This is general information, not legal advice. Rules about digital assets differ by place and by provider, so consider speaking with a qualified professional, such as an estate attorney, about your situation.
What a digital legacy includes
Most people now hold a large part of their lives online. A digital legacy is everything that remains after you: email and social media accounts, photos and videos, documents, financial and bill-paying accounts, subscriptions, domain names or websites, loyalty points, and the devices that hold local copies of all of it.
Without a plan, relatives may be unable to find accounts, unlock devices or recover cherished photos. Providers usually have strict policies about who may access an account, and these exist for privacy reasons. Without the right details or documents, a family member can face a long and uncertain process.
Start with an inventory
The most useful step is a simple list. It does not need to be long, and it should be easy to update.
- Main devices, such as phones, computers and tablets, and how to unlock them
- Email accounts, since these are often the key to resetting everything else
- Financial accounts, bills and subscriptions that renew automatically
- Cloud storage, photo libraries and where your backups are
- Social media and other accounts you would like closed, kept or memorialized
- Anything with ongoing value or cost, such as a website, a domain or a digital purchase library
Record where each thing is, not necessarily every password. Review the list once or twice a year, or after a major change.
Handling passwords and access
Sharing passwords is where security and practicality pull against each other. A few general approaches exist.
- A password manager with an emergency or legacy feature. Some password managers let you name a trusted person who can request access after a waiting period. Check whether yours offers this and how it works. See the overview of password managers for how they store credentials.
- A written record kept somewhere secure. A sealed note in a safe or with a lawyer can hold the master password and device unlock codes. Avoid leaving it where anyone could find it.
- Provider tools. Some large providers let you name a contact who can receive certain data or manage the account after a period of inactivity, or let you choose to delete the account. The names and options vary, so look in your account settings.
Two-factor authentication adds a complication. If codes go to your phone, someone who has your password may still be locked out. Make sure there is a way to get past that step, such as saved recovery codes stored with your other important papers. The basics of two-factor authentication explain why those codes exist.
Decide what you want to happen
Different people feel differently about what should happen to their data. You may want your family to receive photos, to have some accounts closed, or to keep private messages private. Write down your wishes. Consider:
- Which photos, videos and documents should go to whom
- Whether social accounts should be memorialized, deleted or left alone
- Whether any content should be removed without being read
- Who should handle each task, and whether one person is trusted with all of it
If you have a will, ask a professional whether and how it should mention digital assets and access. A will often becomes a public document, so avoid putting passwords in it.
Keep files recoverable
Photos and documents are only useful to relatives if they can be found and opened. A well-organized backup on an external drive, kept somewhere your family knows about, is a gift in itself. Using common file formats and clear folder names helps. If the drive is encrypted, make sure the key or password is available in your plan. Without it, even a well-meaning relative will likely be unable to open the files.
Online accounts may be closed after a period of inactivity or if payments stop. Do not assume that a cloud photo library will exist forever, and keep a local copy of what matters most.
For relatives handling an account
If you are in the position of managing someone else’s accounts, go slowly. Contact each provider and ask about their process, which often requires a death certificate or proof of your role. Avoid logging in with someone else’s credentials unless you have been clearly authorized, because terms of service and local law may restrict it. Watch out for online scams that target grieving families, and be careful with unexpected messages claiming to settle accounts.
A short plan you can finish this week
- Make a basic list of devices and accounts.
- Choose one trusted person and decide how they can get access.
- Save recovery codes and master passwords somewhere secure.
- Write down your wishes for photos and key accounts.
- Talk to the person involved, so they know the plan exists.
A plan does not need to be perfect to be useful. Even a short one can spare your family a great deal of stress.