Facebook Memorialized Accounts: What Happens and How to Plan Ahead

Many people spend years building a Facebook profile full of photos, memories, and connections. When someone passes away, their Facebook account does not disappear automatically — and without a plan in place, family members may find it difficult to manage or access.

Facebook has a system for handling accounts after someone passes. When Facebook is notified of a user's death, the account can be "memorialized." A memorialized account looks slightly different from a regular profile — the word "Remembering" appears before the person's name, the account cannot be logged into, and friends can still leave tributes on the timeline. The account remains as a place for people to gather and share memories.

Facebook allows you to designate a Legacy Contact — a trusted person who can manage your memorialized account. A Legacy Contact can write a pinned post, respond to new friend requests, and update the profile photo and cover photo. They cannot read your private messages, remove friends, or access your messages.

You also have the option to request that your account be permanently deleted after you pass, rather than memorialized. This is the right choice if you would prefer not to have an ongoing social media presence after your death.

Setting up your preferences takes just a few minutes and gives you peace of mind that your profile will be handled the way you want. You can find these settings in Facebook's "Settings & Privacy" section under "Memorialization Settings." Making these decisions now, while you can, is a gift to the people who will handle your affairs later. Facebook provides guidance on this topic at facebook.com/help.