Skip to content Skip to footer
Install Genealogy Assistant
Install for Google ChromeInstall for SafariInstall for FirefoxInstall for Microsoft Edge
Install Genealogy AssistantContact
Genealogy Assistant features

23andMe: Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches

The top of a 23andMe match profile, with the two Keyboard shortcuts lines beside the Connect and Message buttons outlined in red, listing N, R, M, S and X.

What problem does 23andMe Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches solve?

23andMe Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches lets you work through a 23andMe match’s profile from the keyboard, with Ancestry’s letters. One key opens the note, the relationship or a message, and the arrow keys turn the pages of Relatives in Common. Without it, each one means scrolling and clicking.

How does 23andMe Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches work?

The shortcuts work on the profile of any 23andMe match. Two small lines starting Keyboard shortcuts list the letters at the right of the profile card, level with Connect and Message. Only the keys whose controls are on the profile are listed. Your match list has its own set in Add Keyboard Shortcuts to Matches List.

Pressing N scrolls down to the profile’s Notes and puts the cursor at the end of your note, ready to type. Once you type, a line beside Cancel and Save reads Press Ctrl/CMD + Enter to save. Esc leaves the note box and keeps your text, since 23andMe’s Cancel drops it without asking.

The Notes box on a 23andMe match profile with a note typed, and the line Press Ctrl/CMD + Enter to save outlined in red beside the Cancel and Save buttons.

R opens 23andMe’s window for editing the predicted relationship, and 23andMe’s own Esc closes it. X opens a message to the match. M scrolls down to Relatives in Common, and S opens DNA Painter’s Shared cM Tool when DNA Painter Shared cM Tool Button is turned on.

In Relatives in Common, the right arrow key shows the next page of relatives and the left arrow key the previous one. When there is more than one page, a line under the table’s page links reads Keyboard ← → arrows switch pages. to remind you of the keys.

The foot of the Relatives in Common table on a 23andMe match profile on page 2, with the page links and the line Keyboard arrows switch pages under them outlined in red.

To add a relative in common to a group, hover over them and press G. The Add/Manage Groups panel opens with them ticked, and while it is open, G ticks or unticks whoever you hover over. Its button shows a small G and comes from Add Groups to Shared Matches, which must be turned on.

The Add/Manage Groups panel open beside the Relatives in Common table on a 23andMe match profile after pressing G, with the hovered relative ticked and outlined in red.

The keys do nothing while you are typing in a box or while a 23andMe window is open. Holding an arrow key down moves only one page, so you cannot skip past the page you wanted. Shortcuts with Ctrl, Cmd or Alt are left to your browser.

How do I use 23andMe Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches?

  1. In the Genealogy Assistant pop-up panel, make sure Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches is turned on.
  2. Open the profile of a 23andMe match. The keys are listed at the right of the profile card.
  3. Press a letter to run its action. Every key is listed under Keyboard Shortcuts.
  4. To save a note, press Ctrl + Enter (Cmd + Enter on a Mac).
  5. Open the profile’s Relatives in Common section. Automatically Open Shared Matches can open it for you.
  6. Press the right arrow key for the next page of relatives in common, or the left arrow key for the previous page.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • N scrolls to the match’s note and puts the cursor in it.
  • Ctrl + Enter (Cmd + Enter on a Mac) saves the note.
  • Esc leaves the note box and keeps what you typed.
  • R opens the window for editing the predicted relationship.
  • M scrolls down to Relatives in Common.
  • S opens DNA Painter’s Shared cM Tool for the match, when DNA Painter Shared cM Tool Button is turned on.
  • X opens a message to the match.
  • G ticks or unticks the relative in common you are hovering over in Add/Manage Groups. It works when Add Groups to Shared Matches is turned on.
  • Left goes to the previous page of Relatives in Common.
  • Right goes to the next page of Relatives in Common.

Related features

23andMe Add Keyboard Shortcuts to DNA Matches is a feature of the software Genealogy Assistant.

Genealogy Assistant is an extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari which supercharges your family history research by adding over 100 custom features to popular genealogy websites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, FamilyTreeDNA and more.

Install Genealogy Assistant for Google Chrome | Install for Mozilla Firefox | Install for Microsoft Edge | Install for Apple Safari