A Segment-ology TIDBIT
There are 3 basic steps:
- Go to www.GEDmatch.com and create an account. Your account is based on your email (so carefully choose the email you’ll want to use), and a password (known only to you – if you forget it, you’ll need to reset the password). You’ll get your own homepage at GEDmatch, which will list any DNA kits you upload and/or any GEDcom.
- Go to your DNA company and download your raw DNA data file – note the name of the file and where it is saved (usually your Download folder); leave the file zipped (do not unzip it) [NB: I recommend you save a copy of your raw DNA data file, even if you don’t plan to upload it anywhere else – this is your data – preserve it.]
- AncestryDNA – At “Your DNA Results Summary” page, click on top-right: “Settings” (gear icon); click on “Download Raw DNA Data” TAB and follow their directions, which will involve an email and entering your password again.
- FamilyTreeDNA – on your main “Dashboard” page, under the Family Finder section is a link: “Download Raw Data” [sometimes behind the “See More” TAB] – click on that; and then click on the download arrow for “Build 37 Raw Data Concatenated”. [the concatenated file includes the X data]
- 23andMe – UPDATED (1/20/17) at GEDmatch just click on “23andMe fast and easy” – the process takes about a minute!
- for other companies (and/or for the above companies), just log into your GEDmatch Account and click on their link to ‘Upload Your DNA” and follow their instructions]
- Log into GEDmatch and upload your raw DNA data file – follow their 4 Steps. : Click on the “Choose File” button to navigate in your PC folders to where your raw DNA data file is, and click on it. Then Click on “Upload”. Wait several minutes for the process to complete and give you a statement that it is finished.
Note: you can, and should, also upload a GEDcom file (your family Tree) – on your main GEDmatch homepage, see the link for “Genealogy – Family Trees”.
I hope to see you on GEDmatch!
[22G] Segment-ology: Uploading to GEDmatch TIDBIT by Jim Bartlett 20170119 Updated 20220612
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I’m unable to find the place to put my GedMatch kit number can you please guide me in the right direction
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Beverly, Please read my post yesterday about using GEDmatch for the first time. Jim
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i recently purchased a dna kit from 23andme for my 1st cousin. I downloaded his information to gedmatch, but when I put in his kit number it doesn’t show that he is related to me. My kit number starts with an M and his starts with CH. Will this always be like this?
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Brenda, I’ve not seen any kit starting with CH at GEDmatch. Only kits from some companies can be loaded and compared at GEDmatch (kits start with A, H, M, T). Kits from other companies must be loaded and compared in the Genesis utility at GEDmatch. Have you cousin use the Diagnostic utility at GEDmatch.
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JIm This sounds like a Gedmatch Genesis kit number. I had heard that the new format used by 23 and Me is not compatible with the standard Gedmatch, but can be uploaded to the Genesis version of Gedmatch. There are far fewer people in the Genesis database and if he has not uploaded his own file to Genesis,this is probably why his cousin does not show up as a match.
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I think you are correct. I just recently uploaded to Genesis at GEDmatch – it’s a whole new site; and the kit numbers appear to all start with two letters. And they are only compared (so far) with others who have specifically uploaded to Genesis – so slim pickens so far.
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Will i be able to upload my Living DNA results . Thanks
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Ivor, Yes – look for “Genesis Beta” at the bottom on the right side of your GEDmatch home page. They are experimenting with imputation, and you will only be compared to others in the Genesis Beta pool.
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This morning I loaded from FTDNA to Gedmatch using my MAC.
i was unsuccessful I believe due to the Mac unzipping the upload files. Anyone got a solution?
GEDmatch DNA file diagnostic utility
Kit T492649
Kit T492649 was uploaded on 2017-06-24 01:07:13 (GMT / UTC)
Kit T492649 has not been tokenized. It is not available for one-to-one comparisons.
Kit T492649 has not completed batch processing for the one-to-many comparison results.
Number of SNPs utilized by GEDmatch template = 0
Warning: Kit will not be included in batch processing. It does not have enough SNPs.
Number of regular SNPs = 0
Heterozygosity index = (fraction of total SNPs that are heterozygous)
No-calls = 0 = percent.
Please wait while matching segments are counted. This could take a few minutes if the server is very busy. If it takes longer than 5 minutes during peak periods, the server may have timed out…
No matches were found for kit T492649 in the one-to-many results database.
Potential problems found with this kit are shown in red above. It may mean that there was a problem with the upload, or it simply hasn’t completed some phase of processing yet. Kits usually don’t take more than a few days to process.
If you manage this kit, and need to delete it, you may do so yourself. Click on the ‘Edit’ link at the bottom of the ‘Manage your Resources’ box on the left side of your GEDmatch home page. If you need help, you may contact the site administrator at GEDmatch@Gmail.Com
FINISHED
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I don’t have a link to Ancestry on Gedmatch to upload my raw DNA.
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Click on the generic upload link and read the directions for Ancestry kits there.
