What Can You Do With Your 23andMe Raw Data? The Complete 2026 Guide

Your DNA Data Is Yours — Here's How to Actually Use It

If you took a 23andMe test years ago, you probably got your ancestry breakdown, maybe a few health reports, and then forgot about it. But sitting inside your 23andMe account is something far more valuable than a pie chart of your heritage: your raw genotype data file.

This file contains hundreds of thousands of data points about your DNA. With the right tools, it can tell you how you metabolize medications, which nutrients you may need more of, what genetic variants you carry, and much more.

In this guide, we cover exactly what your raw data file contains, how to download it, what you can do with it, and which analysis tools are worth your time in 2026.

What Is a Raw DNA Data File?

When 23andMe processes your saliva sample, they don't sequence your entire genome. Instead, they use a genotyping chip — a microarray that reads specific positions in your DNA called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced "snips").

Your raw data file contains approximately 600,000 to 700,000 SNPs, depending on which version of the chip was used to process your sample. Each SNP is a single position in your genome where the DNA letter (A, T, C, or G) varies between people. Some of these variants are medically significant. Most are not — yet. But as research advances, previously unremarkable SNPs are regularly reclassified as clinically relevant.

Think of it this way: your raw data file is not your full genome (that would be about 3 billion data points), but it is a strategically chosen snapshot that covers the most well-studied and informative positions. It is enough to generate meaningful health, wellness, and ancestry insights.

How to Download Your Raw Data From 23andMe

Downloading your data is straightforward, but given the company's recent changes in ownership, we recommend doing it sooner rather than later.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Log in to your 23andMe account at 23andme.com.
2. Navigate to Settings by clicking your name in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down to the "23andMe Data" section (previously labeled "Raw Data Download" in older versions of the interface).
4. Click "Download Raw Data" and confirm your identity. 23andMe will send a verification email or prompt two-factor authentication.
5. Wait for the file to be prepared. This can take a few minutes. You will receive an email when the file is ready.
6. Download the .zip file and extract it. Inside you will find a plain text file containing your genotype data.

Store this file securely. We recommend keeping a copy on an encrypted drive or a password-protected cloud folder. This data does not change — you only need to download it once.

Understanding the File Format

23andMe raw data files are plain text files with a simple tab-separated structure. Each row represents one SNP and contains four columns:

• rsID — the reference SNP identifier (e.g., rs1801133), a standardized label used across genetic databases worldwide.
• Chromosome — which of the 23 chromosome pairs the SNP is located on (1-22, X, Y, or MT for mitochondrial).
• Position — the exact base-pair coordinate on that chromosome.
• Genotype — the two letters representing your alleles at that position (e.g., AG, CC, TT).

Chip Versions

23andMe has used several chip versions over the years:

• v3 (2010-2013): approximately 960,000 SNPs. The most comprehensive chip they ever used.
• v4 (2013-2017): approximately 570,000 SNPs. Reduced coverage but added custom content.
• v5 (2017-present): approximately 640,000 SNPs. The current chip, optimized for health-related variants and global ancestry.

The chip version matters because different analysis tools support different versions. Most modern tools handle v4 and v5 without issues. If you tested on v3, you may have broader SNP coverage but occasional compatibility quirks with newer platforms.

A typical line in your file looks like this:

rs1801133    1    11856378    AG

This particular SNP — rs1801133 — is the well-known MTHFR C677T variant. The "AG" genotype here means the person is heterozygous (carrying one copy of each allele). If you want to understand what this specific variant means for your health, we wrote a detailed breakdown in our MTHFR gene guide.

What Analysis Tools Are Available in 2026

Once you have your raw data file, the real question is what to do with it. Several third-party services will accept your 23andMe data and generate reports. Here is an honest assessment of the main options.

Promethease — $12, One-Time

Promethease is the longest-running third-party analysis tool, built on top of the SNPedia wiki database. It cross-references your SNPs against published research and generates a detailed report.

Pros: Inexpensive, thorough, links directly to primary research papers, regularly updated database.

Cons: The reports are dense and technical. If you do not have a background in genetics or medicine, you will likely find the output overwhelming. There is minimal interpretation — it gives you the data and expects you to understand what "2.1x odds ratio for condition X in a GWAS of 4,500 Finnish males" actually means for you personally.

