What Happens to Your Digital Life After You Die?
When someone dies, most online accounts are not passed on like property. Each company has its own process: Facebook and Instagram can memorialize or remove an account, LinkedIn can memorialize a profile, and X deactivates accounts but does not memorialize them. Families generally cannot get passwords. Access to email and files usually depends on settings the person turned on in advance — Google's Inactive Account Manager or an Apple Legacy Contact — or on a court order.
Social media
A profile can be memorialized or removed. If the person chose a legacy contact, that contact can pin a post, update the profile and cover photos, request removal and — if allowed — download what was shared; they cannot log in or read messages.
Instagram memorializes an account after a verified report of death, adding "Remembering" next to the name. Users can name a legacy contact (who can update the profile picture and manage tags) or choose to have the account deleted after death.
X (Twitter)
X does not memorialize accounts. A verified immediate family member or an authorized estate representative can ask X to deactivate the account, providing details about the deceased, a copy of their own ID and a copy of the death certificate. X does not give anyone access to the account.
Anyone can ask LinkedIn to memorialize a profile; it is then locked with a remembrance badge while posts and connections stay visible. Closing the account entirely requires an authorized representative with a death certificate and a court document such as letters testamentary or letters of administration. LinkedIn does not give out passwords.
Other platforms have their own forms and change them from time to time — check each one's help center.
Email and cloud storage
Google (Gmail, Drive, Photos)
If the person set up Inactive Account Manager, the contacts they chose receive a message and any data they selected after the inactivity period. Otherwise, family members or representatives can file a request with Google about a deceased user's account — for example, to close it. Google may delete accounts that have been inactive for two years.
Apple (iCloud)
A Legacy Contact can request access with the access key and a death certificate. Without one, Apple generally requires a court order naming the requester as the rightful heir (in the U.S.), and it cannot decrypt end-to-end encrypted data. Family can also ask Apple to delete the account, which removes Activation Lock from the person's devices.
Microsoft (Outlook.com, OneDrive)
If you have the sign-in details you can close the account yourself. Otherwise, Microsoft freezes Outlook.com and OneDrive after a year of inactivity and deletes the content soon after; the Microsoft account expires after two years. Microsoft releases a deceased user's information only when formally served with a valid subpoena or court order.
Money
- Bank and investment accounts pass through the estate. The executor contacts each institution with a death certificate and proof of authority (such as letters testamentary).
- Payment apps such as PayPal and Venmo have their own deceased-account processes; expect to provide a death certificate and proof that you represent the estate.
- Cryptocurrency in a self-custody wallet can only be recovered with the private keys or recovery phrase. No company or court can reset them, so store them securely and tell your executor how to find them.
Photos and videos
Cloud photo libraries follow the account rules above, so download important photos early and keep copies in more than one place. If the person used Google Photos or iCloud without legacy settings, act before the inactivity deadlines.
Subscriptions
Streaming services, apps, memberships and software keep billing until they are canceled or the card is closed. List them from bank and card statements and cancel each one; Microsoft also suggests closing the linked card or bank account to stop its subscriptions.
What to do now
- Name legacy contacts on Facebook, Instagram and Apple, and set up Google's Inactive Account Manager.
- Keep an account inventory where your executor can find it — see our digital legacy planning guide.
- If you are handling someone's accounts now, start with our checklist for what to do when someone dies.
Our free AI Planning Assistant can help you draft a list of accounts and wishes to share with your family.
Sources
- Meta Help Center: Legacy contacts on Facebook
- Digital Death Directory (University of Manitoba): Instagram
- Digital Death Directory (University of Manitoba): X (Twitter)
- Digital Death Directory (University of Manitoba): LinkedIn
- Google Account Help: Inactive Account Manager
- Google Account Help: Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account
- Apple Support: How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
- Apple Support: How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple Account
- Microsoft Support: Accessing Outlook.com, OneDrive and other Microsoft services when someone has died
People Also Ask
What happens to a Facebook account when someone dies?
It can be memorialized or removed. If the person named a legacy contact, that contact can pin a post, update photos, request removal and download shared content if allowed — but cannot log in or read messages.
Can family get into a deceased person's email?
Usually not with a password. Google contacts chosen in Inactive Account Manager receive selected data; Apple Legacy Contacts can request access with an access key and death certificate; otherwise Apple and Microsoft generally require a court order or subpoena.
Can my family access my cryptocurrency after I die?
Only if they can get the private keys or recovery phrase. Self-custody crypto cannot be reset by any company or court, so store the recovery details securely and tell your executor how to find them.