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Barbara, thanks for the kind feedback. My goal is to help genealogists! Jim
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Jim, you are inspiring new DNA genealogists. I have learned to use spreadsheets, and am now lead contact for a new Brady Surname Target Group Project. This is going to be fun. Their welcome email includes a link to this site with instructions to begin with your first blog and read them all in order. Thank you for being such a great teacher.
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I’ve tried downloading my build 36 raw data concatented file and the message I get is download failed .. safari cannot download this file …I’m using family treeDna
Any ideas ? But keep the instructions simple please!
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I have been trying to upload my Ancestry DNA zip file to GEDmatch but I keep getting error messages. I have tried the Ancestry upload link also the generic one but neither work for me.
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I have tried a couple of times to upload my RAW file from Ancestry but each time I get an error message. I’ve used the Ancestry link and also the new generic upload link and neither do the job for me.
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Janelle – please refer to the left side of your GEDmatch page – in the “Learn More” section; click on GEDmatch wiki link; then scroll down to the first link: DNA upload and read through that article. There are several things that sometime happen: trying to upload a GEDcom (Tree) vs the raw DNA data; unzipping the file before it is uploaded; using a Mac, which often automatically opens the zip file; etc. If it still doesn’t work, please send an email to supportatgedmatchdotcom. Jim
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Janelle – please refer to the left side of your GEDmatch page – in the “Learn More” section; click on GEDmatch wiki link; then scroll down to the first link: DNA upload and read through that article. There are several things that sometime happen: trying to upload a GEDcom (Tree) vs the raw DNA data; unzipping the file before it is uploaded; using a Mac, which often automatically opens the zip file; etc. If it still doesn’t work, please send an email to supportatgedmatchdotcom. Jim
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Janelle – please refer to the left side of your GEDmatch page – in the “Learn More” section; click on GEDmatch wiki link; then scroll down to the first link: DNA upload and read through that article. There are several things that sometime happen: trying to upload a GEDcom (Tree) vs the raw DNA data; unzipping the file before it is uploaded; using a Mac, which often automatically opens the zip file; etc. If it still doesn’t work, please send an email to supportatgedmatchdotcom. Jim
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What does the error message indicate? As Jim stated, you have to be sure that you are using the unzipped file for the upload. Is there a possibility that your Internet Provider limits the file size of your uploads? These files are quite large and some IPs limit files sizes for upload.
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Thanks to both of you for your ideas.
As far as the Beta TG tool goes, any idea what the little tree icon means on some of the people? Maybe it signifies that they have a GEDCOM uploaded. Ive noticed several people have even two or three of the icons in their box.
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Yes, it/they link to gedcoms – try it!
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Chris your idea of merging kits got me thinking. I went to the Phasing tool of Gedmatch and ran one kit, my 23 and Me as the child and the father’s kit using my FTDNA kit number. The program did phase the kits, with both M1 and P1 coming out the same. In comparing the new PM……M1 kit to my M……. kit, I found some interesting differences. Most cM values were the same or slightly higher or lower. In looking at the list of kits with the new “phased” PM…..M1 kit there were another 30 or so matches at the end of the list which are not present on my M kit. I don’t know if this is valid or not. I checked the new PM kit with the file utility tool and it said there were no problems with the kit.
I had the second idea to run my Ancestry kit vs the new phased kit, but the program will not accept P kits for phasing. I have just run the Ancestry A kit number vs the M kit number and it is processing now. I will do a comparison of the two “phased” kits when it is finished processing.
Terry
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Terry – an original kit is almost always better than a fabricated one. I use my father’s original kit and my M1 kit – and they handle just about everything.
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My father passed away in 1995 and my mother in 1977, so there is no chance of phasing for any of my kits. But I agree that original kits are best to use. It was just an experiment to see what would happen.
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Also, is there any way that multiple kits can be merged into a single GEDmatch kit?
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Chris – on the left side of you GEDmatch home page is a link to the GEDmatch wiki. Click on 3. Tier 1 Tools and select the one you want.
I don’t understand the gist of your question about merging kits. Kit’s from two people cannot be merged. Unless you are thinking of the Lazarus Program – check it out.
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Thanks for the quick response.
As far as merging kits, is it ever possible to merge together one person’s kits from different testing company to make a sort of master kit that would cover all the SNPs etc between the two or three being merged. For instance, I have kits from all three main companies. Could they ever be merged into one kit so that I wouldn’t have to make multiple matches with each of the single kits. Seems like all three companies have their strengths, but a kit made of two or three would be very SNP rich and could be used in place of any of the single kits.
As for the Tier 1 wiki explanation for the new beta Triangulation Groups tool, the wiki explains what it does, but for the most part it doesn’t explain any of the symbology used in the results which would answer some of the questions about the tree that forms.
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Chris – visit this page http://isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_tools and scroll down to David Pike’s utilities – I understand he has one that will do what you describe in merging kits. I have also done an original DNA test at all three companies and have found the differences to be very slight. All differences are generally in the very speculative range of smaller shared segments. These smaller segments have a high probability of being beyond our genealogy horizon. I’m finding much large shared segments are pouring in faster than I can keep up – I’m not going to chase the smallest ones any more.
