Online Accounts After Death

• Facebook — can be memorialised (a legacy contact manages it) or deleted. Go to facebook.com/help/contact/305593649477238
• Instagram — can be memorialised or removed. Contact Instagram through the Help Centre
• Twitter/X — can request account deactivation with a death certificate
• LinkedIn — can request removal via the Help Centre

Google has an Inactive Account Manager that can auto-share or delete your account after a period of inactivity. For immediate access after death, you usually need a court order or death certificate. Apple has a Digital Legacy Contact feature.

Check bank and credit card statements for recurring charges: Netflix, Spotify, gym, cloud storage, newspapers, magazines, apps, gaming subscriptions. Cancel each one — most can be done online or with a phone call and the death certificate.

If the deceased used a password manager (1Password, Proton Pass, Bitwarden), the master password unlocks everything. If not, you may need to go platform by platform. Cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox) may contain photos and documents the family wants to keep — back them up before closing accounts.

If the deceased held crypto, the private keys or seed phrase are essential. Without them, the crypto is effectively lost forever. Check for hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor), exchange accounts (Coinbase, Binance), or written seed phrases in a safe or desk.

The kindest thing you can do for your own family is to leave a list: password manager location + master password, important accounts, what to memorialise vs delete, where the photos are. Save it securely or keep it in a sealed envelope with your will.