Real‑world examples of managing online accounts after death: 3 examples families actually face

Let’s start with the most common headache: personal email and cloud storage. When someone dies, their inbox and cloud drives often hold:

• Financial statements
• Password reset links
• Tax records
• Family photos and videos

One of the most relatable examples of managing online accounts after death: 3 examples scenarios involves a parent who passes away leaving everything in Google. Their Gmail is the key to bank logins, their Google Photos holds every picture of the grandkids, and their Drive contains tax returns.

The family knows these accounts exist, but nobody has the password. They try guessing. They try old devices. Nothing works.

Here’s how this typically plays out in real life:

The adult daughter contacts Google and learns that, under U.S. law and Google’s own policies, the company generally will not just hand over login credentials. Instead, she’s told to submit a formal request, a copy of the death certificate, and proof that she’s the legal representative of the estate.

This is where planning matters. One of the best examples of doing this better is when the account owner used Google’s Inactive Account Manager while alive. They set it so that if the account is inactive for 6–12 months, Google will:

• Notify a trusted contact
• Share selected data (like Photos or Drive) with that contact
• Optionally delete the account afterward

In that case, the daughter doesn’t have to fight for access. She simply receives a link from Google, downloads the photos and documents, and the family moves on.

If you want to see how tech companies think about this, Google explains its process here: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546

This might be the most boring example of managing online accounts after death, but it’s also one of the most common—and one of the easiest to fix in advance.

Social media and memorial pages: examples of managing online accounts after death

Social media accounts are where grief gets very public, very fast. Another set of examples of managing online accounts after death: 3 examples comes from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Imagine this: A 28‑year‑old dies suddenly. Their Facebook profile is still active. Friends keep posting birthday messages, event invites, and tags like nothing happened. The family wants the page turned into a memorial so people can share memories without awkward reminders.

Here’s how this often works in practice:

• On Facebook, a family member submits a request to memorialize the account.
• If the deceased had named a Legacy Contact while alive, that person can manage certain parts of the memorialized profile (like the tribute section and profile photo), but they cannot log in as the person, read messages, or remove old posts.
• If there was no Legacy Contact, the family can still ask Facebook to memorialize the account or remove it, but they’ll need documentation.

Facebook’s policy is laid out here: https://www.facebook.com/help/1506822589577997

A different example of managing online accounts after death comes from Instagram. Some families want the account frozen as a memorial; others want it deleted because it’s too painful. Instagram allows both options, but again, you have to submit proof of death.

Real stories I see over and over:

• A teenager’s Instagram becomes a memorial space where friends post art, poems, and memories. The parent later says they wish they had known about the option to control comments and tags.
• An influencer dies, and their family is overwhelmed by DMs and brand messages. Because there was no plan, the account sits there, half‑active, for years.

These are not dramatic edge cases. These are everyday examples of managing online accounts after death that play out thousands of times a year.

If you’re planning ahead, the move is simple: use the platform’s legacy or memorial tools now, and mention your wishes in your digital asset will.

Money you can’t see: digital wallets, PayPal, and crypto

Now let’s talk about invisible money. Many of the best examples of managing online accounts after death involve accounts that hold actual cash or assets—but don’t send paper statements.

Think of:

• PayPal and Venmo balances
• Cash App
• Online‑only bank accounts
• Crypto wallets on Coinbase, Binance, or a hardware wallet

Here’s a real‑world style scenario:

A freelancer dies with a few thousand dollars sitting in PayPal and Stripe. Their spouse knows about the main checking account but has no idea those online balances exist. Months later, a 1099 tax form arrives, and the spouse realizes there were online payment accounts they never knew about.

In another example of managing online accounts after death, a young investor has a Coinbase account and a hardware wallet with cryptocurrency. The family finds the hardware wallet in a drawer—but no passphrase, no seed phrase, no instructions. The crypto is effectively gone.

This is where a digital asset inventory and a will or estate plan matter. The American Bar Association and many state bar associations now specifically recommend listing digital assets and how to access them. You can read more about digital assets and estate planning concepts in resources like this overview from the National Conference of State Legislatures: https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/digital-assets-and-estate-planning

Good planning here usually looks like:

• A written or password‑manager‑based list of financial and crypto accounts
• Clear instructions in your will or separate memo about who should receive those assets
• A way for your executor to get to passwords or recovery methods without violating any laws or terms of service

These are some of the most expensive examples of managing online accounts after death, because if you get them wrong, the money may never be recovered.

Streaming, subscriptions, and everyday logins: the quiet money leak

Not every digital account is dramatic; some are just annoying. But the small stuff adds up.

Think about:

• Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and other streaming services
• Cloud storage subscriptions
• Online news and app subscriptions
• Fitness apps and diet programs

A common example of managing online accounts after death goes like this: Someone dies, and months later the family realizes that dozens of small charges are still hitting the deceased’s credit card. Nobody has the login to cancel them.

