Originally published: 8 December 2016 | Last updated: 24 July 2025
TL;DR: Social media platforms keep all your digital content even after you pass away. Facebook enables users to create a Legacy Contact which lets them choose between memorialising their account or deleting it. Google activates its Inactive Account Manager application to deliver user information when users fail to activate their accounts. Every platform creates its own rules which determine how they handle accounts belonging to deceased users. Your Will should include instructions about digital assets and you should protect your access credentials through KeyHolder which provides secure storage.
What Happens to Your Facebook Account When You Die?
Your social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn. Continue to exist after your death. Social media platforms maintain separate approaches for managing user accounts which belong to people who have passed away. Without planning, your digital assets may become inaccessible to your family or remain active indefinitely.
What Happens to Other Social Media Accounts?
Google (Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive)
Facebook provides users with two options to handle their accounts after death through memorialisation which adds “Remembering” before their name or through complete account deletion. You can appoint a Legacy Contact to manage your memorialised account. Your account will keep its existing status until Facebook receives a death report from someone because you have not activated these settings.
Google users can activate the Inactive Account Manager to determine when their data should become available to their chosen contacts or when it should be deleted after they stop using their account for a specific duration.
Twitter/X
Instagram allows memorialisation or removal of deceased users’ accounts upon request from immediate family members with proof of death.
Twitter/X will deactivate user accounts when family members who have verified their identity or estate representatives submit official requests for account deactivation.
How Should You Plan for Digital Assets After Death?
- LinkedIn will delete profiles which belong to deceased members when their verified family members submit a formal request for removal.
- Include digital asset instructions in your Will
- Use KeyHolder to store access credentials securely
- Set up platform-specific legacy tools (Facebook Legacy Contact, Google Inactive Account Manager)
- Document your wishes for each account (memorialise, delete, transfer)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my executor access my social media accounts?
Most platforms require specific legal procedures before they will grant access to executors for their services. Documenting credentials securely is the most reliable approach.
Should I include social media passwords in my Will?
No. Wills become public documents during probate. Use a secure tool like KeyHolder instead.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets and has contributed to articles in most leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
