Uploaded Dna to Gedmatch but Says Not Linked to Account

In the fast paced world of genetic genealogy, everyone is talking nearly one 3rd-party tool: GEDmatch. Think of GEDmatch as a matchmaking service for all your possible cousin connections, comparing your DNA results confronting a database of thousands of other users who've tested with a diverseness of services. It's an extremely helpful tool, giving you access to vast amounts of data you might not otherwise accept seen.

Ane word of circumspection: Because this site is run by volunteers and supported by donations, patience is a necessity. It may accept several days for your information to upload and exist processed. If you utilize the platform during peak hours, the wait for analysis may be longer than if you utilize it during off hours. While there's no fee to utilise the site, there is a suggested donation of $x per calendar month—a steal for the incredible data GEDmatch gives you lot admission to.

How practice I get-go using GEDmatch?

Apply the post-obit steps to enter your data in GEDmatch and start finding cousins.

1. Registering for GEDmatch is and easy and free.

On the home page, click the Non Registered? link and fill out the class. If y'all're concerned about privacy, you'll have the option to also enter an allonym that volition be displayed publicly instead of your name. Merely you must first include your existent name for verification purposes past the site's administrators.

When you register, y'all'll receive a verification email from the site to prove you're a real person. Follow the instructions in the email to access your profile. Some users have had trouble receiving the verification e-mail; if this happens to you, try a different web browser, reckoner and/or email address.

2. You can upload "raw" Dna data from the three major U.s.a.-based genetic genealogy testing companies: Family unit Tree Dna, 23andme and AncestryDNA.

Your raw data are the test results yous download from your testing company, which to you and me wait like gobbledygook. Thankfully, the figurer program understands the data and tin can translate the file into usable information.

Start by clicking on the link for your testing visitor under the File Uploads section of the website. Each upload link will take yous to that company'southward GEDmatch page, where you'll find detailed instructions on where to retrieve your raw data and how to upload it to GEDmatch. It'southward very important to follow the directions exactly: If you don't, your data may not upload properly and y'all'll have to start the process over.

When yous upload your raw data to GEDmatch, you'll be asked several questions almost your sample. If you administer DNA testing kits for other family members, you tin can upload their results here, too. Create a new alias for each private kit you lot upload to your account to help you go along them all straight.

3. When filling out the data upload form, be certain to click the Yes push button to give GEDmatch permission to make your data bachelor in the site'due south public database.

Without this push button selected, you won't be able to analyze your Deoxyribonucleic acid confronting other matches in the database. If you forget to practise this, yous can edit your settings later nether the Your DNA Resources department.

4. Once yous've uploaded your data and waited for it to process, it'south time to view your matches.

Under the heading Analyze Your Data, you'll discover tools for finding matches in the GEDmatch public database. The list of tools may look daunting, but the process is straightforward. You'll need your kit number and the numbers for kits with which you want to do comparisons.

The 1-to-Many DNA Comparison tool allows you to look for matches in the GEDmatch database. You can choose to testify autosomal or X chromosome results. Y'all'll receive a spreadsheet of matches from the public database covering all three companies. From these results, you lot can use kit numbers to do farther analysis using the One-to-One DNA Comparison and the X One-to-One DNA Comparing tools.

As you gain conviction with the website and get together matching kit numbers you can do even more avant-garde analyses including phasing, admixtures and 3D chromosome browsing. GEDmatch has tutorials explaining all of these terms.

five. As a new GEDmatch user, you'll want to check out the Learn More section on the main page, which gives you access to the forums.

Use this platform to get answers to your questions or connect with other GEDmatch users. Dozens of topic threads are bachelor to help y'all learn as much as you can.

Members also run ancestor projects y'all can join and follow on the forums. These projects put you into closer contact with others researching the same identify, surname or ancestor. Even if you don't have a connection to the discipline being discussed, the information tin can be enlightening. You can learn a lot near analysis and Dna projects by reading what others have done. The GEDmatch wiki and DNA for Dummies link are also helpful for those starting out in Dna enquiry.

This information was written by Shannon Combs Bennett appeared in the July/Baronial 2015 issue of Family unit Tree Magazine.

What happened to GEDmatch?

GEDmatch unwittingly began an affiliation with law enforcement agencies in Apr 2018, when authorities used its free database to find the Gilt State Killer. And since then, GEDmatch has embraced its new office as a tool for identifying criminals, ostensibly sealing its relationship with law enforcement in a December 2019 partnership with Verogen, a forensic Deoxyribonucleic acid testing company.

