Gathering from Living DNA

Coming soon. Living DNA gathering is not yet available in the DNAGedcom Client. This page documents how the integration will work so you can prepare; the option will appear on the Gather screen in a future Client update.

Overview

Living DNA data is gathered using the same browser-based approach as 23andMe. You log in to Living DNA through an embedded browser in the Client, and match data is captured automatically as the Client intercepts page responses. Additional data types (In Common With, shared segments) are gathered via automated browser navigation after the initial login.

Available Data

Data Type	Available	Notes
Matches	Yes	Family Networks matches, captured automatically during browsing
ICW (In Common With)	Yes	Shared matches, gathered via automated navigation (default: On)
Chromosome Segments	Yes	Shared segment data where Living DNA exposes it. Toggle available (default: Off).
Haplogroups	Yes	Maternal (mtDNA) and paternal (Y-DNA) haplogroups (default: On)
Ancestry Composition	Yes	Ethnicity/ancestry estimates (default: Off)
Family Tree	No	Living DNA does not provide match tree data

Getting Started

Navigate to Gather > Living DNA
Click Web Login to open the Living DNA login page in the embedded browser
Enter your Living DNA credentials (your email address and password)
Once logged in, select your profile from the dropdown
Configure your gather options (see below)
Click Gather to begin data collection
The Client navigates Living DNA pages and captures data from the page responses

Living DNA may present a verification challenge during login. If you see a verification page, complete it in the browser and the Client will continue automatically.

Gather Options

Profile Selection

If you have access to multiple Living DNA profiles (e.g., family members who have shared access), select which profile to gather from using the dropdown.

ICW (In Common With)

Default: On. Gathers shared match (In Common With) data. This data is essential for clustering tools (CLM, Shared Clustering, Warthen Interactive Cluster). Has a dedicated Clear button to remove previously gathered ICW data.

Chromosome

Default: Off. Gathers chromosome segment data showing where you share DNA with each match. This data is used by CMA and the chromosome browser in the Warthen Interactive Cluster. Has a dedicated Clear button.

Chromosome gathering adds significant time to the gather process. Enable it when you specifically need segment data for CMA or chromosome mapping.

Haplogroup

Default: On. Gathers maternal (mtDNA) and paternal (Y-DNA) haplogroup information, which Living DNA reports in detail.

Ancestry Composition

Default: Off. Gathers ethnicity and ancestry composition estimates.

cM Range

Set the minimum and maximum shared centimorgans to filter which matches are gathered. Only matches within this range will be collected.

Session Management

Living DNA sessions can expire during long gather operations. The Client handles session expiration and re-authentication automatically when possible. If you are logged out, you may need to click Web Login again to resume.

Use Web Logout to explicitly end your Living DNA session when done gathering.

Additional Features

Run Report — Generates CSV files from the data already in your database (see Reports & CSV Files below)
Auto-Report — Toggle to run the report automatically as soon as a gather finishes, so the CSV files are created without a separate click
Multiple progress bars — Separate progress indicators for main gather, chromosome, and ICW
Clear buttons — Remove specific data types (Chromosome, ICW) before re-gathering
GDAT ID — Field for Genealogical DNA Analysis Tool (GDAT) integration

Reports & CSV Files

Gathering saves your data into the local database (the .db file in your database folder). It does not create CSV files on its own. CSV files are produced by the report step, which reads the data already in your database and writes it out in the universal CSV format used by other genealogy tools.

There are two ways to produce the CSV files:

Run Report — Click this button on the Living DNA gather page at any time to generate fresh CSV files from your current database contents. This only takes a few seconds and does not re-gather anything, so you can use it after a gather has finished without repeating the long collection process.
Auto-Report — Turn on this toggle before you gather and the report runs automatically the moment the gather completes.

If you gathered without Auto-Report turned on and don't see any CSV files yet, your data is still safe in the database — just click Run Report to create the CSVs. There is no need to gather again.

Output Files

The CSV files are saved directly in your database folder, alongside the .db file — the same folder the Open Folder button on the home page opens. You do not need to look inside the BrowserData subfolders; those hold the embedded browser's session cache, not your gathered data.

The exported CSV files are compatible with other genealogy tools, including DNAPainter, the Genealogical DNA Analysis Tool (GDAT), RootsFinder DNATools, and spreadsheet programs such as Excel and Google Sheets.