When someone dies, their digital life doesn't simply switch off. Across the UK, millions of people leave behind Facebook profiles, email inboxes, photo libraries, online banking accounts, and sometimes even cryptocurrency wallets — all of which can cause significant distress, confusion, and even financial loss for the families left behind.
Yet digital legacy planning remains one of the most overlooked aspects of preparing for death. According to research, fewer than one in three UK adults has left any instructions about what should happen to their online accounts. This guide aims to change that — offering practical, step-by-step advice on what happens to the most common digital accounts after death, and how to plan ahead so your family isn't left in the dark.
Why Your Digital Estate Matters
Your digital estate is the collection of all your online accounts, digital files, and assets that exist after you die. This can include:
- Social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn)
- Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud)
- Cloud photo storage (Google Photos, iCloud, Amazon Photos)
- Online banking, PayPal, and investment accounts
- Cryptocurrency holdings (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others)
- Streaming services and digital subscriptions
- Online businesses, websites, and domain names
- Digital content libraries (Kindle books, iTunes purchases)
Unlike physical possessions, digital assets don't automatically pass to your next of kin. Each platform has its own policies, and without proper planning, families may find themselves locked out of precious memories, or worse, unable to access funds that belong to the estate.
Social Media Accounts After Death
Facebook: Memorialisation and Legacy Contact
Facebook has arguably the most developed policies for handling accounts after death, and understanding them can bring real comfort to grieving families.
When a Facebook user dies, their profile can be memorialised. A memorialised account has the word "Remembering" added before the person's name, and it becomes a space where friends and family can share memories and tributes. Importantly, no one can log into a memorialised account, protecting it from misuse.
To request memorialisation, a family member or friend can submit a Memorialisation Request through Facebook's Help Centre, providing proof of death such as a death certificate or obituary notice.
Facebook also allows users to appoint a Legacy Contact — a trusted person who can manage certain aspects of the profile after death. A Legacy Contact can:
- Write a pinned memorial post
- Respond to new friend requests
- Update profile and cover photos
- Download a copy of the person's Facebook data (if pre-authorised)
To set a Legacy Contact, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > General > Memorialisation Settings. You can also choose to have your account permanently deleted after death if you prefer.
Instagram After Death
Instagram (owned by Meta) allows accounts to be memorialised in a similar way to Facebook. A memorialised Instagram account shows "Remembering" next to the username, and the profile remains visible so that followers can continue to see and share the person's posts.
Immediate family members can also request the removal of a deceased person's Instagram account entirely, which may be preferable for families who find the ongoing presence distressing. Instagram requires proof of death and, in some cases, proof of the relationship to the deceased.
Unlike Facebook, Instagram does not currently offer a Legacy Contact feature, meaning families have more limited control over the account's content.
X (Formerly Twitter) After Death
X (formerly Twitter) has a deceased user policy that allows authorised persons — typically immediate family members — to request account deactivation. X does not offer a memorialisation feature, so accounts cannot be converted into a memorial space.
To request deactivation, you'll need to complete an online form on X's Help Centre, providing a copy of your own ID, the deceased person's death certificate, and proof of your relationship or authorisation to act on behalf of the estate.
X does not provide account access to family members, meaning archived tweets cannot be downloaded by next of kin unless the original account holder had previously downloaded their data.
LinkedIn After Death
LinkedIn allows family members or colleagues to submit a request to have a deceased person's profile removed. There is no memorialisation option. Given that LinkedIn profiles are professional in nature, most families choose to have the account removed relatively quickly to prevent recruiters or connections from making contact without knowing the person has passed.
TikTok After Death
TikTok's policies around deceased users are less well-developed than Meta's platforms. Family members can report an account for removal, but there is currently no formal memorialisation process. Given the popularity of TikTok among younger people, this is an area where platforms will likely need to evolve their policies.
Email Accounts After Death
Email accounts are often where the most practically important information lives — from bank statements and insurance documents to personal correspondence. Here's what happens with the main providers:
Google (Gmail)
Google's Inactive Account Manager is one of the most thoughtfully designed tools for digital legacy planning. It allows you to decide in advance what happens to your Google account — including Gmail, Google Photos, Google Drive, and YouTube — if it becomes inactive for a set period (3, 6, 12, or 18 months).
You can:
- Choose trusted contacts to be notified and given access to your data
- Specify which Google products each contact can access
- Set up an auto-reply message informing people of your absence
- Instruct Google to delete your account entirely after a period of inactivity
To set this up, visit myaccount.google.com and search for Inactive Account Manager. This is one of the most valuable steps you can take for your digital legacy — and it takes less than ten minutes.
If no Inactive Account Manager has been set up, Google may allow a family member to submit a request for access to account content or account deletion, but this process can be slow and is not guaranteed.
Microsoft (Outlook/Hotmail)
Microsoft's policy is more restrictive. The company does not provide passwords or direct access to deceased users' accounts. However, family members can request a DVD containing the contents of the email account, subject to providing a death certificate and other documentation. This process can take several weeks.