Information technology's anyone's approximate what the acquisition means for the future of GEDmatch. But in the time since GEDmatch began cooperating with police force enforcement, users have had a few opportunities to take apply of their data into their own hands. And now, they accept a choice to make virtually how they want GEDmatch to use their data—if they want GEDmatch to use their data at all:

Option I: Delete Your Data

When you first heard most GEDmatch's policy on opening its database to law enforcement in 2018, yous had the take chances to delete your information. You lot had that same opportunity in early on 2019, when GEDmatch was used in a case of assault that technically fell exterior the stated allowed apply of its database for constabulary enforcement. At either indicate, you had the opportunity to withdraw your information from the site, or proceed to allow it.

In fact, you always have that choice. Later all, once your Dna is deleted from a database, it is gone gone. Likewise, you've always had the opportunity to remain in the database, upload the DNA of family members, and encourage others to do the aforementioned.

Option Two: Remain Opted Out of Law Enforcement Usage

In May 2019, GEDmatch changed its policy regarding police force enforcement. At the time, anybody in GEDmatch was opted out of law enforcement searches. With a keystroke, GEDmatch took the size of its database of well-nigh 3 one thousand thousand kits available to police enforcement down to aught.

Passionate members of the genealogy community waged an aggressive "opt in" campaign to try to build that database back upward to a useful level. And this was another opportunity to take control of your ain information, equally you had to manually opt back in to allow law enforcement to access your data for matching.

This conclusion (or indecision, if y'all haven't ever opted-in) however stands with the acquisition. If you did not opt-in, Verogen will not accept admission to your data for law enforcement purposes. In a printing release, Verogen CEO Brett Williams said, "Our users have the absolute right to choose whether they want to share their data with law enforcement by opting in."

Option Three: Opt In

If you're comfy with your information being used past constabulary enforcement, you lot can log in and opt in.

Notation, though you have to have GEDmatch's new terms and weather condition in order to log in and use the site, agreeing to these terms does non opt you in to police force enforcement searching. The 2 are entirely separate. Agreeing just gives you admission to the site as you once had.

Regardless of your decision, this latest news from GEDmatch highlights the importance of communicating these changes to your friends and family who have uploaded to the site. Make sure that they accept an opportunity to actively manage their ain Dna.

The acquisition is likewise a reminder that all companies take the correct to take their business organisation in the direction they see fit. So read all of the Terms and Conditions to determine how it relates to your genetic data.

Answer provided by Diahan Southard

Do I need GEDmatch?

There are traditionally three reasons people use GEDmatch: to find new matches, to utilise the tools, and to run across segment data.

In the early on days of autosomal Dna testing we had only three companies in play: AncestryDNA, Family Tree Deoxyribonucleic acid and 23andMe. If you lot wanted to compare your results with someone who had tested at a different company, of but see if y'all had matches in a different company, you had to really test at that company. Back when prices were $200 or $300 per test, that could get really pricey really fast. But then GEDmatch entered the scene in 2010 and offered usa a Free way to encounter matches who had tested at other companies. As long every bit y'all didn't mind the rigmarole of downloading your data from one company, and uploading it into GEDmatch, it provided the perfect solution to our problem.

Notwithstanding, now that testing prices take plummeted, to even as low equally $49 per test, testing at multiple companies is non necessarily out of budget. For those who however don't desire to crush out the extra cash, you can transfer into Family Tree DNA, MyHeritage and Living Deoxyribonucleic acid and have full access to your match list for free! This means if y'all test at AncestryDNA or 23andMe, then transfer to the three but mentioned, you can be in 4 of the 5 genetic genealogy databases for merely under $100.

But even if you aren't in all of the companies, will y'all find new matches at GEDmatch? It is unlikely. If someone was genetic genealogist enough to transfer to GEDmatch, it is very probable that they also transferred to either FTDNA, MyHeritage or LivingDNA besides, right? So you tin but find them at those companies without using GEDmatch.

Only what about the tools?

GEDmatch does accept a couple tools you lot won't find in your testing company. A powerful tool for those seeking unknown parents (or others just out of curiosity) is the Are My Parents Related tool. GEDmatch besides provides lots of different views of your ethnicity based on different algorithms. You lot can also notice what color your optics are probable to be (in case you don't have a mirror).

The biggest tool genetic genealogists feel they need from GEDmatch is the segment data that AncestryDNA is non providing. Aside from the fact that yous don't really need segment information to determine a relationship, in gild to get information technology y'all accept to also convince all of your DNA cousins at Ancestry to transfer to GEDmatch besides.

So, while GEDmatch used to be a great place to meet and greet new cousins, much like the drive-in, its day has passed. Currently GEDmatch has a very different purpose: to help solve violent crimes. Regardless of your position on this topic, it is very important that we reeducate everyone in the community nigh the new purpose of GEDmatch, merely to be clear most what new users are signing up for.

Answers provided by Diahan Southard