Guides
Practical how-tos: getting your raw file, understanding its format, and picking where it goes.
Can you find your blood type in your 23andMe raw data? Mostly, yes
The two DNA markers behind A, B, AB and O sit in the raw file you can download from 23andMe. How to look them up in two minutes, and why the plus or minus is the one thing the file cannot tell you.
Should you delete your 23andMe data? Download your file first
23andMe went bankrupt and now belongs to a nonprofit. How to delete your data in 2026, what the company keeps anyway, and the one step to take before you click.
You got your AncestryDNA results. Here's what most people never find out
The ethnicity pie chart is the least interesting thing you paid for. What the percentages actually mean, and the five things worth doing next, including the raw file almost nobody downloads.
Best DNA upload sites in 2026: where to upload your raw DNA data
Where to upload raw DNA data in 2026, by goal: health, relatives or a free first look. What each site costs and does with your file.
What can you do with your raw DNA data? 9 ideas worth your time
Your raw DNA file holds far more than the ancestry report used. Nine things to do with it, from coffee and sleep to blood tests and your own AI.
VCF files explained: how to open one and what's actually inside
Got a .vcf from a sequencing provider, a clinical lab, or Genotek? It is plain text, and ten minutes of orientation makes it readable. Format, genotypes, and what to do with it.
Inside your 23andMe raw data file: format, columns, and the weird bits
What the genome_*.txt file actually contains: the four columns, the double-dash no-calls, the i-numbered markers, and the strand detail that trips up everyone who googles their letters.
Curious what your DNA says?
Your browser reads your raw DNA file right on your device, so the file itself never leaves it. Out comes a personalized report you can read yourself or hand to your AI.
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