The autosomal unlock for transferred (uploaded) DNA files at FamilyTreeDNA is being discontinued (retired) on August 18th.
In a nutshell, this means that if you uploaded or transferred a test from another vendor and DID NOT purchase the unlock for the advanced tools, you only have a few days left to purchase that unlock if you (or the tester) can’t retest and don’t have a usable stored sample at FamilyTreeDNA.
If the tester has previously submitted a sample and cannot retest, contact FamilyTreeDNA support to confirm that a sample is still available. Of course, DNA tests can fail, especially on older samples.
The reason for the unlock retirement is because the new Family Finder NGS test provides substantially more coverage than a transfer test, and an upgrade will be offered at a special price beginning the 18th.
Upcoming features, including Family Finder Discover, developed around the new Family Finder platform, cannot be supported on files from other vendors. Additionally, many files from other vendors cannot be transferred to FamilyTreeDNA.
A new test with better coverage and more features is great news if the tester is living and can submit a new sample, but for those who cannot retest and do not have a stored sample, I strongly recommend that you sign in and purchase the $19 unlock for those tests now.
Why purchase something that is being retired?
Having access to advanced tools is better than not having access, and these tools still work fine. You won’t be able to receive all future features, but at least you’ll have access to what is available today, especially segment and chromosome browser information. Your relatives’ tests can be just as important to your genealogy as your own test, because they carry different segments of your ancestors’ DNA.
What Features Are Included in the Unlock?
This chart shows features included in the free autosomal transfer versus with the unlock:
| Feature | Free Transfer – No Unlock | With the $19 Unlock |
| Matching | Yes | Yes |
| Matrix (which matches also match each other) | Yes | Yes |
| Shared matches | Yes | Yes |
| Segment data download | Yes | Yes |
| myOrigins (ethnicity) | No | Yes |
| myOrigins segment data | No | Yes |
| Chromosome Browser | No | Yes |
| Chromosome Painter | No | Yes |
| Y-DNA Haplogroups | No | When SNPs are available in the other vendor’s file |
| ancientOrigins | No | Yes |
This Only Pertains to Transfers Without an Unlock
To be crystal clear – This only pertains to transferred (uploaded) autosomal files from other vendors that HAVE NOT previously purchased the unlock.
- If you have an uploaded or transferred autosomal file from another vendor and have already purchased the unlock, you won’t have received the email, and it doesn’t pertain to you.
- If an uploaded or transferred autosomal file registered to your email has not been unlocked, you should have received this email.
It’s always better to test ON any vendor’s platform rather than upload a file from another vendor. If your tester can, and is willing to provide a new sample, or already has one on file, don’t purchase the unlock today. Wait until the 18th and purchase the Family Finder test at the special upgrade price.
If your tester does not have stored DNA and cannot retest, purchase the unlock NOW. You won’t be able to after August 17th
The Email
People who have uploaded an autosomal DNA file and have not purchased the unlock received an email with the following information:
The current Family Finder test will provide better results and new tools that another vendor’s file cannot support. Other vendors don’t test the same DNA locations as FamilyTreeDNA, and the Family Finder NGS test generates 400 times more autosomal data than the older chip technologies used for transfer files.
The Family Finder NGS upgrade will be offered for transfer files beginning on August 18th. If the tester doesn’t have a viable sample in storage, a new collection kit will need to be sent to the tester. If this pertains to you, and you or the tester can upgrade, that is absolutely the way to proceed – and $29 is a great price.
The only people who should purchase the unlock now are those who don’t have a sample in place and can’t retest. Otherwise, wait until the 18th and order the Family Finder upgrade.
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- FamilyTreeDNA – Y-DNA, mitochondrial and autosomal DNA testing
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- DNA for Native American Genealogy – by Roberta Estes, for those ordering the e-book from anyplace, or paperback within the United States
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- The Complete Guide to FamilyTreeDNA – Y-DNA, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X-DNA for those ordering the paperback from outside the US
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What is different about FTDNA’s new test and the new Whole Genome test at MyHeritage, which I just did?
First, the MyHeritage test doesn’t upload. The FTDNA test is optimized for their tools.
Any word on upgrades for existing Family Finder testers?
Thanks for this info, Roberta! My aunt passed last month & her daughter has control over her ancestry.com kit. Can she transfer the raw data now & purchase the unlock?
Have her try. It depends when the Ancestry test was taken. Ancestry changed their test in December so if it was before that it should transfer. But do it immediately.
“The reason for the unlock retirement is because the new Family Finder NGS test provides substantially more coverage than a transfer test”
I don’t understand how the “more coverage” is related to that I won’t be able to unlock the chromosome browser.
