Section B- First Things First: Guide To Setting Up Your Personal Page

NOTE: Be Especially Sure To Review These Steps To Assure Your Very Best Results With FTDNA

  • Kit Processing Times:
  • Including:
  • Processing Time Overview
  • Standard Processing Times
  • Current Average Processing Times
  • Test Processing Time Estimate and Delays

Please Click on the following link:

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4660569658895-Test-Results-Processing-Times?fbclid=IwY2xjawK5GjJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFPdHFsUGhwZmpCcFh5UUo5AR41f-GEj2C7abDqIRX7MV8FoiPFAfj_xsJ6LjGrtCwJEkKBokQiUuwCRHzCvQ_aem_56aoQtluQQ3vNc1M7Vh_ug#h_01JMCTW7Y6KX9DFFYFXNJ5RD8X

  • Signing In

You purchased your kit. Now, you need to sign-in….

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004636875-Forgotten-Password-or-Kit-Number

  • Your Dashboard:

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004545916-Dashboard-Introduction#accessing-your-dashboard-0-0

Dashboard Guide:

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004636395-Dashboard-Guide

The sign-in page asks for your kit number, whatever that may be. That is the number on the kit you submitted for your test.

Next, it asks for your password.

The first time you sign-in you will have a pre-assigned password. Also, the first time you sign-in the system may require you to do a two-step verification whereby the system sends you a code and you plug in the code to go further with your sign-in protocols.

FTDNA says they will at sometime in the future require all testers to use the two-step authentification. As of June 2025 this requirement has not been implemented.

Once you are signed-in you may change your password to whatever you wish. Just remember what it is for future log-ins.

Should you ever forget your password or kit number, there is an email link on the sign-in page you can submit to request the lost information. When you do that, the system will require you create a new password.

Account Settings

Once you are signed-in,

Click on Account Settings at the top left of your Tool Bar. You’ll need to complete more information to get the best results possible.

  • Account Information:

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401805358607-Accounts-Settings-Introduction#h_01HBECQTKVBHXAEENEQ8W1M47H

  • Contact Information

This is where you give your contact information, such as, your current email, phone number, and mailing address necessary in case you ever need to recover your password

Your email address is available only to FTDNA, your administrator and your matches, not anywhere else public.

Your phone number and mailing address is only available to FTDNA, and no one else, including matches and administrators. This is important as it is how you and your matches share and contact one another

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004731276-Contact-Information-Tab

  • Password Tab:

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004731436-Password-Tab

  • Beneficiary Information

A beneficiary is a person you designate to be able to carry on your account and to administer your account should or whenever it be necessary due to your illness, death or lack of interest in your account.

The beneficiary can be a relative or friend or even a project administrator. It is recommended you do designate a beneficiary.

Should your account become dormant, without a beneficiary there would be no one to answer queries, order tests or do anything else. FTDNA has been testing for over 25 years. It is surprising how many people who have died in that time and their accounts are sitting dormant or even closed.

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004731636-Beneficiary-Information-Tab

  • Kit Manager

You may appoint anyone you wish to serve as a manager to watch over your account. This person may be a friend, relative or a Group Project Manager. This person will manage your account as you wish.

https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/6633346376463-Kit-Manager-Tab

Genealogy Page Introduction

  • Your Family Surnames and Ancestral Locations
  • In the past testers had to manually create a list of as many of your ancestral surnames and their states, counties or countries of residence as you wish.
  • If you are new to FTDNA and upload a GEDCOM to create a TREE, the system will automatically populate your direct surnames from your tree.
  • This list of surnames is helpful when someone searches for a surname in the SEARCH box on their match list and that surname is in your surname list. You will be flagged.
  • https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401805562127-Surnames-Tab
  • Earliest Known AncestorsYour Earliest Known Patrilineal (Y-DNA) Ancestor.    That is your father, his father, his father, etc.
  • Your Earliest Known Matrilineal (Mt-DNA) Ancestor. That is your mother, her mother, her mother, etc back in time.
  • If you name the location of your ancestor’s birth or place a virtual pin on that location a longitude and latitude will appear on the world map indicating that location
  • https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/4401840097807-Earliest-Known-Ancestors-Tab

Let’s assume you would like to see if there is someone in your match list with one of your family surnames. Type that surname in the Search Box.

