Ancestry DNA tests are autosomal and they no longer provide Y-DNA or mitochondrial DNA tests.
This means that your Ancestry DNA results will not give you haplogroups.
However, there are some limited ways to get around this. This article runs through your main options.
Did Ancestry Show Haplogroups In The Past?
Ancestry.com used to sell Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA tests that showed haplogroups.
But the company has twice discontinued these types of tests.
You can read more in our history of Y-DNA and mtDNA tests from Ancestry.
Given that they introduced them on two separate occasions, is it likely that the DNA giant will get back into this market?
Well, they retired the non-autosomal products in 2014 and have shown no sign since then that they would start again.
Using MorleyDNA.com For Y-DNA Haplogroups From Ancestry
The MorleyDNA.com website provides a tool that tries to predict Y-DN haplogroups from autosomal DNA tests, including tests done with Ancestry.com.
As this is Y-DNA, it only works for men.
May not be accurate
It’s also important to know that it may not provide reliable results. The tool uses a very limited set of DNA markers to extrapolate what your haplogroups could be.
It’s most likely to be useful for people of predominantly west European heritage.
The predictor is also limited to high level haplogroups from the distant past.
With all those caveats, plenty of men report in forums that the Morley results match up when they later do a specialist Y-DNA test.
What do you need to use the MorleyDNA Y-Tree tool
There have been reports from time to time that the website isn’t available. However, I tested the process in early 2022 and it was a quick process.
Of course, this test isn’t useful for me as a woman. But I wanted to make sure that it was still up and running.
When you upload your raw DNA results to the website, the processing runs on your own machine. This means that it’s unlikely to work on a phone.
Your best bet is to use a laptop or desktop computer. I used the Chrome browser on Windows 10.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Go to the Y-DNA Predictor here.
It’s true that the website looks like it was designed ten years ago. It basically was!
But I like to see that it has implemented modern online security features. You can see that it uses “HTTPS” (if it didn’t, your browser would warn you against using the site.
Step 2: Change the data format to the second option: “FTDNA format”.
Don’t worry that you tested with Ancestry and not FTDNA (FamilyTreeDNA). This second option is the one to take.
Step 3: Confirm that you’re not a robot, read the privacy policy, and consent to data collection.
You should always do some background checks before you upload your DNA to any website.
By the way, if you’re a little worried about using a website that isn’t backed by a large company, then you may be more comfortable with using Promethease. Check out our later section on this (paid) service.
Step 4: Click the “Predict” button
At this point, the site told me quite reasonably that most of my Y-DNA markers couldn’t be processed.
“Are you sure test subject has a Y chromosome?” it asks plaintively.
If you see this message too, then you didn’t read my earlier paragraph where I mentioned that this tool doesn’t work for women.
Step 5: Review your results
You’ll see a display that looks somewhat like mine but hopefully makes more sense.
Will GEDmatch Show Haplogroups For Ancestry DNA?
We have lots of tutorials for uploading your Ancestry DNA results to the free GEDmatch website and using their main tools.
If you’re not familiar with the site, check out our ultimate guide to GEDmatch.
You may be wondering if GEDmatch can determine your haplogroups with an Ancestry upload?
The answer is no, this is not something that the third-party platform can do.
However, you may be able to get some clues from DNA relatives on the platform.
Using info from your DNA relatives
GEDMatch allows users to specify their haplogroups when uploading raw DNA. You may spot some high DNA matches who have provided this information from a separate Y or mtDNA test.
Men who share a common paternal ancestor also share the same Y haplogroup.
Regardless of whether you are male or female, you will share the same Mt haplogroup with DNA relatives through a common maternal ancestor.
What About Using Promethease With Ancestry DNA?
A Promethease report also shows you high level haplogroup information.
The service costs $12 and accepts your raw Ancestry DNA results to produce a suite of health and DNA reports.
Here’s an example from a Promethease report:
The same limitations that I mentioned with the Morley predictor apply here.
The tool can only work with the limited number of markers tested by Ancestry. This means that the analysis is on high level haplogroups from the distant past.
One advantage of this tool is that it’s backed by a big company. MyHeritage bought the platform several years ago. However, there have been a few ups and downs for customers.
You can check out the details in our article on the ownership of Promethease.
Alternative Commercial DNA Tests For Haplogroups
Here is our summary of what is offered by the five main consumer DNA testing companies.
| Y-DNA | mtDNA | |
| Ancestry | No | No |
| MyHeritage | No | No |
| 23andMe | Yes (Haplo) | Yes (Haplo) |
| FamilyTreeDNA | Yes | Yes |
| LivingDNA | No | Yes (Haplo) |
23andMe’s autosomal DNA test gives you haplogroup information. The website has some slick displays to lay out the somwhat limited information.
Here is a display from my own results that shows migration paths of my maternal haplogroup.
You can see more sample results in these reviews:
Note that the 23andMe test doesn’t give you the kind of results you get from specialist Y or Mt DNA tests from Family Tree DNA. They provide much more information.
If you really want to get into this area, then FamilyTreeDNA is probably your best choice.
