What Happens to Online Accounts When Someone Dies?

The Short Answer

Nothing happens automatically. Without action from family members or the executor, most online accounts will continue to exist indefinitely. Emails will keep arriving, subscriptions will keep charging, and social media profiles will remain visible.

Each platform has its own policies for deceased users, and most require family members to proactively request account closure or provide proof of death.

Social Media Accounts

Facebook & Instagram

Facebook and Instagram offer memorialization - the account stays visible with "Remembering" next to the name. Friends can still view posts and share memories, but no one can log in. Alternatively, family can request deletion.

What you need: Proof of death (obituary or death certificate). For deletion, you also need to prove you're an immediate family member or executor.

Twitter/X

Twitter allows family members to request account deactivation. They don't offer a memorialization option - it's deletion or nothing.

What you need: Your ID, death certificate, and proof of relationship to the deceased.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn will remove a deceased member's profile upon request from a verified family member or coworker. They also have a memorial feature.

What you need: The deceased member's name, profile URL, and verification of death.

Email Accounts

Gmail / Google

Google has an "Inactive Account Manager" that lets users decide what happens to their data. If this wasn't set up, family can request access through a formal process that requires a death certificate and court order.

Google accounts that remain inactive may be automatically deleted after an extended period (typically 2+ years).

Outlook / Microsoft

Microsoft allows next of kin to request data from a deceased user's account or close it. This requires a death certificate, proof of relationship, and sometimes a court order.

Apple / iCloud

Apple introduced a Digital Legacy program, but if this wasn't set up, accessing the account requires a court order. Apple takes privacy extremely seriously and won't provide access without proper legal documentation.

Subscriptions & Streaming Services

Perhaps the most financially urgent category. Active subscriptions will continue to charge until cancelled:

• Netflix, Spotify, Disney+: Will continue charging indefinitely. Contact support with proof of death to cancel and potentially get a refund.
• Amazon Prime: Continues charging. Amazon requires a death certificate to close accounts.
• Software subscriptions: Adobe, Microsoft 365, and others continue billing until cancelled.
• App Store subscriptions: Continue through Apple/Google until the payment method fails or is cancelled.

Financial Accounts

Online banking, investment accounts, and cryptocurrency require special handling:

• Bank accounts: Generally frozen upon notification of death. The executor needs to work with the bank directly to access funds.
• Investment accounts: Similar to banks - contact the provider with death certificate and letters of administration.
• PayPal, Venmo: Can be closed with death certificate, but funds may need to go through probate.
• Cryptocurrency: Without access to private keys or passwords, cryptocurrency may be permanently inaccessible. There's no "forgot password" for Bitcoin.

Online Shopping & Services

Amazon

Amazon accounts hold purchase history, saved payment methods, and may have active Prime memberships. Contact Amazon with a death certificate to close the account.

eBay

If there are pending sales or purchases, these need to be resolved. eBay can close accounts upon request from an executor.

Uber, Airbnb

These accounts may have stored payment methods. Contact support to close the account and remove payment information.

Cloud Storage

Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and OneDrive may contain important documents, photos, and memories:

• Content will remain until the account is closed or the storage limit is reached
• Family may want to download important files before requesting deletion
• Each provider has different processes for deceased users (see email section above)

The Challenge for Families

The average person has 100+ online accounts. After someone passes, families face:

• Discovery: You don't know what accounts existed - and there's no master list
• Research: Every platform has a different process, different requirements, different forms
• Documentation: You'll upload the same death certificate dozens of times
• Waiting: Some platforms respond in days, others take weeks, some never respond
• Following up: Requests get lost, ignored, or rejected for unclear reasons
• Repeat: When something doesn't work, you start over

This is exactly why we created It's Handled. We use technology to discover accounts you don't know about. We know every platform's process. We handle all the communication and follow-up. One flat fee, and you're done.