What happens to Facebook, Instagram and Google accounts after someone passes away? (UK)

5 October 2026 · Inherit Vault

No platform will give you someone's password after they pass away. Facebook, Instagram and Google all say so plainly. What they will do is turn the account into a memorial or remove it. Some will also share data with someone chosen in advance. Here's what each one offers, and what you'll need.

Facebook: memorialising the account

Facebook says it's its policy to memorialise the account of someone who has passed away when it gets a valid request. The word "Remembering" then shows next to their name. Friends can share memories on the profile, depending on its privacy settings. What they posted stays up, visible to the same people as before. The profile stops popping up in birthday reminders, ads and "People you may know". Most importantly, nobody can log in to a memorialised account. To ask for it, you contact Facebook through its Help Centre.

Facebook: the legacy contact

A legacy contact is someone the person picked, while they were alive, to look after the profile. Facebook says a legacy contact can write a pinned post, for example with details of a memorial service. They can change the profile picture and cover photo. They can respond to new friend requests, and ask for the account to be removed. If the person turned the setting on, they can also download a copy of what was shared. There are firm limits, though. A legacy contact can't log in. They can't read messages, and they can't remove friends. If there's no legacy contact, Facebook says a memorialised account can't be changed.

Facebook: removing the account

If the family would prefer the account gone, an immediate family member or executor can ask Facebook to remove it. Facebook says the fastest way is to send a scan or photo of the death certificate. If you don't have one, you need two things. The first is proof of authority, such as a will, a power of attorney or an estate letter. The second is proof they've passed away, like an obituary or a memorial card. The details must match what's on the account.

Instagram

Instagram follows a similar pattern. Anyone can ask for a profile to be memorialised. Instagram asks for proof, such as a link to an obituary or a news article. Only immediate family can ask for removal, and they'll need to prove it. Instagram's examples are the person's birth certificate or death certificate. Proof that you legally act for the estate also works. Like Facebook, Instagram says it can't give out login details. Contacts for both are on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Google: the Inactive Account Manager

Google has a tool people can set up in advance, called the Inactive Account Manager. It lets someone choose up to 10 people to receive some or all of their data. It only kicks in once the account has been inactive for a set time, and the owner chooses how long. Google checks things like recent sign-ins and Gmail use to decide if an account is inactive. If it was set up, the chosen people get an email with a link to download what was shared with them.

Google: if nothing was set up

Google says it can work with immediate family members and representatives to close a deceased person's account where appropriate. You can also ask for data from the account, or for funds held in it. Google says it won't provide passwords, and every request gets a careful review. Here's the bit to read twice. If you ask Google to close the account, it can't hand over the contents later. So if you want photos or emails saved, ask for the data first. You can reach Google's request forms through our Google page.

Don't leave a Google account too long

Google says an account that hasn't been used for two years counts as inactive. It can then delete the account and everything in it. So if there's anything the family wants from it, don't leave it for years.

Why logging in isn't the answer

It's tempting to use a password if you happen to know it. Facebook says it's always against its policies to log in to another person's account, and Instagram says the same. We've explained why a map is better than a list of passwords. Our older post on what happens to social media accounts covers Apple's Legacy Contact as well.

Decide what the family wants first

Before you fill in any forms, it helps to agree what you want for each account. Some families love a memorial page where friends leave messages. Others would rather it was quietly removed. There's no right answer. It's worth picking one person to deal with the platforms, so the requests don't cross. You'll find the rest of the big platforms in our social media and online accounts list.

Most of the good options here only work if the person set them up while they were alive. Setting them up doesn't take long. If you'd like to name someone for your own accounts, our post on naming a digital executor is a good place to start. Inherit Vault can hold your wishes for each account, so your family isn't guessing.

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