Can You Upload DNA To Find My Past? (Explained)

Find My Past does not do consumer DNA testing or analysis. The company offers an online genealogy archive through several websites.

However, Find My Past has partnered with a British DNA testing company called Living DNA.

Living DNA sells DNA kits and also accepts uploads of DNA from other major DNA testing companies. This includes Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage.

Can You Upload DNA To Find My Past?

The FindMyPast websites have a sales page with buttons that let you order a DNA kit or upload DNA results for free.

These buttons take you to the website of Living DNA, which has partnered with Find My Past.

You need to create a Living DNA account, however you don’t need a FindMyPast membership.

You can bypass Find My Past completely and go direct to the LivingDNA.com website to upload your DNA.

There’s no particular advantage in going via the FindMyPast website. There is no integration between Living DNA’s website and the genealogy archives on Find My Past.

This is unlike Ancestry.com or MyHeritage, which has integration features between your DNA results, family trees on their websites, and their record archives.

Which company DNA results do they accept?

The accepted companies include:

  • Ancestry.com
  • 23andMe
  • MyHeritage
  • FamilyTreeDNA (autosomal Family Finder kit)
  • Gene by Gene
  • National Geographic
  • Illumina

How To Upload DNA To Find My Past (Living DNA)

If you want to take the double hop of starting with Find My Past, you can simply go to the home page of any of their websites.

There is a link to “DNA testing” in the footer of every web page. This will take you to a sales page that has a button for a free upload of your DNA results.

Once you click this button, you’ll land on the Living DNA website. From here, you can follow the detailed instructions in our article on how to upload your DNA to Living DNA.

You’ll also find a video walkthrough of the process.

Things To Know Before You Upload Your DNA Via Find My Past

I always advise that you should do some background research on the website and company of wherever you are putting your DNA results.

So, it’s important to understand that you are not uploading your DNA to Find My Past. You are dealing with a separate company and it’s rather odd background (more on this anon).

Is it safe and secure?

You should always verify that companies that store your DNA results have the appropriate infrastructure and security to keep your data safe.

Personally, I’ve uploaded my results to Living DNA, and I’m satisfied that they are a legitimate and well-funded company.

Can law enforcement access your results?

You’ve probably heard of law enforcement agencies in the United States using DNA sites to investigate crime. The Golden State Killer was caught by the FBI doing looking on the GEDmatch website for relatives matching DNA found at the crime scenes.

Some companies have a policy of actively working with criminal or legal investigations. Living DNA has a more robust policy of requiring court orders for access.

Strange company background

You can check out our article on the ownership of Find My Past.

I’ve also written about the ownership and background of most of the big consumer DNA companies. I have to say that Living DNA has the strangest history of all.

You can read all the details in our article on who owns Living DNA.

What To Expect From Your Find My Past / Living DNA Results

The two companies are British and are more well known in the United Kingdom than elsewhere.

DNA matches

When you upload your DNA results, you can opt in to see a list of DNA relatives who have also uploaded or tested with the company. You are more likely to get matches if you have British heritage.

The free service allows you to exchange messages with your DNA matches on the platform.

I have the lowest number of DNA matches on this site when compared to the other major sites. However, that third cousin could be the one to break through a brick wall.

Ethnicity reports

You are also provided with an ethnicity report that estimates your ancestral heritage. The free service limits the estimates to a broad continental level. If you want a more detailed breakdown, you can pay for an upgrade.

Here is my ethnicity map from the website.

No family trees yet

There is still no sign at the time of writing of a family tree feature on the Living DNA site.

I’ve already mentioned that there is also no integration with Find My Past and its family tree features.

Margaret created a family tree on a genealogy website in 2012. She purchased her first DNA kit in 2017. She created this website to share insights and how-to guides on DNA, genealogy, and family research.

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