Go to your FTDNA home page then go to your Account Settings page by hovering over your name on the top right hand side of your home page.  

Click Account Settings for your 

(1) Account Information, 

(2) Genealogy, 

(3) Privacy & Sharing, 

(4) Project Preferences, and 

(5) Notification Preferences.  

For the benefit of your member participation and advancement it is recommended that you activate your project preferences in order to activate Matching, Earliest Known Ancestor(s) and sharing your Project Profile.

Account Information – On this tab you may update your address, email address, etc., as well as enter your information for yourself as the home person on your family tree. Be sure to click over to the Beneficiary tab, too, and enter the information of the person you want to have access to your test when you pass away. While it’s wise to include your tests (from any company) in your will, listing a beneficiary here simplifies access to your account for the person to whom you leave it.

Genealogy – click onto Earliest Known Ancestor(s) and enter name, date, and location.  This is displayed on DNA genetic reports and match pages.  The Earliest Known Ancestor is important for your matches and for the Administrators in terms of understanding your matches.  As the project grows this information becomes more important for matching and the DNA results page.  Even those members with only autosomal DNA results may want to enter the names and locations of your paternal and maternal lineages.  Please do not place a male's name in the maternal lineage section.

Privacy & Sharing – to view your own DNA relatives, you must opt in to matches. It’s likely that you have already done this, but if you have not, please do so as it is critical to assisting you with your results.

Project Preferences – under Group Project Profile “opt in to sharing.”  Your project profile may include: surname, haplogroups, earliest known ancestors, ancestral location, and DNA reports.  This is also important for the future descendants and project administrators alike.  Administrator access is important.  If you require a Minimum access, then you may as well leave the project as the administrator cannot do anything for you.  The default is "Limited" access, but administrators prefer "Advanced" access.  

Notification Preferences – choose the matches you want to receive by email.   

Project Participants will want to aid and advance their family history research by collaborating and sharing on the project’s Activity Feed.  This community collaboration will enhance and benefit everyone’s understanding and assist in their personal research goals.  From time to time, check the Activity Feed for updates and Q&A messages from project members and administrators.  If a new message has been posted, you will see the notification by the little bell on the top right hand side.