A generation ago, the things you left behind were physical: papers, photo albums, a box of letters. Today most of it is digital, spread across accounts, devices and the cloud. Digital legacy planning is simply deciding, in advance, what happens to all of that, and making sure the people you leave behind can actually manage it. Done now, it takes an evening. Left undone, it can leave your family locked out of your life at the worst time.
What counts as your digital estate
Your digital estate is broader than most people realise:
- Email and the accounts it can reset.
- Photos and videos, often the thing families most want to keep.
- Social media profiles.
- Money that lives online: banking, investments and any digital assets.
- Subscriptions and shopping accounts that keep billing.
- Loyalty points, domain names and anything else with value or meaning.
Accounts do not pass down like possessions
An important point. Most online accounts are personal and non-transferable, so your family cannot simply inherit them. What they can do is memorialise, close or, where you set it up in advance, gain limited access. Planning ahead is what turns “locked out” into “able to cope”.
Use the legacy tools now
The main platforms let you plan, and it takes minutes each:
- Apple: nominate a Legacy Contact who can later request access with a death certificate and an access key.
- Google: set up the Inactive Account Manager to share data or delete the account after a period of inactivity.
- Facebook: choose a legacy contact and decide on memorialisation; Instagram can memorialise too.
Setting these up spares your family from proving entitlement from scratch, which is slow and distressing.
Name a digital executor and write your wishes
Decide who will handle your digital estate, and tell them. This might be the same person as your executor, or someone more comfortable with technology. Write down what you want: which accounts to close, which to preserve, any photos or messages that matter. Our guide on what a digital executor is goes into the role. It is also worth mentioning digital assets in your will, so your wishes carry legal weight, and a solicitor can advise on how.
Keep the plan somewhere findable
A plan nobody can find helps no one. Keep the list of accounts, the wishes and the access details somewhere secure and reachable by the right person. This is exactly what FamilySafe is built to hold: your digital life mapped, your wishes recorded and access shared on your terms.
Download the free guide to plan your digital legacy at your own pace.
Frequently asked questions
Can I leave my online accounts to someone in my will?
Generally no, because accounts are personal and non-transferable. You can leave instructions about what to do with them, name a digital executor and use each platform’s legacy tools.
What is the most important step?
Securing your main email and setting up legacy tools on Apple, Google and Facebook. Email resets most other accounts, and the legacy tools save your family a great deal of difficulty.
Should digital assets go in my will?
It is worth referring to them, especially anything of real value. A solicitor can advise on how to word it so your wishes are clear and legally sound.
Sources
- Apple, Google and Meta legacy and memorialisation help pages
- GOV.UK: Making a will
