How to Opt Out of MyHeritage

MyHeritage is one of the world's largest genealogy platforms, with over 100 million users and billions of historical records. While it's a powerful tool for tracing family history, it also stores deeply personal information — names, birth dates, family relationships, photos, and even DNA data. If you're concerned about your privacy, here's how to opt out of MyHeritage and remove your personal information.

What Information Does MyHeritage Collect?

MyHeritage collects a wide range of personal data, including:

• Full name, date of birth, and place of birth
• Family relationships — parents, siblings, spouses, and children
• Photographs and documents you or family members have uploaded
• DNA data if you've used their DNA testing kit
• Email address and contact information
• Location data and browsing behavior on the platform

Even if you never created an account yourself, a family member may have added your information to their family tree, making your data visible to other users on the platform.

How to Delete Your MyHeritage Account

If you have a MyHeritage account and want to permanently remove all your data, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your MyHeritage account at myheritage.com
2. Hover over your name in the top-right corner of the page
3. Click "Account Settings" from the dropdown menu
4. Scroll to the bottom of the Account Settings page
5. Click "Delete my account"
6. Confirm the deletion when prompted

How to Delete Your DNA Data Separately

If you've taken a MyHeritage DNA test but want to keep your account, you can delete just your DNA data:

1. Go to the DNA section of your MyHeritage account
2. Navigate to your DNA kit management page
3. Request deletion of your DNA data, including raw DNA files and analysis results
4. Confirm the request — MyHeritage will process the deletion and destroy any physical samples

MyHeritage states that once you delete your DNA data, they will also destroy any biological samples they still hold. However, it's worth requesting written confirmation of the sample destruction for your records.

How to Opt Out Without Deleting Your Account

If you want to limit your visibility on MyHeritage without fully deleting your account, you have several options:

Adjust Your Privacy Settings

1. Go to Account Settings and find the privacy section
2. Set your family tree to private so only invited members can view it
3. Disable search engine indexing to prevent your profile from appearing in Google results
4. Remove or restrict photo sharing permissions

Contact MyHeritage Directly

You can also submit a formal opt-out or data deletion request:

• Email: Send your request to privacy@myheritage.com
• Phone: Call their toll-free U.S. number at 1-844-994-1888
• Mail: Write to MyHeritage Ltd., PO Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd, Or Yehuda, Israel

Under GDPR (for EU residents) and various U.S. state privacy laws, MyHeritage is legally required to honor data deletion requests within a reasonable timeframe, typically 30 days.

How to Remove Your Data If Someone Else Added You

If a family member added your information to their family tree without your consent, the process is slightly different:

1. Search for yourself on MyHeritage to identify which family trees include your data
2. Contact the tree owner directly through the platform and ask them to remove your information
3. If they don't respond, contact MyHeritage support at privacy@myheritage.com and request removal under your privacy rights
4. Cite applicable privacy laws — such as CCPA, GDPR, or your state's data privacy statute — to strengthen your request

Verify Your Information Has Been Removed

After submitting your opt-out or deletion request, take these verification steps:

• Wait 30 days for the request to be fully processed
• Search for your name on MyHeritage to confirm your profile no longer appears
• Check Google search results for cached MyHeritage pages — you may need to submit a Google removal request separately
• Search other genealogy sites like Ancestry, FamilyTreeNow, and FindAGrave, as your data may have been shared or duplicated across platforms

Why Manual Opt-Outs Aren't Enough

MyHeritage is just one of over 100 data broker and people-search sites that may hold your personal information. Opting out of each one individually is a time-consuming process that requires constant vigilance, as your data can be re-listed at any time.

This is where a data removal service like PrivacyOn can help. PrivacyOn continuously monitors over 100 data broker sites, including genealogy platforms, people-search engines, and public records databases. When your information appears, PrivacyOn automatically submits removal requests on your behalf and follows up to ensure your data is actually removed.

With 24/7 monitoring, dark web scanning, and family plans covering up to 5 people, PrivacyOn takes the burden of ongoing privacy protection off your shoulders — so you don't have to manually repeat this process across dozens of sites every few months.

Additional Steps to Protect Your Genealogical Privacy

• Review all genealogy accounts — check Ancestry, 23andMe, FamilyTreeNow, and FindAGrave for your data
• Talk to family members about not posting your information in public family trees
• Be cautious with DNA tests — once submitted, your genetic data may be difficult to fully retract
• Use a dedicated email address for genealogy sites to limit cross-referencing with your primary identity
• Monitor your online presence regularly to catch new exposures early