A deceased person's online accounts: Facebook, Google, Apple

A profile that still wishes them happy birthday, an inbox that keeps receiving messages: online accounts remain when the person is gone. Here is how to close them, keep them as a memorial or recover their content.

The essentials

No platform gives out a deceased person's password. With proof of death, the family can ask Facebook for a memorialised account or the removal of the profile, Google to close the account, and Apple for access to the data if the deceased had named a Legacy Contact.

The steps, in order

  1. 01

    List the accounts

    Email, social networks, photo storage, subscriptions. Bank statements help find the paid services.

  2. 02

    Gather the supporting documents

    A death certificate, and a document showing your relationship to the deceased. Some requests require more, such as a court order.

  3. 03

    Facebook: memorialise or remove the profile

    A memorialised account keeps the profile visible, with the word "Remembering". The family can also ask for its removal, with a death certificate. If the deceased had chosen a legacy contact, the removal request is theirs to make.

  4. 04

    Google: close the account or request its content

    Close family can request that the account be closed and, in some cases, part of its content, through the "deceased user's account" form. Google never gives out the password.

  5. 05

    Apple: go through the Legacy Contact

    If the deceased had named you as a Legacy Contact, their access key and the death certificate are enough to request access to their data. Without a key, you can request the deletion of the account; access then requires, in some countries, a court order.

  6. 06

    Cancel paid subscriptions

    Phone, streaming, software: contact each service with the proof of death, and inform the bank to stop the direct debits.

Frequently asked questions

Can you obtain a deceased person's password?

No. Facebook, Google and Apple never give out a deceased person's login details. Depending on the case, they close the account or pass on part of its content.

Should the accounts be closed right away?

No, there is no rush, except for paid subscriptions. Many families keep the profile for a while, as a memorialised account, as a place to remember.

How can you prepare your own accounts?

Name a legacy contact on Facebook and on Apple today, and set up Google's Inactive Account Manager: your loved ones will not have to prove their rights.

Can a deceased person's photos be recovered?

Sometimes. Google can pass on part of the content to close family, Apple gives the Legacy Contact access to the data, and Facebook only considers requests from a legal representative. Some end-to-end encrypted data remains inaccessible.

Spare your loved ones these steps

On Milele, you can write your wishes today, keep your documents in an encrypted vault and name two trusted people, who will have access when the time comes.

Set up my space for free

Official sources

Updated on October 23, 2026. This guide summarises the usual steps; it does not replace advice from a notary, a lawyer or your country's authorities. How we write our guides

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