Your digital life is larger, more valuable, and more complicated than most people realize. Social media accounts, email, photos stored in the cloud, online banking, subscription services, loyalty points, and potentially cryptocurrency — all of this is part of your digital estate. Without planning, much of it may be inaccessible, lost, or mishandled when you die.
This guide covers every category of digital legacy and what to do about each one.
Why Digital Legacy Planning Matters
Three problems arise when digital legacy is ignored:
- Access problems: Your heirs may need to access accounts for financial or practical reasons — but without passwords or credentials, many accounts are effectively locked forever.
- Financial loss: Cryptocurrency, PayPal balances, digital assets, and prepaid subscriptions can represent real money that is lost if heirs can't access it.
- Emotional impact: Social media profiles managed incorrectly can cause ongoing distress. Photos stored only in the cloud may disappear. Messages and content you created may vanish.
Social Media Accounts
Each major platform has its own policies for accounts after death:
- Facebook/Instagram: Accounts can be memorialized or deleted. You can designate a Legacy Contact who manages your profile after death.
- Google (Gmail, Photos, Drive, YouTube): Inactive Account Manager lets you designate what happens to your data when your account becomes inactive.
- Apple: Legacy Contact can be designated to access your Apple ID data after death.
- Twitter/X, LinkedIn, TikTok: Policies vary; most allow family to request removal. Heirs generally cannot take over these accounts.
See our article on what happens to social media accounts after death for a platform-by-platform breakdown.
Email Accounts
Email accounts often contain important financial statements, subscription records, receipts, and personal correspondence. Accessing a deceased person's email typically requires either death certificates, court orders, or knowing the password. See our guide on managing email accounts after death.
Digital Financial Assets
Digital financial assets include:
- Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.)
- PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App balances
- Online bank account access
- Investment platform accounts (Robinhood, Fidelity, etc.)
- Gift cards and store credits
Cryptocurrency deserves special attention: if heirs don't have access to your private keys or seed phrases, your cryptocurrency may be permanently inaccessible. See our guide to cryptocurrency and digital assets in your estate plan.
Subscriptions and Online Accounts
Most adults have dozens of paid subscriptions — streaming services, cloud storage, software, memberships. These continue to charge until cancelled. Creating a digital assets inventory that lists your subscriptions gives your executor the information needed to cancel them. See also our guide to managing accounts and subscriptions after death.
Digital Files: Photos, Documents, Creative Work
Photos stored on your phone or in the cloud (iCloud, Google Photos) may not automatically transfer to your family. Important documents stored in Dropbox or Google Drive may be inaccessible. Creative work — writing, music, art — may simply disappear if not addressed.
Consider:
- Regular backups to a physical device that family can access
- Sharing album access with family members through your cloud photo service
- Documenting where important files are stored
Passwords and Account Credentials
The most practical step in digital legacy planning is ensuring your executor or heirs can access critical accounts. See our guides on password management for heirs and safely storing account credentials for practical approaches that balance security with accessibility.
Creating a Digital Assets Inventory
The foundation of digital legacy planning is a comprehensive list of your digital accounts, assets, and how to access them. Our guide to creating a digital assets inventory walks through every category to include.
Articles in This Cluster
- What Happens to Social Media Accounts After You Die?
- How to Set Up Facebook Memorialization Settings
- How to Use Google's Inactive Account Manager
- How to Set Up an Apple Legacy Contact
- Creating a Digital Assets Inventory
- Password Management for Heirs
- Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets in Your Estate Plan
- What to Do with Email Accounts After Death