Overview
Why Build a Digital Legacy Checklist
A digital legacy checklist (also called a digital estate checklist) is a single, organized inventory of every online account and digital asset you would leave behind — email, social media, cloud storage, photos, banking and payment apps, subscriptions, domains, and cryptocurrency. The average American now manages dozens of logins, and almost none of them are written down anywhere a grieving family could find. This free tool walks you through each category, tells you the right action for each account, and tracks your progress so nothing is missed.
Without a plan, families routinely lose irreplaceable photos, pay for subscriptions long after a death, and watch crypto vanish because no one had the keys. A clear digital estate checklist prevents that, and it dovetails with the legal framework most states now use: the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA). Under RUFADAA, the tools a platform gives you — Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Legacy Contact, Facebook memorialization — take priority over a will, so setting them up now is the single most effective step you can take.
How it works
How to Use This Digital Estate Checklist
The interactive checklist below groups accounts by category and color-codes each task by priority. Work through it in four steps.
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Work category by category
Move through Email, Social Media, Financial, Cloud, and the rest. For each line, the tool tells you the recommended action — set up a legacy contact, document login details elsewhere, memorialize, or cancel.
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Prioritize the high-impact accounts first
Red dots mark high-priority items (email, financial, crypto, password manager). These either control access to everything else or hold real money, so handle them before low-priority entertainment accounts.
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Check items off and watch your progress
Tick each account as you secure it. The progress bar shows how complete your plan is, and “Show Remaining Only” filters the list down to what is left to do.
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Print it and store it with your estate documents
Use the Print button to save a clean copy. Keep it with your will and tell your executor where to find it — but store actual passwords separately in a password manager or a safe, never in the will itself.
Your Progress
0 of 41 items completed
How to read your progress: the percentage and 0-of-41 counter show how complete your digital estate plan is, not a score to rush to 100%. Some lines may not apply to you — skip them. What matters is that every high-priority account (red dot) is either documented or assigned a legacy contact, because those control access to the rest. Treat the checklist as a living document: revisit it once a year and whenever you open a major new account.
Email Accounts
Primary email accounts and associated services
Document login, set up legacy contact
Document access, notify employer if applicable
Consider auto-reply or forwarding setup
Social Media
Social networking and messaging platforms
Set up Legacy Contact in settings
Document login for memorialization
Document login for deactivation request
Document for profile removal
Document for account handling
Document login, decide content fate
Financial Accounts
Banking, investments, and payment services
Document login, ensure beneficiaries set
Document login, verify beneficiaries
Document access, check balances
CRITICAL: Document seed phrases/keys securely
Document for closing accounts
Cloud Storage
Files, photos, and documents stored online
Set up Inactive Account Manager
Set up Digital Legacy in Apple ID settings
Document login, download important files
Document access for file retrieval
Photos & Memories
Photo storage and sharing services
Ensure auto-backup to cloud is enabled
Document login, download originals
Document where digital photos are stored
Subscriptions & Services
Recurring payments and memberships
List all for cancellation
Adobe, Microsoft 365, etc. - cancel
Cancel to stop charges
Cancel (may require death certificate)
Cancel or transfer if family shares
Gaming & Entertainment
Game accounts and digital purchases
Document login (purchases may not transfer)
Document login, check digital purchases
Document if has in-app purchases
Music & Media
Digital music and media libraries
Document - may not transfer
Family may want to preserve playlists
Document account access
Websites & Domains
Domain names and website hosting
Document registrar login, set to auto-renew or transfer
Document login, decide site fate
Decide: memorialize, archive, or shut down
Business & Professional
Professional accounts and business assets
Document for verification if needed
Document access for business continuity
Notify licensing boards
Security & Passwords
Password management and 2FA
CRITICAL: Share master password/recovery
Document backup codes for critical accounts
Document answers if used for recovery
Benchmarks
US Platform Legacy Tools Compared
The major U.S. platforms each offer a free, built-in way to plan ahead. Under RUFADAA, these online tools take legal priority over instructions in a will, so setting them up while you are alive is the most reliable way to control what happens to your accounts.
| Platform | Built-in Tool | What It Does | Set Up In Advance? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inactive Account Manager | Shares or deletes Gmail, Drive, and Photos after a set period of inactivity | Yes | |
| Apple | Legacy Contact | Named contacts request Apple Account data with an access key and death certificate | Yes |
| Legacy Contact / memorialization | Memorializes or deletes the profile; a contact manages the remembrance page | Yes | |
| Memorialization request | Freezes the account as a memorial; family can request removal | No (request only) | |
| X / LinkedIn | Deactivation / removal request | Authorized person submits proof of death to deactivate the profile | No (request only) |
* Platform features and availability change over time. Confirm current options in each service’s account settings.