As for the beta Triangulation Groups tool – if you are interested in the funky numbers in the bottom of the boxes – they are the programmer’s tool to place the box on the screen – they should disappear when beta is over. The overall tool is just another way to display TGs.
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Chris, there is a FB Gedmatch users group that is awesome for answering questions you may have about using Gedmatch tools. You often get a response in mere minutes. There is also an excellent Gedmatch basics video on Youtube.
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Is there an explanation of the Tier 1 Triangulation Groups tool at GEDmatch? It looks very interesting, but I’m not sure how to use it.
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Thanks Jim. This is a great description I can link to when I am begging matches to upload, or include in my Ancestry letter. Now how about a tidbit description on what the new GEDmatch Triangulation Groups report is telling me and how to read it…I feel so stupid.
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Thanks, Mike – I posted it for the same reason. And I’ve improved it, based on feedback – we are all in this together. Jim
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Mike,
I use the old Triangulation Utility. Actually, now that I have ALL segments accounted for in TGs, I don’t really need a TG report. From time to time, I check my work with a Triangulation Report – and I’ve never found an error in the Triangulation Report, but, very infrequently, I find a typo in my own spreadsheet, or some Match who changes their name or email, or drops out. The Triangulation Groups report just tells you – horizontally – who is in a TG. You should still check to insure the shared segments overlap. Jim
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It looks like Helix has taken over the Geno 2.0, so it doesn’t look like samples through Helix will be available to additional testing at FTDNA.
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The Geno 2.0 DNA test is still only 200,000 SNPs on the autosomal DNA – this is lower than any of the other companies atDNA test, and the SNPs were selected with a focus on deep ancestry, not genealogy comparisons. This is nowhere near the 5,000,000 in an exome test.
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The Geno DNA kits were focused on scientifically determining our deep ancestry. And yes, FTDNA did the testing for both Geno 1 and 2. And they have the DNA stored, so someone can go to FTDNA and order one of their tests using that sample.
Here is the link to Genos: https://genos.co/ They test about 50 million base pairs, which are the coding part of your genes. There is some overlap with the standard autosomal DNA tests; and there is some health reports as well. It’s still in it’s infancy. GEDmatch is looking at the raw data – we’ll see what comes of it. I’ve ordered the LivingDNA test. It’s too early to tell how valuable either will be for genealogy with Colonial American roots.
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ok, thank you for the clarification, I did not understand about storage at ftdna and needing to do another test,
the current test offered at NG Genographic Project is a exome test through Helix. Do you know anything about the difference between that one and genos that you mentioned above ?
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I was unaware of a new NG Geno project – so, no.
Jim – http://www.segmentology.org
>
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gedmatch also is accepting wegene and genticoncept uploads, I do not see anything about livingdna and nothing mentioned about national geographic genographic project
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forgot to mention that myheritage and geni will probably be able to be uploaded soon
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It just gets better and better.
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Probably the LivingDNA sometime. The NG Geno kits were not designed for genealogy and are not compatible the atDNA test – probably never. I’ve sent them my Exome results (50m SNPs) – they may develop a comparison with some or all of that.
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ok, I thought the NG geno kits, the early ones were done by ftdna so thought it might be compatible. I am interested in information about your exome testing if you are willing to share. Where tested and why there and what would someone gain from the test. I think it is more for health and but lot more than promethease. Do you know if the exome tests include the snps that are tested for the atdna tests we are doing for genealogy ?
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Good to have this available. I would add that the new Generic Fast Upload to Gedmatch for FTDNA and Ancestry files is the one to use. It is much faster and much less prone to errors while uploading. It preserves the A for Ancestry uploads, but uses a Z for FTDNA kits, which is no problem. I have had files stop during upload using the standard uploading procedure and have had to start over and delete the partial uploaded file. The new Fast upload is completed in less than a minute.
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Thanks, Terry – I uploaded all of my kits before they had this feature – good to know it works and is that fast.
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Probably has been asked a million times already, but does it matter which of the three tests data (23, FTDNA, Ancestry) to use for “main” GEDmatch? I originally uploaded and used Ancestry in 2014, but wondering if FTDNA would be the better to use. All three are uploaded and listed in my DNA Resources.
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All three of the older kits were about equal. With the newer kits, I’d use the one with the most SNPs – FTDNA.
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Terry, Thanks for the feedback
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I’m trying to figure out if I did something wrong. I used the Fast upload but the kit number I was assigned (FTDNA) did not start with a T or Z. It started with JI. I’m very new at this & appreciate any help.
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Linda, I’ve checked with GEDmatch, and they are working on a new ID system. If your Kit works otherwise, it’s probably OK.
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Thank you. I re-downloaded the raw data & re-uploaded it. I finally got the right prefix “T” for Family Tree & it seems to be working.
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