A person's digital footprint today can span dozens of accounts — social media profiles, cloud storage, email, banking apps, streaming subscriptions, and more. Managing this digital estate is a critical but often overlooked part of settling affairs after a death. This guide tells you exactly what to do and in what order.
Before You Begin: What You Need
- Several certified copies of the death certificate (most platforms require one)
- Proof of your relationship to the deceased (ID, and sometimes a legal document like a will or letters testamentary)
- The deceased's email address (most account recovery flows require it)
- Access to their email inbox if possible (to receive verification codes)
Priority 1: Financial Accounts (Act Immediately)
Bank, investment, and credit card accounts should be addressed first to prevent fraud and ensure access to estate funds.
- Banks and credit unions: Bring a certified death certificate and your ID to the branch. Joint accounts transfer automatically. Individual accounts are frozen and transferred through probate.
- PayPal: Submit a death certificate via their online form to close or transfer the account.
- Venmo / Cash App: Contact support with a death certificate. Balances can be transferred to the estate.
- Cryptocurrency: This is complex. Without the private key or seed phrase, crypto is permanently inaccessible. Check for any written passwords or hardware wallets among their belongings.
Social Media Accounts
Facebook / Instagram (Meta)
Meta offers two options:
- Memorialization: Converts the profile to a memorial, where friends can still post tributes. The word "Remembering" appears before the name. This is permanent.
- Removal: Permanently deletes the account and all content.
Submit a request at facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480. A death certificate is required for removal. For memorialization, an obituary link may be sufficient.
Tip: If the deceased designated a Facebook Legacy Contact in their settings, that person has limited ability to manage the memorialized profile.
Submit a memorialization or removal request at instagram.com/deceased. A death certificate or obituary is required.
X (formerly Twitter)
X allows authorized family members to request account deactivation. Submit a request through their help center with proof of death and your relationship to the deceased.
Submit a removal request at linkedin.com/help with a death certificate. LinkedIn does not offer memorialization — the account is simply removed.
TikTok
Contact TikTok support through the app's help center. Submit a death certificate to request account removal.
Apple Accounts (iPhone & Mac Users)
Apple's Digital Legacy program allows designated contacts to request access to iCloud data after a death. However:
- If the deceased set up a Legacy Contact, that contact receives an access key and can request data from Apple.
- If no Legacy Contact was designated, family members can apply to a court for a "Digital Estate Order" — Apple has accepted these in certain cases.
- Without either, iCloud data is generally inaccessible. Apple does not share passwords under any circumstances.
Start the process at apple.com/support/digital-legacy.
Google Accounts (Gmail, Drive, Photos)
Google's Inactive Account Manager allows users to designate trusted contacts who can download data if the account goes inactive. For deceased users:
- Family members can submit a request to Google to access or close the account.
- Go to: g.co/myaccount/deceaseduserform
- A death certificate and proof of relationship are required.
- Google may share certain data with authorized family members even without prior designation.
Email Accounts
- Gmail: See Google section above.
- Outlook / Microsoft: Microsoft will close accounts after a period of inactivity. Family members can request closure at microsoft.com/en-us/concern/deceased.
- Yahoo Mail: Yahoo's policy is to close accounts without providing access to content. Submit a closure request through their help center.
Subscriptions to Cancel
Check the deceased's bank or credit card statements for recurring charges. Common subscriptions to cancel:
- Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Spotify, Apple TV+
- Amazon Prime
- Cloud storage (iCloud, Google One, Dropbox)
- Magazine or newspaper subscriptions
- Insurance auto-payments
- Phone and internet service
Most services accept a phone call or written request with a death certificate. Request a refund for any prepaid period after the date of death.
Password Management
If the deceased used a password manager (1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden), contact the provider's support team. Some offer emergency access features. If the master password is unknown, access may be permanently lost.
Creating Your Own Digital Estate Plan
The most important lesson from this guide: do this for yourself now, so your family does not have to navigate it. Consider:
- Setting up Legacy Contacts on Facebook, Apple, and Google.
- Storing a list of accounts and passwords in a secure location (a password manager, a sealed envelope with your will, or a secure note in a safe).
- Adding digital asset instructions to your will or estate plan.