So the executor ends up:

• Calling the bank to freeze cards
• Watching statements for recurring charges
• Fighting to cancel subscriptions one by one

This is one of the quieter examples of managing online accounts after death: 3 examples might highlight the big platforms, but in real life, it’s often 15–20 minor accounts that waste money for months.

A better approach:

• Keep a simple list of major paid services
• Store logins in a password manager that your executor can access after death
• Mention in your estate documents that your executor has authority to handle digital subscriptions and accounts

The legal side of this is evolving. Many U.S. states have adopted a law called the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which sets rules for how executors can access digital accounts. You can read a plain‑language explanation and adoption map at the Uniform Law Commission’s site: https://www.uniformlaws.org/committees/community-home?CommunityKey=2c04b76e-2b7d-4399-977e-d5876ba7e034

Password managers and digital vaults: the quiet hero

One of the best examples of managing online accounts after death doesn’t involve a specific platform at all—it involves using a password manager or digital vault while you’re alive.

Picture this scenario:

A parent dies, but they used a reputable password manager and set up an emergency access contact. When they don’t log in for a set period, the system emails their chosen contact (often the executor). After a waiting period, that contact gets access to passwords for:

• Email
• Banking
• Social media
• Utilities and subscriptions

Instead of guessing passwords or begging tech companies for access, the executor logs into the password manager and sees an organized list. This is one of the cleanest examples of managing online accounts after death that estate attorneys love, because it respects both privacy and practicality.

Compare that to the opposite example of managing online accounts after death: a notebook full of half‑correct passwords, sticky notes on a monitor, and “password” reused everywhere. That’s a nightmare for security and for your executor.

If you like this approach, look for password managers that:

• Offer emergency access or legacy contact features
• Allow secure notes (for things like crypto seed phrases or security questions)
• Work across devices

Then, back it up in writing: mention in your will that your executor is allowed to access and use your password manager to manage digital assets.

How to turn these examples into your own digital asset plan

We’ve walked through several examples of managing online accounts after death: 3 examples in depth—email/cloud, social media, and money accounts—and then layered in more real‑world situations like streaming services and password managers.

So how do you turn these examples into action?

Think in three buckets:

1. Communication accounts
Email, messaging apps, social platforms. Decide:

• Who should be able to see old messages and photos?
• Do you want accounts deleted, memorialized, or passed on for a time?

2. Financial and asset accounts
Banks, PayPal, Venmo, crypto, investment apps. Decide:

• Who inherits the money?
• How will they know these accounts exist?
• Where are the passwords or recovery methods stored?

3. Everyday services
Streaming, subscriptions, utilities, cloud storage. Decide:

• Who will be responsible for canceling or transferring these?
• How will they access the accounts?

A digital asset will or digital asset clause in your main will can spell out:

• Who your digital executor is (sometimes the same person as your main executor)
• What categories of accounts they can access
• What you want done with each type (delete, archive, memorialize, transfer)

If you’re working with an attorney, bring up these examples of managing online accounts after death and ask how they fit into your state’s laws. If you’re doing a DIY plan, at least create a written inventory and store it somewhere safe, like with your other estate documents.

For background on why planning matters in general, the U.S. government’s consumer site USA.gov has a plain‑language overview of wills and estate planning: https://www.usa.gov/wills-estate-planning

FAQ: real examples of managing online accounts after death

Q: Can you give more examples of managing online accounts after death beyond social media and email?
Yes. Real‑world examples include closing a deceased person’s online brokerage account, transferring ownership of a small business’s domain name and website hosting, shutting down dating app profiles, and canceling ride‑share or delivery app accounts that are linked to active credit cards. Any place your loved one had a login and a payment method can turn into work for the executor.

Q: What is an example of a good digital legacy setup?
A strong example of a good setup looks like this: the person names a digital executor in their will, uses Google’s Inactive Account Manager and Facebook’s Legacy Contact, keeps a password manager with emergency access turned on, maintains a simple list of major financial and subscription accounts, and stores instructions with their estate documents. When they die, their executor has both legal authority and practical tools to carry out their wishes.

Q: Do companies have to give my family my passwords after I die?
Generally, no. Most companies will not share passwords. Instead, under laws like RUFADAA, they may allow your executor limited access to account contents or the ability to close accounts, but only after receiving legal documents. That’s why these examples of managing online accounts after death keep coming back to planning: the more you use built‑in legacy tools and password managers now, the less your family has to fight later.

Q: Is putting my passwords in my will a good idea?
Usually not. Wills can become public records during probate, and you don’t want your passwords in public. A better approach is to keep passwords in a secure manager or separate document and use your will to give your executor the authority to access that information.

Q: I’m young. Do I really need to think about this?
If you’re active online, you already have digital assets—photos, messages, playlists, game libraries, crypto, online cash balances. Many of the most painful examples of managing online accounts after death involve younger people who never thought they needed a will. Even a simple plan—naming a legacy contact on major platforms and using a password manager with emergency access—can make a big difference for your family.