How to Handle Someone's Digital Accounts After They Die

When someone dies, their digital life doesn't simply disappear. Email accounts continue to receive messages. Social media profiles stay visible. Subscriptions keep charging. For the person handling the estate, working out what to do with dozens of online accounts can feel overwhelming -- especially when you may not even know which services your loved one used.

This guide walks you through the practical steps for managing digital accounts after a death in the UK, including what the major platforms require and how to approach the process without feeling buried by it.

Why Digital Accounts Matter

The average person holds a significant number of online accounts, from email and social media to streaming services, cloud storage and online banking. When someone dies, these accounts can pose both practical and emotional challenges:

• Ongoing charges: Subscriptions to Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime and others will keep billing unless cancelled
• Security risks: Unmonitored accounts can be vulnerable to fraud or identity theft
• Sentimental value: Photos stored in Google Photos, iCloud or Facebook may be the only copies
• Financial assets: Cryptocurrency wallets, PayPal balances or investment platforms may hold real value

Acting promptly, but at your own pace, helps protect the estate and preserves what matters.

First Steps: Gathering What You Need

Before contacting any platforms, gather these essentials:

• The death certificate -- most platforms require a scanned or photographed copy
• Proof of your authority -- this could be the Grant of Probate, Letters of Administration, or proof you are the next of kin
• Access to the deceased's email -- if possible, this is the single most useful thing, as most account resets route through email
• A list of accounts -- check their phone, browser saved passwords, bank statements for recurring charges, and any password manager they may have used

If you have access to their primary email, you can often search for account registration confirmations to build a fuller picture of which services they used.

How Major Platforms Handle Death

Each platform has its own process. Here is what the biggest ones require:

Google (Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos)

Google offers an Inactive Account Manager that lets users pre-set what happens to their account. If that was not set up, you can request access or account deletion by submitting a form through Google's support pages. You will need to provide the death certificate and proof of your relationship or legal authority. Google may take several weeks to process these requests.

Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

Meta lets you either memorialise or delete an account. Memorialising keeps the profile visible with "Remembering" shown next to the name. To request either option, search for "memorialisation request" on Facebook's Help Centre. You will need the death certificate. If a Legacy Contact was set up beforehand, that person can manage the memorialised profile.

Apple (iCloud, Apple ID)

Apple introduced a Digital Legacy programme, but it only works if the deceased set up a Legacy Contact in advance. Without that, you will need a court order to access iCloud data. Apple's process is deliberately strict on privacy, so expect this to take time and potentially require legal support.

Microsoft (Outlook, OneDrive, Xbox)

Microsoft allows next of kin to request account closure or data access. You will need to submit a request through their support system with the death certificate and proof of your relationship. Expect a processing time of several weeks.

Twitter / X

You can request deactivation of a deceased person's account by contacting the platform's support with the death certificate and proof of your relationship. There is currently no memorialisation option.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn allows removal of a deceased member's profile. Submit a request through their Help Centre with basic identifying information about the deceased and the death certificate.

Banks and Financial Apps

Online banking accounts should be handled through the bank directly, not through app-based processes. Contact the bank's bereavement team (most major UK banks have a dedicated one) and they will freeze the account and guide you through the process. This also applies to digital-only banks like Monzo, Starling and Revolut.

Subscriptions and Recurring Payments

One of the most practically urgent tasks is stopping recurring charges. Check bank and credit card statements for:

• Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, NOW TV)
• Software subscriptions (Adobe, Microsoft 365)
• App store subscriptions (check both Apple and Google Play)
• Gym memberships, meal delivery services, magazine subscriptions
• Domain registrations, web hosting, cloud storage

Many of these can be cancelled by contacting the provider with the death certificate. Some will issue refunds for charges taken after the date of death.

Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets

If the deceased held cryptocurrency, accessing it can be particularly challenging. Crypto wallets are secured by private keys or seed phrases -- without these, the assets may be permanently inaccessible. Check for:

• Hardware wallets (physical USB-like devices such as Ledger or Trezor)
• Exchange accounts (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken) -- these can be accessed through normal bereavement processes with the exchange
• Written seed phrases, sometimes stored in safes or with solicitors

HMRC treats cryptocurrency as property, so it may be subject to Inheritance Tax as part of the estate.

Data Protection and Privacy

UK GDPR does not apply to deceased persons' data, which means platforms are not legally obliged to hand over personal data after death. Access rights depend entirely on each platform's own policies and on your legal authority as executor or administrator.

This is an area of law that is still evolving. The Law Commission published a report in 2023 on digital assets, and the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill was introduced in 2024 to begin clarifying how digital property should be treated in estates. For now, having a Grant of Probate strengthens your position when dealing with any platform.

Making It Manageable

You do not need to tackle every account at once. A sensible order of priority:

1. Financial accounts -- stop charges and secure funds
2. Email -- gain access if possible, as it unlocks other accounts
3. Social media -- memorialise or remove as appropriate
4. Subscriptions -- cancel to stop ongoing costs
5. Everything else -- storage, loyalty accounts, forums

Take it one account at a time. There is no deadline for most of these tasks, and it is completely normal for this process to stretch over weeks or months.

How GetPassage Can Help

Managing digital accounts is just one part of the broader task of administering someone's affairs after they die. GetPassage helps you track and manage all of these tasks in one place, so nothing gets missed and you can work through them at your own pace.

Losing someone is hard enough. The admin should not make it harder.