How do you handle a loved one's digital accounts after death?
By CRYSTAL BAI •
The short answer: After a loved one dies, digital accounts require different handling depending on the platform. Social media accounts can be memorialized or removed. Financial accounts require estate documentation for access. Email can be crucial for estate administration. The easiest path forward is a digital estate plan created before death — but most families do not have one and must navigate account-by-account.
Types of digital accounts and how to handle them
| Account Type | Recommended Action | What You Need |
|---|---|---|
| Memorialize or remove | Death certificate | |
| Memorialize or remove | Death certificate + proof of relationship | |
| Google/Gmail | Access for estate or close account | Death certificate + legal authority (estate paperwork) |
| Apple/iCloud | Data recovery (limited) or close | Court order usually required for data |
| Online banking | Transfer assets through estate | Death certificate + letters testamentary |
| PayPal/Venmo | Claim balance through estate | Death certificate + estate documentation |
| Subscription services | Cancel to stop charges | Death certificate or account credentials |
Facebook memorialization vs. removal
Facebook offers two options for a deceased person's account:
- Memorialization: The account becomes a place for friends and family to share memories. "Remembering" appears before the name. No new friend requests can be accepted.
- Removal: The account is permanently deleted. Request through Facebook's Special Request form with a death certificate.
Facebook also allows you to appoint a Legacy Contact while alive — a person who can manage your memorialized account after you die.
The hardest account: Apple
Apple does not allow family members to access a deceased person's iCloud data without a court order, even with a death certificate. The Digital Legacy feature (available since iOS 15.2) allows users to designate Legacy Contacts while alive. Without this setup, photos, messages, and other data stored only in iCloud may be permanently inaccessible.
How to create a digital estate plan before you die
- Store account credentials in a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden) and share access with a trusted person
- Designate Facebook Legacy Contact and Apple Digital Legacy Contact in account settings
- Create a document listing all accounts, approximate balances, and login instructions — store with your legal will
- Include a digital asset clause in your will authorizing your executor to access digital accounts
Subscription services to cancel quickly
These continue charging the estate until cancelled:
- Streaming: Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Disney+, HBO
- Software: Adobe, Microsoft 365
- Cloud storage: Dropbox, Google One
- News and memberships: NYT, Washington Post, gym memberships
- Amazon Prime and any auto-renewal subscriptions