Does an Ancestry-only 23andMe kit work?

Yes. 23andMe runs every sample on the same chip, and the raw file is the chip's output, not the reports you paid for. Which positions it holds depends on the chip version, not on the kit.

Is 23andMe still operating after the bankruptcy?

Yes. TTAM Research Institute bought the consumer business out of Chapter 11, and the sale closed on 14 July 2025. Kits are still sold and raw data downloads still work.

Is this the same as 23andMe's health reports?

No. 23andMe's reports are FDA-authorised tests for specific variants. This report maps your file onto published genome-wide associations, with effect sizes and PubMed links, including conditions 23andMe does not report on. Neither is a diagnosis: take any row that worries you to a doctor or genetic counsellor.

Do I need to unzip the file?

No. The report and the free file checker read the .zip as downloaded, on your device. Avoid opening the .txt in a spreadsheet and saving it again, which can rewrite the genotypes.

23andMe raw data

A health report from your 23andMe raw data.

Your 23andMe download lists your genotype at around 640,000 positions, and whichever kit you bought, it comes from the same chip. Open it here for a PDF that matches it against the GWAS Catalog, with the study behind every row. The file never leaves your browser.

Generate my report — CHF 5.00 Check your 23andMe file free

Want to see the PDF first? Open the sample report →

The 23andMe raw data file

File: A .txt whose name starts with genome, inside a .zip
Layout: Tab-separated: rsid, chromosome, position, genotype (for example AG)
No-call: --
Rows: About 640,000 on the v5 chip; 23andMe publishes no count
Genome build: GRCh37, plus strand

23andMe today

What 23andMe reports, and what this report adds

23andMe's own health reports are FDA-authorised tests for named variants: Genetic Health Risk reports for ten conditions since 2017, among them late-onset Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, coeliac disease and hereditary haemochromatosis, plus BRCA1/BRCA2, carrier status and pharmacogenetic reports. Each one answers a narrow question with a validated assay, and they come only with the Health service.

A GWAS report answers a different question: across the conditions in the GWAS Catalog that your file covers, which common risk alleles you carry and how strong each published effect is. It does not interpret rare pathogenic variants such as BRCA mutations. If you bought the Ancestry kit only, it is the health view your file never came with.

Since July 2025 23andMe belongs to TTAM Research Institute, the nonprofit led by co-founder Anne Wojcicki, which bought it out of bankruptcy for $305 million. Raw data downloads still work, so you can keep your file whatever you decide about your account.

Step one

Download your 23andMe raw data

The download guide for all six providers →

1Sign in at 23andme.com, open the profile menu at the top right and choose Settings.
2Scroll to 23andMe Data, click View and confirm the profile's date of birth.
3Read the notes, tick the acknowledgement and click Submit request.
4Wait for the email saying your raw data download is ready. 23andMe says this usually takes about a week, sometimes up to 30 days.
5Open the link, confirm the date of birth again and download the .zip. Keep it as it is: the report reads the archive directly.

23andMe also lists some markers under its own IDs that start with i instead of rs. Older chips (v3, v4) read a different set of positions than v5, so how many conditions the report can assess depends on your chip version. The free file checker counts the catalog variants in your file before you buy.

The report

What the report reads in your 23andMe file

The generator matches your file against 12'110 lead associations from the GWAS Catalog (June 2026 release), covering 409 catalog traits from 1'020 studies, all at genome-wide significance. For each condition it lists the risk alleles you carry, the size of each effect and the PubMed study behind it, and gives a tendency (higher odds, lower odds or no meaningful difference) only when your file measures at least a third of the condition's known variants. Otherwise the condition is marked not assessable rather than guessed.

The report is informational, not a diagnosis: associations describe groups, a consumer chip reads few rare variants, and the report holds no baseline risk. The methodology page lists every rule.

Privacy

Your file stays in your browser

The report is written by a program compiled to WebAssembly that runs in your browser tab. Your 23andMe file is read in memory and the PDF is created on your device; our servers see an account and a payment, never your genotypes. You can check this in thirty seconds in your browser's Network tab.

Questions

23andMe files: common questions

Does an Ancestry-only 23andMe kit work?: Yes. 23andMe runs every sample on the same chip, and the raw file is the chip's output, not the reports you paid for. Which positions it holds depends on the chip version, not on the kit.
Is 23andMe still operating after the bankruptcy?: Yes. TTAM Research Institute bought the consumer business out of Chapter 11, and the sale closed on 14 July 2025. Kits are still sold and raw data downloads still work.
Is this the same as 23andMe's health reports?: No. 23andMe's reports are FDA-authorised tests for specific variants. This report maps your file onto published genome-wide associations, with effect sizes and PubMed links, including conditions 23andMe does not report on. Neither is a diagnosis: take any row that worries you to a doctor or genetic counsellor.
Do I need to unzip the file?: No. The report and the free file checker read the .zip as downloaded, on your device. Avoid opening the .txt in a spreadsheet and saving it again, which can rewrite the genotypes.