Digital legacy planning
How to Create a Digital Estate Plan
Step-by-step guidance for documenting accounts, preserving digital assets, naming trusted contacts, and giving loved ones clear instructions.
FORT LEGACY · PDF guide
Handle a Loved One's Digital Accounts
Practical steps, country guidance and a private workbook after a death
United States / English34 pages
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Explore our latest articles on digital legacy planning, account access, memorialization, email, phone numbers, and next steps for loved ones after a loss.
Digital legacy planning
What Happens to Your Digital Accounts When You Die
An overview of major platform policies, common after-death account outcomes, and how to plan so loved ones are not left guessing.
First steps
Do This First When a Loved One Dies: Managing Digital Accounts
A practical first-steps guide for preserving access, gathering records, and avoiding digital mistakes during the first phase after a death.
Account access
How to Access a Deceased Person's Online Accounts
How to gather documents, request lawful access, work with providers, and protect privacy when managing a deceased person's online accounts.
Phone number after death
What Happens to a Phone Number When Someone Dies?
What usually happens to a cell phone number after death, when families can keep it, and how to avoid losing access to bank alerts, account recovery, and two-factor codes.
Email management
Handle a Deceased Person's Email Account
Compare Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo options after a death, including data requests, account closure, documents and connected services.
Financial security
How to Secure a Loved One's Online Banking and Subscription Accounts
Step-by-step help for locating accounts, stopping fraud, notifying providers, and closing online banking and subscription services after a death.
Social media
Memorialize or Close a Facebook Account
How to choose between memorialization and deletion, what each option preserves, and what families should prepare before they submit a Facebook request.
Social media
Memorialize or Delete an Instagram Account After Death
Compare memorialization and deletion after a death. Learn what to save, who can request a change and where to find Instagram's official help.
Save photos and files
How to Save a Loved One's Voicemail Before Cancelling Their Phone
Save a loved one's voicemail as an audio file, check the copy and keep a backup before changing a phone, SIM or mobile account.
Save photos and files
How to Preserve Photos and Videos After a Death
Find family photos, distinguish synced libraries from backups, save authorized copies and check your files before closing cloud accounts.
Phone and account access
A Loved One's iPhone Is Locked: What Can You Do?
Understand the difference between an iPhone passcode, Apple Account access and Activation Lock before requesting data or erasing a loved one's device.
Plan ahead
How to Set Up an Apple Legacy Contact
Choose an Apple Legacy Contact, share the access key safely and explain what the person can request after your death, including important limits.
Plan ahead
How to Set Up Google Inactive Account Manager
Choose an inactivity period, trusted contacts and data-sharing settings for your Google Account, then document the plan and its limits.
Save photos and files
What Happens to WhatsApp When Someone Dies?
Learn what to preserve from WhatsApp after a death, how to check exported chats and voice messages, and what to consider before changing a phone number.
Start after a death
How to Find a Loved One's Online Accounts After a Death
Build a private account inventory after a death using records you may review. Prioritize important accounts, record unknowns and plan the next request.
Phone and account access
Documents Needed to Close Online Accounts After a Death
Prepare an online-account request after a death: identify the account, check proof of death and authority, protect documents and record the response.
Plan ahead
How to Leave Passwords and Account Instructions for Your Family
Prepare a secure account handover for your family: separate instructions from passwords, check recovery options and explain what your contacts can do.