Best for: Researchers, bioinformatics enthusiasts, and people comfortable reading scientific literature.

Genetic Genie — Free

Genetic Genie focuses on methylation and detoxification pathways. It is free and gives you a simple panel of results for key variants like MTHFR, COMT, and CBS.

Pros: Free, simple, easy to understand output.

Cons: Very limited scope. It only covers a small number of SNPs and does not provide broader health analysis. The site has not been significantly updated in years.

Best for: A quick first look at methylation-related variants, but not a comprehensive analysis tool.

SelfDecode — $99/year

SelfDecode offers AI-generated health reports covering a wide range of topics including mood, cognition, inflammation, and cardiovascular health.

Pros: Comprehensive reports, personalized supplement and lifestyle recommendations, regularly updated.

Cons: Expensive on a subscription basis. Some of the recommendations lean toward supplement sales, which introduces a potential conflict of interest. The sheer volume of reports can be paralyzing rather than empowering.

Best for: People willing to pay for an ongoing subscription and who want actionable (if sometimes commercially motivated) health recommendations.

Genomelink — Freemium

Genomelink provides trait reports (e.g., caffeine sensitivity, earwax type, sleep depth) with a free tier and paid upgrades for health-related content.

Pros: Free tier available, clean interface, fun trait reports.

Cons: The free tier is extremely limited. Health reports require a subscription. Trait reports, while interesting, are largely novelty — knowing your genetic predisposition for earwax consistency is not medically actionable.

Best for: Casual exploration if you want something light and visual.

Xcode Life — $25-$50 per report

Xcode Life offers topic-specific reports (nutrition, fitness, health, pharmacogenomics) that you purchase individually.

Pros: Affordable per-report pricing, covers a wide range of topics, includes pharmacogenomics.

Cons: Buying multiple reports adds up quickly. Report quality varies by topic. The interface feels dated.

Best for: People who want analysis on one or two specific topics without committing to a subscription.

Why We Built DeepDNA Differently

We built DeepDNA because we saw a gap between the raw technical output of tools like Promethease and the oversimplified (and often commercially driven) reports of wellness platforms.

AI-powered explanations, not data dumps. DeepDNA uses large language models trained on genetic research to explain your results in plain language. Instead of telling you "rs1801133: AG — heterozygous for C677T," we explain what that means for your folate metabolism, what the clinical evidence says, and what — if anything — you might want to discuss with your doctor.

European privacy by design. DeepDNA is built and hosted in Europe, fully compliant with GDPR. Your genetic data is processed locally and never shared with third parties. We do not sell data, we do not partner with pharmaceutical companies, and we do not retain your raw file after analysis unless you explicitly ask us to. For a deeper look at why this matters, read our guide to GDPR and genetic data privacy.

One-time payment, no subscriptions. A full DeepDNA analysis costs EUR 29, once. No recurring charges, no premium tiers, no paywalls hiding the most important results.

Modern, readable reports. We designed the experience for people who want to understand their genetics, not for people who already do. Every finding includes a confidence level, a plain-language explanation, and links to the underlying research for those who want to go deeper.

If you are comparing your options, we put together a detailed review of 23andMe alternatives available in Europe.

Types of Insights You Can Get From Your Raw Data

Regardless of which tool you use, here are the major categories of analysis available from genotyping data.

Pharmacogenomics — How You Metabolize Drugs

This is arguably the most immediately useful application of genetic data. Variants in genes like CYP2D6, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 affect how your body processes medications including antidepressants, blood thinners, pain medications, and statins.

For example, roughly 2-10% of Europeans are poor metabolizers of CYP2D6 substrates. If you are one of them, standard doses of codeine will provide little to no pain relief, while certain antidepressants may accumulate to dangerous levels. This is not theoretical — pharmacogenomic testing is already integrated into prescribing guidelines by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) and the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG).

Your 23andMe raw data covers many of the key pharmacogenomic SNPs. A good analysis tool will flag these and explain their clinical significance. We wrote a comprehensive overview of pharmacogenomics in Europe if you want to understand this field in depth.