  • The computer will search your match list for that surname in Three Ways:
  • It will search through the names of your matches- first, middle and last name.
  • Next, it will search the ancestral surname list of each of your matches. If a match has no names listed you will not get any hits. This is one of the reasons everyone should have a list of ancestral surnames. No surnames, no hits.
  • Last, the computer will search your match’s tree. If the match has no tree, you’ll get no hits. This is one of the reasons everyone should have a tree. No tree, no hits.
  • https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004591696-Family-Finder-Matches-Guide#h_01HF77NN57APTZHPCZAGNXWFBE
  • “In Common With” and “NOT In Comon With” Tool
    • This is another of my, hands down, favorite tools.
    • On your Family Finder match page look at the far right of the line where the tester’s name appears. You’ll see what looks like a blue double headed person. Click on it.
    • You’ll have the choice of clicking on “In Common With” or “NOT In Common With”.
    • This tool is great for telling on which side of your family a match is from, even if you do not personally know the match.
    • By clicking on “In Common With” the computer will create a list of all the people in your match list who match both you and the person you clicked on.

 Lets say the match you clicked on is your paternal first cousin. The people in the generated list are matches from your paternal side.

  • Conversely, when you do the same thing but click on “Not In Common With” the computer will create a list of all the people in your match list who DO NOT match you and the person whose name you clicked on.

So, in this case all the people in the new generated list DO NOT match you and your 1st cousin. (See Actions) https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004591696-Family-Finder-Matches-Guide#h_01HF77NN567AMNCQREBGZVMQC1

  • The Matrix Tool.
    • This tool is a good follow-up tool after you have used the In Common With and Not In Common With Tool.
      • This is great when, lets say, when you want to know     who is on your mother’s side and not your father’s side or vice versa.
  • Chromosome Browser

Chromosome Browser Introduction https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004591836-Chromosome-Browser-Introduction

Chromosome Browser Guide https://help.familytreedna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004684575-Chromosome-Browser-Guide

Parsing Matches (On Your Matches Tool Bar)

  • NOTE: You’ll need a TREE to use this tool!
    • On your Family Finder Personal Page there is a Tool Bar listing:
    • AllPaternalMaternal Both
    • Note: For this tool to work, you must have a tree
    • Next, you need to link your matches to your tree.
    • There is a note for each match saying “link to your tree”If you have a tree the computer will show your tree AND have a Drop Down Box with names of each of your matches.
    • You will be able to move your selected match to the relationship location on your tree where they belong.
    • You may have to add more family members to your tree to be able to make create the relationship location you need. For instance, you may have to create a place to insert an aunt or uncle, etc to be able to create the location to place the cousin (son or daughter of the aunt or uncle) from the Drop Box.
    • If you have no tree, the computer will take you to My Heritage for you to upload a GEDCOM or manually create a tree.
    • Once you have a tree you can move the name of the person you wish to add to your tree from the Drop Box to the position on your tree where they belong.
    • So, this is where the tool does it’s work:
    • You link the match to your tree.
    • After you have added and linked several cousins/matches to your tree on BOTH sides, Maternal AND Paternal of your family the computer will automatically attach a male blue or female pink to the match on your match page indicating that that match is linked to your tree.
    • The blue icon indicates the match matches you on your paternal side of the family and the pink icon indicates the match is related to you on your maternal side.
    • When a match has both  pink and blue icon it means that person matches you on BOTH your paternal AND maternal side.
    • ALSO, back to the Tool Bar at the top of your Matches Page:
    • You will now see the ALL, Paternal, Maternal and Both positions have been updated.So, what does this tool do for you?
    • If your match has a Blue Paternal icon it means that the match is on your father’s side and the Pink Maternal icon indicates the match is on your mother’s side.
  • Privacy and Sharing
  • Family Tree MatchingYou may opt-in or opt-out of Family Tree Matching.You must opt-in to Family Tree Matching to view your own matches and enable your matches to view you as their match. Some people like to hide their information for privacy reasons or fear of identity theft. When you try to hide, your information will show as private to those you match.Opting-out of matching is self -defeating, in my opinion, as you have no idea who your matches are and they have no idea you match them and You have no idea why you are not seeing any matches.
    • Origins Sharing
      • You must opt-in to be able to view the (ethnicity) population origins of your matches and they view yours.
    • Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching
      • This is the controversial matching you have heard about conducted by law enforcement.
      • You may opt-in or opt-out of this matching.
      • If you opt-in, you are allowing law enforcement to view your DNA information.
      • If you opt-out law enforcement will not be able to see your DNA information
      • Personally, I have opted-in for myself but opted-out for people whose kits I manage.
      • The law enforcement option is restrictive to law enforcement in what they can do and how long they can search. You might wish to view the Law Enforcement Guide below.
      • Here is a link to the Law Enforcement Guide
      • https://www.familytreedna.com/legal/law-enforcement-guide
  • Match Notification Preferences

Each time you have a match, the system will notify you. You can, however, tell the system which emails you wish to receive. It will tell you when you have a Family Finder Match, or a Y-DNA or Mt-DNA match at various levels. You can choose ALL or select certain ones of your choosing.

  • Project Preferences-See Projects

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