What Happens to Your Facebook (and Other Accounts) When You’re Gone?

We live so much of our lives online — sharing photos, staying in touch, managing finances, and documenting our memories. But what happens to those digital accounts when someone passes away?

It’s not something most people think about, yet it’s become one of the most common questions families face after a loss.

Here’s what you need to know about managing (and planning for) online accounts after death.

Facebook: Memorialize or Remove

When Facebook learns that someone has passed away, there are two main options:

1. Create a Memorialized Account. The profile stays visible with “Remembering” above the person’s name (see example below). Friends can post tributes, photos, and memories, and the person’s past posts remain visible according to their privacy settings.

If the user named a Legacy Contact in their Facebook settings, that person can manage the page in limited ways — such as posting an update or changing the profile photo — but cannot log in or read private messages. Personally, I designated a Legacy Contact to serve this role for me. I think it would be nice to leave my old posts up so loved ones can peruse them later - like an old scrapbook. 

2. Permanent Deletion. If the family prefers, the account can be removed entirely by submitting a request to Facebook along with proof of death and relationship. Once deleted, the account and all its data are gone for good. 

Other Platforms Have Similar Tools

Instagram – Also offers memorialized accounts.

Google (Gmail, Drive, YouTube) – Has an Inactive Account Manager feature to decide what happens if you stop using your account.

Apple/iCloud – Lets you name a Legacy Contact who can access your data after your death.

LinkedIn – Allows verified requests to memorialize or close a deceased member’s profile.

X (Twitter) – Removes the account upon verified request.

Plan Ahead: Make Digital Access Part of Your Estate Plan (Your To-Do List)

Digital assets are part of your legacy. You can make things much easier for your family by:

1. Naming Legacy Contacts on key platforms.

2. Keeping a secure record of your digital accounts and passwords (in a password manager or estate binder). I use a password manager and have designated emergency contacts.

3. Including digital asset instructions in your estate plan. Oregon and Washington have both adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA)— a law that lets your personal representative or trustee access your digital accounts, but only if you’ve given clear permission. See the following Section

   
   

In Short

The online world doesn’t manage itself after we’re gone — but a few simple steps now can save your loved ones enormous stress later. 

How to Make Your Digital Wishes Legally Binding

In the last section, I described how social media and online accounts can be managed after death. For clients who use a trust, there’s an even stronger way to protect digital assets — by attaching a short Digital Asset Authorization and Instructions Memorandum as a formal exhibit or amendment to the trust.

This document works hand-in-hand with your estate plan. It gives your trustee clear instructions on what to do with your online accounts — from social media and photos to cryptocurrency and cloud storage — and provides the “lawful consent” required under the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) adopted in both Oregon and Washington.

When the memorandum is signed and incorporated into your trust, it becomes a legally recognized part of the trust instrument itself. That means companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook can honor your trustee’s requests directly, without requiring court orders or extra paperwork. It also lets you update your digital instructions later — simply by signing a new version — without rewriting your whole trust.

It’s one of the simplest, most practical updates we can make to a modern estate plan.