Your DNA Results Are In. Now What? A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

The email arrives: your DNA results are ready. You click through, admire your ethnicity map, and then you notice the list of matches, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of people who share DNA with you. Some have familiar surnames. Most are complete strangers. Where do you start?

This guide gives you a clear, step-by-step plan for your first few weeks with DNA results. It works whether you've tested with AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or 23andMe, and it's designed for complete beginners.

Step 1: Look at your ethnicity estimate, then move on

Enjoy your ethnicity results. They're fun and they can spark useful questions. But remember they're estimates based on reference populations, and they will change as the science improves. For building your family tree, your matches are far more valuable.

If any results surprised you, read our guide to ethnicity estimates explained before drawing conclusions.

Step 2: Check your privacy and matching settings

Before engaging with matches, take a few minutes to review your settings:

• Display name: decide whether to use your full name, initials or a nickname.
• Match visibility: choose whether you want to appear in other people's match lists.
• Research consent: decide whether you're happy for your data to be used in research.
• Security: use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication.

Step 3: Build (or link) a family tree

Matching tools work best when they can compare your family tree with your matches' trees. If you haven't already, build a simple tree with what you know: yourself, your parents, grandparents and, if possible, great-grandparents, with approximate dates and places of birth.

Then link your DNA results to your own position in that tree. On AncestryDNA this powers ThruLines; on MyHeritage it powers the Theory of Family Relativity. Even a small tree makes a big difference.

Don't worry about perfection. You can add to it as you go. Our free printable family tree chart is a good way to gather what you know first.

Step 4: Understand your match list

Your matches are sorted by how much DNA you share, measured in centimorgans (cM). The more DNA you share, the closer the likely relationship.

• Very high (over about 1,300 cM): immediate or close family, such as parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
• High (about 400 to 1,300 cM): typically first cousins and similar relationships.
• Moderate (about 90 to 400 cM): often second cousins and similar.
• Lower (about 20 to 90 cM): third to fifth cousins, roughly.
• Very low (under about 20 cM): distant, and some of these may not reflect a genealogically useful connection.

Each amount of shared DNA is consistent with several possible relationships. Our guide to centimorgans explained shows how to narrow them down.

Step 5: Start with the matches you recognise

Scan your closer matches for people you know, or whose surnames you recognise. A known cousin is incredibly useful, because they tell you which side of your family a group of matches belongs to.

If you've also tested a parent, even better: any match who also matches your mother is on your mother's side, and so on.

Step 6: Sort matches into family lines with shared matches

This is the most powerful beginner technique, and it's simple.

1. Pick a match you can identify, for example a known first cousin on your father's side.
2. Open their profile and view your shared matches (called "Shared matches" on Ancestry and MyHeritage, and "Relatives in common" on 23andMe). These are people who match both of you.
3. Those shared matches are very likely related to you through the same side of the family.
4. Label them, using Ancestry's groups and colour dots, or MyHeritage's tags.

Repeat this for a known match on each side of your family, and you'll quickly sort hundreds of matches into maternal and paternal lines, and eventually into individual grandparent lines.

MyHeritage's AutoClusters tool does much of this automatically, grouping matches that all match each other.

Step 7: Use the hint tools, carefully

AncestryDNA's ThruLines and MyHeritage's Theory of Family Relativity suggest how you might be related to particular matches, based on family trees and records. These can save enormous amounts of time.

But treat them as hypotheses, not facts. They rely on other people's trees, which can contain errors. Before accepting a suggested relationship, check it against records and look for other matches who support it.

Step 8: Investigate your matches' trees

Many matches have attached a family tree to their DNA. Look through them for:

• Surnames that appear in your own tree.
• Places where your ancestors lived.
• Common ancestors, the people you both descend from.

Where a match has no tree, or only a small one, you can sometimes build a quick tree for them using public records, working back from their name, approximate age and location. This is a more advanced technique, but extremely powerful for solving mysteries.

Step 9: Contact matches, kindly

Many of your matches will be happy to compare notes. Some won't reply at all, often simply because they tested once and rarely log in. A good first message:

• Is short and friendly.
• Explains who you are and how you think you might be related.
• Mentions specific surnames or places.
• Asks one easy question.
• Doesn't demand anything.

