What Happens to Your Digital Life When You Die

Last verified September 19, 2026.

Sit down and try to list every online account you have. Most people can't finish. Email, social media, streaming services, cloud storage, online banking, subscription boxes, loyalty programs, cryptocurrency wallets, and dozens of apps you downloaded once and forgot about.

When you die, most of these accounts stay open. None of them automatically transfer to your heirs ^{[3] [6] [12]}. They will simply sit there, accumulating charges, holding memories, and creating complications for the people you leave behind.

Digital estate planning is one of the most overlooked aspects of end-of-life preparation. This is what happens to your digital life when you die, and what you can do about it.

Facebook (Meta): Facebook lets you name a legacy contact, someone who manages your memorialized account after your death. They can write a pinned post, respond to new friend requests, and update your profile picture and cover photo, but they can’t read your messages or remove your past posts ^[1].

The other option is Delete After Death, which removes your account completely after you die. If you set neither, anyone with the proper documents can ask Facebook to memorialize your account after you die, and a memorialized account with no legacy contact can’t be changed ^[1].

Instagram (Meta): Instagram has the same two settings. You can name a legacy contact, who can update your profile picture and manage your tags but can’t post or send messages as you and can’t see your messages ^[9]. Or you can pick Delete After Death, and the profile is deleted once Instagram receives a valid memorialization request ^[10].

After someone dies, anyone can ask Instagram to memorialize the profile with proof of death, such as a link to an obituary or a news article. Verified immediate family can ask for the profile to be removed instead, which takes documents like a birth certificate, a death certificate, or proof you’re the lawful representative.

Instagram won’t hand over login details either way ^[5].

X (formerly Twitter): The only option X’s help page describes is deactivation. X deactivates the account for a person authorized to act on behalf of the estate, or for a verified immediate family member. After you submit the request, X emails you for details about the person who died, a copy of your ID, and a copy of the death certificate ^[11].

LinkedIn: LinkedIn has two options. Someone who isn’t authorized can report a member as deceased, and LinkedIn memorializes the profile once it confirms they’re connected to the member on LinkedIn or related by last name. Closing the account instead takes court-issued letters of administration, testamentary, or representation, or another court order naming you the estate’s representative.

A will or a power of attorney doesn’t count ^[12]. A memorialized account is locked, and LinkedIn won’t disclose the username or password to anyone, including family, under any circumstances ^[12].

TikTok: TikTok has both settings too, under Account legacy. If you’re 18 or older you can name one legacy contact, who has to be a TikTok friend, or choose Delete after death ^[13]. A legacy contact can act only after the account is memorialized, and only with the permissions you granted: update your bio, accept friend requests, manage who can mention you or comment, request deletion, and download your posts.

They can’t log in, remove or edit your posts, or read your messages ^[13]. After a death, a family member or legal guardian can ask TikTok to memorialize or delete the account with proof of death, proof the person owned the account, and their relationship to them. TikTok can also memorialize an account on its own once the death is confirmed through credible sources ^[13].

A memorialized profile shows Remembering next to the name, generally stays visible, and can’t be logged into by anyone, even with the password ^[13][14].

Gmail/Google: Google's Inactive Account Manager allows you to designate what happens to your account after a period of inactivity ^[8]. You can choose to have it deleted or to share specific data with designated people ^[2][4][8]. Without this setting, Google can delete an account after two years of inactivity ^[7], and your family may lose access to years of email, photos stored in Google Photos, and documents in Google Drive.

Apple iCloud: Apple’s Digital Legacy feature lets you name legacy contacts who can access certain data stored in your Apple Account after your death ^[3]. Without one, family can still request access, but Apple verifies legal documentation first: generally a death certificate, and in the US a court order naming you as the rightful inheritor of the person’s information ^[3]. Apple calls a legacy contact the easiest and most secure way to give someone you trust that access ^[3].

Microsoft: Outside Germany and China, Microsoft won’t give family access without a court order or subpoena. If you have the person’s credentials you can close the account yourself. If you don’t, the account closes automatically after two years of inactivity ^[6].

The practical implication: if you store irreplaceable photos in the cloud, set up legacy contacts now. If you don't, your family may not be able to access them.

Online banking and investment accounts are governed by the same rules as traditional financial accounts. They pass to beneficiaries or through the estate. The difference is access: if your family doesn't know the accounts exist, they may not be discovered. A list of all financial accounts, including online-only banks and investment platforms, is essential.

Cryptocurrency held in a self-custodied wallet is controlled through its keys. If no authorized person can locate and safely use the recovery method, the asset may become inaccessible. A court order can’t recreate a lost private key or seed phrase.

Cryptocurrency held on exchanges (like Coinbase or Kraken) is somewhat more accessible, exchanges typically have a process for transferring assets to an estate, but it still requires your family to know the account exists and to navigate the exchange's verification process.

If you hold cryptocurrency, document that the asset exists, give the appropriate fiduciary legal authority, and use a security design suited to the value and the people who may need to operate it. Do not put a private key or seed phrase in a will, email, ordinary inventory, or online planning tool. A qualified estate attorney and security professional can help separate legal authority from technical recovery.

Recurring charges are the ones that outlast people. Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, meal kit deliveries, gym memberships, software subscriptions, news sites. Every one of them keeps billing until somebody cancels it.

After a death, families often discover subscriptions they didn't know about when reviewing bank statements. This is one reason why a complete list of financial accounts and recurring charges is so valuable. Each service sets its own cancellation, authority, document, refund, and data-retention rules. Ask for the provider's current deceased-customer process before sending a certified record.

Loyalty points and rewards, airline miles, hotel points, credit card rewards, vary widely in their transferability. Some programs allow transfer to a beneficiary; others expire at death. Check the terms of any significant loyalty programs you participate in.

Three settings decide what happens to your photos, your email, and your profile after you die: Apple Digital Legacy for iCloud, Google Inactive Account Manager for Gmail and Drive, and the Facebook legacy contact for your memorialized profile. Our walkthrough shows how to set up each one, what it hands over, and what it holds back.