Why it matters
Digital Assets and the Law: RUFADAA
When someone dies, their executor does not automatically get the right to log into accounts. Federal privacy and computer-access laws, plus each platform’s terms of service, restrict who may read another person’s communications — which is why a grieving family can be locked out even with a death certificate in hand. The Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), drafted by the Uniform Law Commission and adopted in most states, was written to resolve exactly this conflict.
RUFADAA sets a three-tier order of priority. First, a provider’s own online tool controls — if you used Google Inactive Account Manager or named an Apple or Facebook Legacy Contact, that choice wins. Second, if no tool was used, instructions in your will, trust, or power of attorney govern. Third, absent both, the platform’s terms of service apply. The practical takeaway is simple: do not rely on your will alone for digital assets. Set up the platform tools, then use a checklist like this one to make sure your executor knows the accounts exist and what you want done with each. For an authoritative overview, USAGov and the Uniform Law Commission are the best starting points.
Best practices
Digital Legacy Planning Tips
Use a Password Manager
Store all credentials in one secure place (1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden)
Share Master Access Securely
Give your executor access to your password manager
Set Up Legacy Contacts Now
Google, Apple, and Facebook offer legacy planning features
Document Cryptocurrency Carefully
Without keys/seed phrases, crypto is lost forever
Review Annually
Digital accounts change frequently - update your list yearly
Consider a Digital Will
Some jurisdictions recognize instructions for digital assets
Questions answered
Frequently Asked Questions
Your digital legacy (sometimes called a digital estate) is everything you leave behind online: email and social media accounts, cloud storage, photos, financial and payment accounts, subscriptions, domains, loyalty points, and cryptocurrency. A digital estate checklist documents where these accounts live and what should happen to each one, so an executor or family member can act without guessing or hunting through a password-protected phone.
The Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, has been adopted in most U.S. states. It gives an executor, trustee, or agent legal authority to manage a person's digital assets, but it follows a clear order of priority: an online tool provided by the platform (such as Google Inactive Account Manager or a Facebook Legacy Contact) comes first, then instructions in a will or trust, then the platform's terms of service. Setting up the platform tools while you are alive is the most reliable way to control access.
Each platform has its own process and most require a certified copy of the death certificate plus proof that you are the executor or next of kin. Google, Apple, and Facebook let users pre-authorize access through their own tools; without that, you must submit a request and the provider decides what it releases. Because federal computer-fraud and privacy laws limit logging in with someone else's password, the cleanest path is to plan ahead with platform legacy settings and a password manager rather than relying on after-the-fact requests.
Do not list passwords in your will, which becomes a public document in probate. Instead, store credentials in a reputable password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, and similar offer emergency-access or legacy features) and grant a trusted person access, or keep a sealed, encrypted list in a safe or safe deposit box referenced by your estate documents. The checklist on this page is designed to inventory accounts and actions, not to hold the passwords themselves.
Facebook can either memorialize an account, which freezes it as a remembrance page managed by a Legacy Contact, or permanently delete it. Instagram offers memorialization as well. X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn will deactivate or remove a profile when an authorized person submits proof of death. Each platform requires documentation, so listing the accounts in advance and naming a Legacy Contact where available saves your family significant effort.
Google Inactive Account Manager lets you decide, in advance, what happens to your Gmail, Drive, Photos, and other Google data after a set period of inactivity, including sharing it with named contacts or deleting it. Apple Legacy Contact lets you name people who can request access to the data in your Apple Account after you die, using a special access key plus a death certificate. Both are free, take a few minutes to set up, and override the slower manual request process under RUFADAA.
Build a list of every recurring service (streaming, software, memberships, news, storage) and cancel each one promptly, because most renew automatically and rarely refund unused time. Reviewing recent bank and credit card statements is the fastest way to surface charges you did not know about. Canceling quickly protects the estate from months of avoidable fees while accounts are being closed.
Cryptocurrency held in a self-custody wallet is unrecoverable without the private keys or seed phrase, so it must be documented separately and stored securely offline, with your executor told where to find it. Other assets worth recording include exchange accounts, domain names that auto-renew, valuable in-game items, monetized channels, and PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App balances. Note that purchased media (movies, music, ebooks) is usually a non-transferable license that ends with the account.
Trust & accuracy
Data sources & methodology
This checklist is a planning framework, not legal advice. The account categories and recommended actions reflect the access process used by the major U.S. platforms and the order-of-priority rules in the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), as drafted by the Uniform Law Commission and adopted in most states. Platform features and state laws change, so confirm current options in each service's settings and check how RUFADAA applies in your state.
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Estimates Only
All calculations are estimates only. Actual costs, timelines, and requirements may vary significantly by location, provider, and individual circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal, medical, or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional — such as a local funeral home, licensed attorney, or financial advisor — for information specific to your situation.