Settling a loved one's affairs means contacting a long list of institutions, and a growing share are online services with separate authentication and access requirements that take longer to resolve than legacy paperwork.
What happens to someone's digital life when they die?
When someone dies, their digital life doesn't disappear with them. Email accounts keep receiving messages. Social media profiles remain active. Subscriptions continue to charge. Cryptocurrency sits in wallets that may be locked forever.
Managing a loved one's digital assets after death has become one of the most complex — and often overlooked — aspects of estate administration.
What are digital assets?
Digital assets encompass everything that exists in digital form. This includes email accounts and their contents, social media profiles and content, photos and videos stored in the cloud, digital financial accounts (online banking, payment apps, investment platforms), cryptocurrency and NFTs, domain names and websites, online businesses and revenue-generating accounts, digital media libraries (purchased music, ebooks, movies — often licensed to the account holder rather than owned, so they may not pass to heirs), subscription services, loyalty programs and reward points, gaming accounts with purchased content, and professional or creative work stored digitally.
Why is it hard to access a deceased person's digital accounts?
Access. Most digital accounts are protected by passwords, two-factor authentication, and platform-specific security measures. Without the right credentials, even close family members may be locked out.
Legal authority. Platform terms of service vary widely. Some allow designated legacy contacts to access accounts. Others will only respond to court orders. And some won't grant access under any circumstances — to anyone.
Discovery. You may not even know all the digital accounts your loved one had. Unlike physical assets, digital accounts don't arrive in the mail or sit in a filing cabinet.
Cryptocurrency. Digital currencies present a unique challenge. Without the private key or recovery phrase, cryptocurrency may be permanently inaccessible — regardless of its value.
How do you manage a loved one's digital assets step by step?
Step 1: Gather what you know. Start with the accounts you're aware of. Check the deceased's devices (phone, computer, tablet) for saved logins, check their email for account registration confirmations and newsletters, review bank statements for recurring digital charges, and look for password managers or stored credentials.
Step 2: Establish authority and contact the providers. Before making any changes, find out who is legally entitled to act for the estate and what each provider's bereavement or deceased-user procedure requires. Contact the providers through those procedures rather than logging in with the deceased's credentials — and never use their online banking or e-ID credentials. Don't change passwords or security settings until you are authorised to, as this can lock out those who are entitled to access. In the meantime, keep devices and any records safe so that data is preserved.
Step 3: Handle financial accounts first. Prioritize accounts with monetary value: online banking and investment accounts, payment apps and digital wallets, cryptocurrency wallets, recurring subscription charges, and any accounts generating revenue. Handle these through the bank or provider and with the estate's authority — not by logging in as the deceased.
Step 4: Address social media. Each platform has its own process. Facebook and Instagram allow memorialization or deletion with proof of death. Google offers an Inactive Account Manager, which the account holder must set up in advance. Apple's Legacy Contact feature, also set up in advance, gives access to data such as photos, messages and files, but not to purchased movies, music or books, or to passwords stored in iCloud Keychain. X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and other platforms have their own removal or memorialization procedures. Gather the required documentation (usually a death certificate and proof of relationship) and follow each platform's specific process.
Step 5: Cancel subscriptions and services. Go through bank and credit card statements to identify all recurring charges. Cancel each subscription directly — most can be canceled online or with a phone call and a copy of the death certificate.
Step 6: Archive what matters. Before closing accounts, save any content that has sentimental or practical value — photos, messages, documents, creative work. Download content before requesting account deletion.
How can you make it easier for your family?
If you want to spare your loved ones this complexity, take these steps now. Create a digital inventory listing your important online accounts. Use a password manager with a legacy or emergency access feature. Name a trusted person to help with your digital accounts, and ask a lawyer how to give them the authority they need under your country's law and the platforms' terms. Set up platform-specific legacy features (Google Inactive Account Manager, Facebook Legacy Contact, Apple Digital Legacy). Keep your digital inventory updated as you add or close accounts.
The Evolving Legal Framework
Laws around digital assets and posthumous account access are still developing. What's clear is that having documented wishes and authorized representatives makes everything easier — both for your family and for the platforms they'll need to work with.
Without documentation, families often face months of bureaucratic processes, legal proceedings, and emotional frustration — all during a time when they're already overwhelmed.
Solace Care helps you organize your digital life and plan for its future — so your family knows exactly what exists, what you want done with it, and how to access it when the time comes.
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