Nutrigenomics — Diet and Nutrition

Genetic variants influence how you absorb, transport, and metabolize nutrients. Common examples include:

• Lactose tolerance (MCM6/LCT gene region) — whether you maintain lactase production into adulthood.
• Vitamin D metabolism (VDR, GC genes) — how efficiently you process and utilize vitamin D.
• Folate metabolism (MTHFR) — whether you have reduced ability to convert folic acid into its active form, methylfolate.
• Caffeine metabolism (CYP1A2) — whether you are a fast or slow caffeine metabolizer, which has implications for cardiovascular risk at high intake levels.

These are among the most well-validated nutrigenomic associations. Be cautious with tools that extrapolate far beyond the evidence — genetic influence on nutrition is real but often modest compared to overall dietary patterns.

Carrier Status — Family Planning

Your raw data can reveal whether you are a carrier for recessive genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CFTR gene), sickle cell disease (HBB gene), or hereditary hearing loss (GJB2 gene). Carriers typically have no symptoms themselves but can pass the condition to children if both parents carry a variant in the same gene.

This information can be valuable for family planning, though it is important to understand that genotyping chips do not capture all possible disease-causing variants. A negative result from raw data analysis does not guarantee non-carrier status. For conditions with serious implications, clinical-grade carrier screening through a genetic counselor remains the gold standard.

Polygenic Risk Scores — Complex Disease Risk

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) aggregate the effects of hundreds or thousands of SNPs to estimate your genetic predisposition for complex diseases like type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, or certain cancers.

These scores are probabilistic, not deterministic. A high polygenic risk score for heart disease does not mean you will develop heart disease — it means your genetic starting point carries elevated risk compared to the population average. Lifestyle, environment, and other factors play enormous roles.

PRS research is advancing rapidly, but most scores have been developed and validated primarily in populations of European descent, which limits their accuracy for people of other ancestries. This is a known limitation that the field is actively working to address.

Traits

Trait reports cover characteristics like eye color prediction, hair texture, bitter taste perception, and muscle fiber composition. These are generally accurate for simple traits (eye color) and less reliable for complex ones (athletic performance). They are interesting but rarely actionable.

Privacy Concerns After the 23andMe Bankruptcy

In late 2024, 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the company's assets — including its database of genetic information from over 14 million customers — became subject to acquisition proceedings. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals completed the acquisition in 2025, raising significant concerns among privacy advocates and customers.

The core issue is this: when you agreed to 23andMe's terms of service, you consented to data handling by that specific company, under its specific policies. Corporate acquisitions can change those terms. While Regeneron has stated it will honor existing privacy commitments, the legal landscape around genetic data ownership during corporate transfers remains unsettled.

This situation illustrates why the question of where and how your genetic data is stored matters enormously.

How to Protect Your Genetic Data

Regardless of what has already happened with 23andMe, here are concrete steps you can take:

1. Download your raw data now. Having your own copy ensures you are not dependent on any company's continued existence or goodwill.
2. Request data deletion. After downloading, you can request that 23andMe (now under Regeneron) delete your data from their servers. This is your right under GDPR if you are in Europe, and under CCPA if you are in California.
3. Revoke research consent. If you previously opted into research participation, log in and revoke that consent.
4. Choose future analysis tools carefully. Look for services that process data locally, do not store your raw file indefinitely, are transparent about their data handling, and are subject to strong privacy regulations like GDPR.
5. Store your raw file securely. Encrypt it. Do not email it. Do not upload it to random websites offering free analysis without reading their privacy policy first.

What to Do Next

Your 23andMe raw data is a genuinely valuable resource — but only if you actually use it. The steps are simple:

1. Download your raw data file from 23andMe (do this today — do not wait).
2. Choose an analysis tool that matches your needs, budget, and privacy expectations.
3. Review your results with appropriate context: genetics is one input among many, and no SNP report replaces professional medical advice.

If you want an analysis that is thorough, private, and designed to be understood by real people — not just geneticists — DeepDNA was built for exactly that purpose.

Join the DeepDNA waitlist and be among the first to get AI-powered insights from your genetic data, with European privacy standards and no subscription fees.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Genetic data should be interpreted in consultation with qualified healthcare professionals, particularly for pharmacogenomic and carrier status results.