For example: "Hi Margaret, we share 210 cM on AncestryDNA, so we're probably second cousins. My great-grandparents were Thomas and Ellen Hughes from Bendigo. Do those names ring a bell? I'd love to compare notes."

Be patient. Replies can take weeks or months, and some never come.

Step 10: Download your raw data and fish in other ponds

Your raw DNA data file can be uploaded to other services, often free or cheaply, to find more matches. AncestryDNA doesn't accept uploads, but you can download your data from Ancestry and upload it to services such as MyHeritage.

Before uploading anywhere, read the service's privacy terms and choose your settings deliberately, including whether to allow law enforcement matching.

If you discover something unexpected

DNA testing sometimes reveals surprises: an unknown half-sibling, a different biological father, an adoption, or relatives you didn't know existed. These discoveries are more common than many people expect, and they can be emotionally significant.

• Take your time. There's no need to contact anyone straight away.
• Check the evidence. Look at the amount of shared DNA and the shared matches before drawing conclusions.
• Consider others' feelings. The people involved may not know either.
• Seek support. Online communities for people with unexpected DNA results, and professional counsellors, can help.

Organising your research

DNA research gets complicated quickly. Within a few weeks you may be juggling dozens of promising matches, each with their own family tree. A little organisation early on will save hours later.

Use the labelling tools

Ancestry lets you create custom groups with coloured dots. A common system is to create one group for each of your eight great-grandparents, then add each match to the group of the ancestor you share. MyHeritage offers similar tagging. Even simple labels, such as "maternal" and "paternal", make a big difference.

Keep notes on each match

Most companies let you add a private note to a match. Record what you know: the likely relationship, the suspected common ancestor, whether you've messaged them and when. Your future self will thank you.

Keep a master spreadsheet for key matches

Many genetic genealogists keep a simple spreadsheet for their most important matches, with columns for name, shared cM, number of segments, side of the family, likely common ancestors and notes. It's especially useful if you test at more than one company or manage kits for relatives.

Common beginner mistakes

• Copying other people's trees. Matches' trees are clues, not evidence. Verify everything before adding it to your own tree.
• Over-reading small matches. Matches under about 20 cM are often too distant to trace, and some may not be genealogically meaningful.
• Assuming the estimated relationship is exact. "Second cousin" is a best guess. Check the possible range of relationships.
• Ignoring the match's age. Generations matter. Someone sharing first-cousin amounts of DNA might be a great-aunt.
• Giving up too soon. New matches appear every week. A breakthrough often comes from someone who tested months after you.

A simple first-month plan

1. Week 1: review settings, build a basic tree and link your DNA to it.
2. Week 2: identify known relatives among your matches and label them.
3. Week 3: use shared matches to sort matches into family lines.
4. Week 4: explore hints and trees for a few promising matches, and send two or three friendly messages.

Keep notes as you go in a research log. It's surprisingly easy to forget which matches you've already investigated.

When to consider testing a relative

Testing an older relative, such as a parent, grandparent, great-aunt or great-uncle, can transform your research. Their DNA reaches a generation further back, and they'll match cousins you don't. Testing one relative from each side of your family also makes it much easier to sort your matches. Keep an eye on our deals page for discounted kits.

Combining DNA with records

DNA is most powerful when it's combined with traditional research. Your matches tell you that you're related; records tell you how. As you identify common ancestors, look for their births, marriages, deaths, census entries and newspaper notices, and add sources to your tree as you go.

The reverse works too. If records suggest a particular person is your ancestor but you're not sure, your DNA matches can help confirm it. Finding several matches who descend from that person's other children is strong supporting evidence.

Free resources such as FamilySearch, national archives and digitised newspapers will take you a long way. Australians should start with our guide to free Australian genealogy records, and anyone working with British census returns will find our guide to reading census records useful. When you reach a brick wall, our brick wall checklist lists thirty strategies to try.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I have so many matches?

Large databases contain many distant cousins. Most people have thousands of matches in the fourth-cousin range or further. Focus on your closest matches first.

Why is a close relative not on my match list?

Either they haven't tested with the same company, or they've chosen to hide their profile from matching.

Should I pay for a subscription?

Not straight away. Your match list and basic tools are usually free. A subscription becomes useful when you want to view matches' full trees or search historical records.

How often do new matches appear?

Constantly, as new people test. Check back every few weeks, especially after the holiday season, when many gifted kits are processed.