).
DNA Data
What data will I receive in my download?
- Your DNA Data (.txt file)
- Your registration code (.csv file)
- Your DNA purchase date (.csv file)
- Your registration date (.csv file)
Whose DNA Data can I download?
You can download the DNA Data, the registration date, and the registration code of any kit registered on your account, as well as the purchase date(s) of any kits purchased on your account. You can also download the DNA Data of any test you manage. You can’t download the DNA Data of any test you don’t own or don't manage.
Why didn’t I receive the DNA Data email?
It can take up to 24 hours for the email to arrive. To see which email address is associated with your Ancestry account, check which email address is listed in the "Account information" section of your Account settings page. If you’re checking the right email account, check your junk folder. If you don’t receive the email within 24 hours, please contact us.
How do I read my DNA Data?
Learn how to read your DNA Data.
How is my DNA Data protected?
A number of security measures protect your DNA Data:
- Your DNA sample is identified only by a barcode—our laboratories don't even have access to your identity.
- We store all DNA Data in encrypted databases to ensure restricted access, even within the company.
- In addition to these protections, AncestryDNA adheres to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act [GINA], which makes it illegal for health insurance companies, group health plans, and most employers to discriminate against you based on your genetic information.
- Only the test owner and anyone the owner has made a manager can access a test's DNA Data. Neither matches nor people invited to view the test can access the test’s DNA Data.
Family tree data
What data will I receive in my download?
A GEDCOM file (.ged) of any tree you download. To open a GEDCOM file on your computer, you’ll need software that reads GEDCOM files (or you can upload the file to a family tree website). GEDCOM is a universally-accepted file format for family tree files.
What family trees are available for download?
You can download any trees that you own. This includes trees you created on Ancestry or uploaded to your account. You can’t download family trees hosted on someone else’s account and shared with you.
Details
- If you contact us to download your account information, you will need to provide information to help us identify you and locate the information.
- You should only download your data to a personal computer, never to a public one.
- Once you download your data, it will not be protected by our security measures. Please take precautions to protect your data, especially if you download your DNA Data.
- You'll only receive the categories of information that are applicable to your account and activities on Ancestry. If you delete your account, you will no longer have access to your Ancestry account information, as your data will have been deleted.
- For more information, review the Ancestry Privacy Statement.
- The right to request access and obtain a copy of your data only applies to your personal information, so we cannot fulfill a Subject Access Request relating to another person, such as a spouse or deceased relative.
Need help?
If you can't find an answer online, we can help! Please contact us.