Getting Started

Capturing your DNA match data with DGBrowser takes three steps: check your settings, sign in to your testing site, and browse your matches. That's it — capture happens automatically as pages load.

1. Check your settings (optional)

Click Settings… in the toolbar. The defaults work for almost everyone:

DNAGedcom database — where captured data is written. By default this is a dnagedcom.db file in a DNAGedcom folder in your user profile. You only need to change this if you want the database somewhere specific, such as a synced folder.
Vendors — which testing sites DGBrowser captures from. All are enabled by default; untick any you don't want recorded.
GDAT database — used later by Sync to GDAT; you can leave it empty for now.

The status bar at the bottom of the window shows the database DGBrowser is writing to.

2. Sign in to your testing site

Type the site's address into the address bar (for example myheritage.com) and press Enter, then sign in exactly as you would in any browser. DGBrowser identifies itself as Chrome, so the sites behave normally.

Pop-up sign-in windows open as new tabs. Some sites open their sign-in form in a separate window; DGBrowser opens it as a new tab instead. Complete the sign-in there, then return to the site's tab.

3. Browse your matches

Open your DNA match list and browse. As each page loads its data, DGBrowser recognizes it and records it to your database in the background — there is nothing to click and no gathering step.

To capture thoroughly:

Scroll or page through your whole match list, not just the first screen — most sites load matches as you scroll or move between pages, and DGBrowser can only capture what the site loads.
Open individual matches to capture their details, such as shared matches and segment data, where the site provides them.
For long, repetitive capture sessions — visiting many match pages one after another — use the URL List feature to have DGBrowser visit each page for you.

4. Confirm the capture

Click Sync to GDAT… in the toolbar: the window lists every kit DGBrowser has captured so far, by vendor and name. You can close it without syncing — it's the quickest way to see what you've collected. When you're ready to analyze the data in GDAT 4, follow the Sync to GDAT guide.

Use tabs like a normal browser. Click + above the page for a new tab — for example, one tab per testing site. Capture works in every tab at once.