Your photos, messages, and online accounts hold your stories. When you die, those digital assets do not just fade. They sit on servers. Companies control access. Family members often feel shut out, confused, and powerless. Some platforms have clear rules. Others do not. Laws change from state to state. Johnson May have rights, but they must know how to use them. You can spare your family from guesswork. You can decide who sees your email, your social media, and your cloud storage. You can also decide what should be deleted. This blog explains what usually happens to digital assets after death. It shows what you can do now. It also gives steps your loved ones can take if you leave no plan.
What Counts As A Digital Asset
Digital assets are anything you own or control online. They can have money value or only personal meaning. Both types matter to your family.
Common digital assets include three groups
- Communication. Email, text backups, messaging apps
- Social and personal. Social media, photos, videos, blogs, gaming accounts
- Money and work. Online bank access, payment apps, crypto, online stores, cloud storage, digital tax records
Each company sets its own rules for what happens when you die. That is why your family often hits locked doors.
Who Owns Your Accounts After You Die
When you click “I agree” on a website, you accept that company’s terms. Those terms often say your account is personal and cannot pass to someone else. Your family does not own the account. They may only have limited rights to the content.
State laws such as the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act give executors some power. They still must follow the service rules. Courts do not force a company to break its own policy in most cases.
You change the outcome when you give clear consent in advance. Written consent gives your executor more power to reach your information.
How Popular Platforms Handle Death
Each service treats a death in its own way. Some let you name a contact. Others only allow deletion.
| Service | What Usually Happens | What You Can Set Up Now |
|---|---|---|
| Google (Gmail, Drive, Photos) | Account can be frozen or deleted after long inactivity | Inactive Account Manager lets you choose contacts and what they see |
| Account can be memorialized or removed after proof of death | You can name a legacy contact or ask for future deletion | |
| Account can be memorialized or removed | No full manager. You can only choose removal in your plan | |
| Apple (iCloud, Photos) | Access often blocked without court order or Legacy contact | Digital Legacy program lets you name trusted people |
| Online banking | Bank follows estate and probate rules | Beneficiaries and joint accounts help access funds |
You can read more about planning for your online life from the Federal Trade Commission at https://consumer.ftc.gov/.
Risks When You Leave No Digital Plan
If you die without a digital plan, your family faces three common risks
- Money loss. Unclaimed rewards, crypto, or business accounts can sit untouched
- Identity theft. Old accounts can be hacked. Thieves can open credit in your name
- Family stress. Loved ones may fight over access to photos, messages, and social pages
Old accounts can stay active for years. Each one is a door someone can force open. Your family may not even know those doors exist.
Simple Steps To Protect Your Digital Assets
You can set up a basic digital plan in three stages
Step 1. Make A Digital Inventory
- List email accounts, social media, cloud storage, and subscription services
- Add online bank, retirement, payment apps, and crypto wallets
- Note where you store passwords. Do not write passwords into your will
Keep this list in a safe place. Update it once a year.
Step 2. Name Who Should Have Access
- Choose one person to handle your digital accounts
- Decide who may see private messages and who may only see photos
- Write clear instructions such as “Delete this account” or “Save photos then close account”
Step 3. Use Each Platform’s Tools
- Turn on Google’s Inactive Account Manager and add trusted contacts
- On Facebook, set a legacy contact or select future deletion
- On Apple devices, add Legacy Contacts in your settings
These tools give legal consent inside the service. That makes it easier for your executor to act.
See also: Decoding The Fine Print: A Guide To Successful Contract Negotiation
How Your Loved Ones Can Act After You Die
If you leave no digital plan, your loved ones still have options. They should
- Find your will and any digital instructions
- Secure your phone, computer, and backup drives
- Contact major providers and ask about their process for a deceased user
Most companies need three things. They need a death certificate. They need proof of the relationship or executor status. They need a clear request such as memorialize, close, or seek data.
Your family should not use your passwords if terms of service forbid it. That can break contract and even state law. They should work through the official channels instead.
Key Choices You Should Make Now
To spare your family from digital chaos, choose three things today
- Who will manage your digital assets
- What should be saved for family and what should be erased
- Where your list of accounts and instructions will be stored
Digital life is now part of your estate. When you plan for it with the same care as your home and bank accounts, you give your family clarity. You also protect your story.
