Managing a digital estate — closing social media accounts, accessing email, handling cryptocurrency — is increasingly complex. Here's the current state of each major platform and service type.
What Is a Digital Estate?
A digital estate is the collection of online accounts, digital assets, and electronically stored information that a person accumulates during their lifetime. This includes social media, email, financial accounts, streaming services, cloud storage, domain names, and digital currencies.
Social Media Accounts
- Facebook/Meta — Can be memorialized (turned into tribute page) or removed. Requires proof of death and relationship.
- Instagram — Same options as Facebook. Managed through Facebook's Special Request form.
- X (Twitter) — Account can be deactivated with a death certificate. No memorialization option.
- LinkedIn — Account can be closed or memorialized. Submit through LinkedIn's online form.
Email Accounts
Access to email accounts after death varies by provider. Google (Gmail) has an Inactive Account Manager policy. Apple iCloud requires a court order. Microsoft Outlook may provide access with a death certificate and court order. Most email providers will not simply hand over a password.
Financial Accounts and Cryptocurrency
Online brokerage accounts and bank accounts follow the same process as physical accounts — Letters Testamentary and a death certificate. Cryptocurrency without a documented private key or seed phrase may be permanently inaccessible.
Start Planning Yours Now
The best time to manage a digital estate is before it becomes a problem. Create a digital asset inventory and designate a digital executor. Read our guide to digital legacy planning →
