How to Use 23andMe for DNA Ancestry

Take an at-home DNA test to learn your ethnicity breakdown and find DNA relatives you did not know about.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Order your kit
2.Register online
3.Provide your saliva sample
4.Wait 4 to 6 weeks
5.Review your results

Order your kit

~15s

Go to 23andme.com and pick the Ancestry kit ($99) or Ancestry + Health kit ($199). The kit arrives in the mail in 3 to 5 days.

Register online

~15s

Before spitting in the tube, go to 23andme.com/start and register the barcode on your kit. If you skip this step, the lab cannot match your sample to your account.

Provide your saliva sample

~15s

Do not eat, drink, or brush your teeth for 30 minutes first. Spit into the tube up to the fill line (about half a teaspoon). Cap it, shake it, and put it in the prepaid return box.

Wait 4 to 6 weeks

~15s

Drop the box in any mailbox. 23andMe emails you when the lab receives your sample, when they start processing, and when the results are ready — usually 4 to 6 weeks later.

Review your results

~15s

Log in to see your ethnicity breakdown, DNA relatives, and (if you bought the Health kit) health reports. You can message DNA relatives through the site — most matches are 3rd or 4th cousins you never met.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use 23andMe for DNA Ancestry

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23andMe is a DNA test you take at home by spitting into a tube and mailing it back. A few weeks later you get an ethnicity estimate (like "35% Irish, 40% Italian, 25% Scandinavian") and a list of DNA relatives who also took the test.

The basic ancestry-only kit runs about $99 on sale. A pricier health-plus-ancestry kit also includes reports on genetic traits and health risks like celiac disease and Alzheimer's.

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