Digital Legacy Planning: What Happens to Your Accounts When You're Gone

A compassionate guide to making a digital inventory, setting up legacy contacts, and making things easier for your loved ones.

In this guide (7 steps):

1.Why digital legacy planning matters
2.Create a digital inventory
3.Set up Apple's Digital Legacy feature (iPhone/Mac)
4.Set up Google's Inactive Account Manager
5.Memorialise or remove Facebook after death
6.Handle subscriptions
7.Store your information safely

Why digital legacy planning matters

~20s

We all have digital lives: email accounts, social media profiles, online banking, photo storage, subscriptions. Without a plan, these become difficult or impossible for loved ones to access or manage. This isn't a morbid topic — it's a practical act of kindness that takes just a few hours and saves enormous stress for the people you care about.

Create a digital inventory

~40s

Write a list of all your important accounts and where they are stored. Include: email accounts (and which email address is the "main" recovery email), bank and financial accounts, social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), subscriptions (Netflix, Amazon, etc.), photo storage (iCloud, Google Photos), any accounts where you have stored payments or credit. Keep this list somewhere safe — a printed copy in your home files is often best.

Quick Tip

A simple spreadsheet with columns for "Service", "Email used", "Notes" is enough. You don't need to include passwords — your trusted person can use account recovery options.

Warning

Do NOT include passwords in a document you email or share digitally. Keep the password list printed and physically secure, or use a dedicated password manager with a trusted person listed as emergency contact.

Set up Apple's Digital Legacy feature (iPhone/Mac)

~26s

Apple allows you to designate a Legacy Contact who can request access to your Apple ID data after you pass. On iPhone: Settings → [your name] → Password & SecurityLegacy ContactAdd Legacy Contact. Choose a trusted person and share the access key with them. They won't be able to access your account while you're alive.

Quick Tip

The Legacy Contact access key can be stored in your will or given to your solicitor for safekeeping.

Set up Google's Inactive Account Manager

~18s

Google lets you decide what happens to your account if it's inactive for a period you choose (3–18 months). Go to myaccount.google.com → Data & Privacy → scroll to "More options" → Make a plan for your account. You can choose to share your data with trusted people or have your account deleted.

Memorialise or remove Facebook after death

~19s

Facebook allows you to set a "Legacy Contact" — someone who can manage your profile after you pass (add a tribute post, update profile photo). Or you can request the account be deleted. Set this at: Facebook SettingsAccount SettingsMemorialisation Settings. Your Legacy Contact cannot log in as you or read private messages.

Handle subscriptions

~21s

List all recurring subscriptions with the card they're charged to. Your family may be paying for Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime or dozens of other services for months before they realize. Include: the service name, the email address used, and roughly what it costs. This alone can save significant money.

Quick Tip

Store your information safely

~18s

Options for keeping your digital inventory safe: in a sealed envelope with your will (solicitor keeps it); in a fireproof home safe; in a password manager with a trusted emergency contact added. Tell at least one trusted person where to find this information — the best-prepared document is useless if no one knows it exists.

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