Apple (iCloud)
Apple introduced a Digital Legacy feature that allows users to designate Legacy Contacts who can request access to their iCloud data after death. Without this being set up in advance, Apple will not grant access to a deceased person's Apple ID or iCloud account — even to immediate family members. If the person had an iPhone secured with Face ID or a passcode that isn't known, the data on that device may be permanently inaccessible.
To add a Legacy Contact on iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security > Legacy Contact.
Online Banking and Financial Accounts
In the UK, online banking accounts are governed by the same rules as traditional bank accounts. Banks must be notified of a death and will freeze individual accounts until probate or letters of administration are granted. Joint accounts typically remain accessible to the surviving account holder.
To notify banks, the Tell Us Once service — available through the government's bereavement service — allows families to notify multiple government departments and some local services in a single step. However, private banks and financial institutions must usually be contacted individually.
Services like PayPal and online investment platforms (such as Hargreaves Lansdown or Trading 212) have their own processes for dealing with deceased account holders, and executors will need to contact them directly as part of the estate administration process.
Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets
Cryptocurrency represents one of the most significant challenges in digital estate planning. Unlike a bank account, crypto holdings are not insured, not regulated in the same way, and — crucially — cannot be recovered if access is lost.
If a person holds cryptocurrency in a hardware wallet or a software wallet and the private key or seed phrase is not passed on, those assets are lost forever. No court order, no request to a platform, nothing can recover them.
If crypto is held on an exchange (such as Coinbase or Kraken), the process is more similar to a standard financial account — executors can contact the exchange with a death certificate and grant of probate to begin the process of transferring or liquidating the assets.
The key message here is simple: if you hold cryptocurrency, your family must know where it is and how to access it. This information should be stored securely — not digitally — and ideally referenced in your will.
Digital Photos and Memories
For many families, digital photos represent the most emotionally significant part of a person's digital estate. Photos stored in cloud services may be inaccessible after death if no planning has been done.
- Google Photos: Accessible via Inactive Account Manager settings (see above)
- iCloud Photos: Accessible only via Apple's Legacy Contact programme
- Amazon Photos: Family members can contact Amazon to request access; processes vary
- Facebook/Instagram: Some data can be downloaded by a Legacy Contact (Facebook only)
Consider downloading and backing up important photos to a physical hard drive or USB stick and storing this alongside your important documents. This simple step can save families enormous heartache.
How to Plan Your Digital Legacy: A Practical Checklist
Planning your digital legacy doesn't need to be complicated. Here's a step-by-step approach:
- Create a digital inventory. List all your significant online accounts — email, social media, banking, subscriptions, and any digital assets like cryptocurrency.
- Appoint a Facebook Legacy Contact and set your Instagram memorialisation preference.
- Set up Google's Inactive Account Manager to designate trusted contacts for your Gmail, Google Photos, and Drive.
- Add an Apple Legacy Contact in your iPhone or Mac settings.
- Store passwords and access information securely. Consider a password manager such as LastPass or 1Password — and ensure your executor knows the master password, or store it somewhere physically secure.
- Document any cryptocurrency holdings and store seed phrases or private keys in a fireproof, physically secure location.
- Reference your digital estate in your will. You don't need to list every password, but your will should name a digital executor and reference where instructions can be found.
- Tell a trusted person. Even the best-planned digital legacy can fail if no one knows it exists. Tell your executor or a trusted family member where to find your instructions.
- Review your digital legacy annually. Accounts change, new platforms emerge, and your wishes may evolve.
Announcing a Death on Social Media
There is no single right way to announce a death online, but there are some principles that can help. Before posting anything publicly, ensure that all close family members and friends have been told personally — discovering a loved one's death through a social media post can be deeply hurtful.
When you are ready to post, you might consider something like the following:
"It is with great sadness that we share the news that [Name] passed away peacefully on [date], surrounded by those who loved him/her most. [Name] will be remembered for [a quality or memory]. We ask that you respect our family's privacy at this time. Details of the funeral will be shared in due course. Thank you for all the kind messages — they mean the world to us."
Consider whether to turn off comments on a public announcement post, or whether you'd welcome the support of messages. Both choices are entirely valid. You may also wish to designate one family member to manage social media responses during the immediate bereavement period, so that no one feels overwhelmed.
How an NAFD Funeral Director Can Help
Dealing with a person's digital life is just one part of the many practical and emotional responsibilities that follow a death. An NAFD-accredited funeral director can help guide your family through the immediate steps needed after a death, giving you the breathing space to handle other matters in your own time.
All NAFD member funeral homes abide by a strict Code of Practice and are independently monitored, so you can be confident you're receiving compassionate, professional support. If you're planning ahead, an NAFD funeral director can also discuss pre-paid funeral plans and help you think through the practical documents your family will need — including how your digital wishes might be recorded alongside your funeral arrangements.
Use our funeral director search to find an NAFD-accredited funeral home near you, or use our funeral cost calculator to understand funeral costs in your area.