Because these tests won’t be able to take advantage of the new tools. Some of them already can’t get Y haplogroups because the other vendors don’t include that information in their files. They don’t want to charge people for something going forward when they can’t get all of the advanced features. Plus, the more people who take the new test, the better for all of us. Matching will still work fine.
Of course, some will be like me — my dad passed since i did the upload of his file. So no possibility of an update.
I’m sorry, Gary. Be sure you’ve done the unlock.
I think I did — at least I haven’t gotten an email about him. Thanks.
I have always appreciated the clarity of the DNA Explained articles. But the DNA Unlock issue remains clear as mud for me.
My first question is “How do I know if years ago I originally tested at Family Tree or a different company?”
Second question: I manage several DNA kits. I received the Unlock email but how do I know which kits are subject to the DNA Unlock issue?
My guiding light on clarity in the written word has always been “Do not write so that you can be understood, write so you cannot possibly be misunderstood.”
Well, thank you for that lecture on writing. I clearly need it.
I’m sorry you don’t remember where you tested and if you downloaded your kit from one vendor and uploaded it to another.
If your kit number has no alphabetic leading character, meaning the first character, which are letters, like a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y and z, and are instead numbers like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, then your test originated at FamilyTreeDNA. If it has a letter, it was either a transfer or ordered through a project or another special case.
I don’t know which test the email pertains to. I have the same question so I’m checking the kits I manage. If those kits can’t access the chromosome browser and don’t have ethnicity, you know it’s not unlocked. So you can purchase the unlock for those kits.
Some people who are project administrators are saying they received the email and they don’t personally have a transferred test, meaning a test transferred from another vendor.
All I have to go by is the email itself.
I suggest you contact support at FamilyTreeDNA to request assistance. You can find their contact information at the bottom of the website or you can initiate a chat.
Hi Roberta, it’s 27 Aug 2026 and today I asked the chatbot at FTDNA and got this response “Yes, after you upload your Ancestry.com DNA data to FamilyTreeDNA, you can purchase the upgrade to access all Family Finder features, including the Chromosome Browser. The upgrade costs $29 USD and unlocks tools such as myOrigins®, Chromosome Painter, and more.” they still have their upload page active at https://www.familytreedna.com/products/autosomal-dna-upload
I know this is confusing because the words unlock and upgrade are close, and so are the prices. I should probably write more about this. The unlock, which was $19 on an uploaded file is no longer available. The upgrade, which is $29 can be ordered for an uploaded file, and they will send you a swab kit if you don’t already have DNA on file there because you’ve previously taken a Y-DNA or mtDNA test.
That said, in December 2025, Ancestry stripped out about 250,000 SNPs from their file, so those files are no longer compatible. Ancestry files before the change last December are compatible and can be uploaded – then an upgrade can be ordered. Relative to the degraded Ancestry files beginning last December, it’s much better to just order the $39 NGS Family Finder while it’s on sale. Covers a LOT more DNA, and no imputation necessary.
so I am unclear as to what exactly is being retired if you can still transfer-in for free and purchase the advanced tools, or if it has just not taken effect yet.
You can transfer, so long as the Ancestry file is from before December 2025, when they either stripped about one-third of the SNPs out of their file, or they no longer test those SNPs. But to transfer and order the upgrade for $29 is only $10 less than just ordering the NGS Family Finder for $39 right now, so it may be easier to just order that.
The unlock is the only thing being retired, but right now the Ancestry upload for files beginning in December of 2025 is not working because they are not compatible.
What about cases where someone who has done an at-transfer, has not done the unlock, but has purchased a y-dna or mt-dna test and submitted a sample, but find when they try to purchase a new FF there is not enough dna sample left to do the new FF after the start-up date for the upgraded FF. Alas, since FTDNA has shut off purchasing the unlock after 8/18, if a new sample is needed and submitting a new sample is impossible (e.g. tester deceased), it is too late to purchase the unlock. Why would FTDNA not allow for an overlap of the two dates so that if there is not enough viable sample left for the new FF, that person could still have a window of opportunity to purchase the unlock for the transferred at-data? FTDNA’s premature (IMO) cutting off the unlock prior to knowing all the facts and it is impossible to collect a new dna sample if needed is a problem. Why not extend the unlock shutoff deadline for a couple of months after the introduction of the FF upgrade? Do I misunderstand something?
I asked that, and they said they didn’t want people to feel like they were allowing the unlock, just to then tell someone they needed the upgrade to get better results.
If someone purchased the upgrade, to be told now they need to upgrade, they’d be angry then too.
I kind of feel like it’s a no-win situation.
I would suggest sending them an email directly or asking support to provide that feedback.