What Happens to Your Digital Life When You Die?

We live more of our lives online than ever before. The average person has over 100 online accounts. But what happens to all of those accounts — the photos, the messages, the money — when you die? The answer, for most people, is: nobody knows. And that is a problem.

The Scale of the Problem

In the UK alone, an estimated 10,000 people die every month with active social media accounts. Billions of pounds sit in online accounts that families cannot access. Subscriptions continue to charge. Cryptocurrency wallets become permanently inaccessible. The digital afterlife is a growing issue — and one that most people have not planned for.

What Happens to Social Media Accounts?

Each platform has its own policies:

Facebook / Instagram (Meta)

Meta allows you to set up a Legacy Contact — someone who can manage your memorialised profile after you die. They can pin a tribute post, respond to friend requests and update your profile picture, but cannot read your messages or remove old posts. Alternatively, you can request that your account is deleted after death. If no Legacy Contact is set up, the account will remain active indefinitely until someone reports the death to Meta.

X (formerly Twitter)

X will deactivate an account upon request from a verified family member or estate representative. They require a copy of the death certificate, ID of the requester, and proof of relationship. There is no memorialisation option — the account is simply removed.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn will close an account when notified of a death. A verified family member can submit a request through their support page. The profile is removed, not memorialised.

TikTok

TikTok does not currently have a formal memorialisation policy. Family members can request account removal by contacting support with proof of death.

What Happens to Email Accounts?

Gmail (Google)

Google's Inactive Account Manager lets you set a timeout period (3–18 months of inactivity). After that, Google can either delete your data or share it with a trusted contact you have nominated. If you have not set this up, family members can request access through a lengthy legal process.

Outlook / Hotmail (Microsoft)

Microsoft will provide the contents of a deceased person's mailbox to their next of kin, but only with a court order. Without a court order, they will close the account and delete the contents after a period of inactivity.

iCloud (Apple)

Apple's Digital Legacy programme lets you nominate up to 5 Legacy Contacts who can request access to your iCloud data after your death. If you have not set up Legacy Contacts, access requires a court order.

What About Online Financial Accounts?

• Online banking — Banks will freeze accounts when notified of a death. The executor named in the will (or appointed by the court) can apply for access with Confirmation (in Scotland) or Probate (in England).
• Investment platforms (Hargreaves Lansdown, Vanguard, etc.) — These follow a similar process. The executor needs to contact the platform with the death certificate and Confirmation.
• Cryptocurrency — This is the biggest risk area. If nobody knows your wallet passwords or recovery seed phrases, the funds are lost forever. There is no bank to call, no court order that can recover them. An estimated £3 billion in Bitcoin is permanently lost because owners died without sharing access.
• PayPal — PayPal will close an account and release any balance to the estate, but requires the death certificate and legal documentation.

What About Subscriptions?

When someone dies, their subscriptions do not automatically stop. Direct debits will continue until the bank account is frozen or closed. This means:

• Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+) will keep charging
• Software subscriptions (Adobe, Microsoft 365) will continue
• Gym memberships, meal kits, magazine subscriptions — all continue
• App Store and Google Play subscriptions continue

The executor or next of kin needs to cancel each one individually. If you do not have a list of active subscriptions, you will need to go through bank statements line by line.

What Should You Do?

There are five things you can do right now to protect your digital legacy:

1. Make a list — Write down every online account you have. Include the platform, your username, and the email address associated with it. You do not need to write down passwords — just enough information for someone to contact the provider.
2. Set up legacy contacts — Use the built-in tools where they exist: Google Inactive Account Manager, Facebook Legacy Contact, Apple Digital Legacy.
3. Store your cryptocurrency recovery phrases securely — If you hold crypto, your seed phrase or recovery key is the only way to access it. Store it somewhere secure that your executor can access.
4. Tell someone — Make sure at least one trusted person knows that you have made a digital estate plan, and where to find it.
5. Use Exit Plan Legacy — Our Digital Assets module is designed specifically for this. You can record all of your online accounts, set access instructions, and know that your nominated contacts will receive this information when the time comes.

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