Digital legacy checklist: make an account access plan
Make a digital estate information plan with current Apple, Google and Bitwarden access routes, a safe inventory and a free printable planner.
Last reviewed . Rules change — check with the provider before you rely on this guide.
Start with an account inventory, not a password list #
List the services that matter, what you want preserved and the approved process another person should follow. Account access, ownership and legal authority are different questions. Do not assume sharing a password resolves all three.
Make your digital access plan
Keep keys, passwords, passkeys, full account numbers and recovery codes out of this planner. Describe the service and the location of its protected instructions instead.
Use locations and contact roles rather than passwords, recovery keys, full account numbers or identity numbers.
See a fictional example
Fictional example: “Email: Google. Inactive Account Manager choices need review. My chosen contact should follow Google’s message and official instructions, not attempt to sign in as me.”
0 prompts have an entry. Blank prompts become writing space in your copy; this is not a readiness score.
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Save an editable draft whenever you want to keep your work.
Make your digital access plan
Prepared / reviewed: ____________________
Identify what matters
Services and their purpose
Services and their purpose: ________________________________________________
Chosen contacts and boundaries
Chosen contacts and boundaries: ________________________________________________
How to request appropriate access
Access arrangements and their locations
Access arrangements and their locations: ________________________________________________
Questions still to resolve
Questions still to resolve: ________________________________________________
Make the handoff findable
Where your chosen person should begin
Where your chosen person should begin: ________________________________________________
Review date and remaining tasks
Review date and remaining tasks: ________________________________________________
This is practical information, not a will, legal authority or permission to access an account. Keep urgent contacts available offline. Store this copy appropriately and share only what each person needs.
Prepared with WiseTomorrow · wisetomorrow.com/guides/digital-legacy-checklist
Map the accounts that other accounts depend on #
Email, a phone number and a password manager often sit upstream of other services. Record the dependency without placing recovery secrets in a general-purpose checklist.
- Primary email and the recovery methods you currently maintain.
- Phone service and devices used for account verification.
- Password manager and its documented emergency-access options, if offered.
- Cloud photos, files and backups you want preserved.
- Subscriptions, websites or business services that someone may need to contact.
Check Apple and Google separately #
Apple says Legacy Contact provides access to certain account data after death, that a request needs an access key and death documentation, and that the details vary by region. At our last review, Apple said Legacy Contact access does not include iCloud Keychain passwords and passkeys. Google says Inactive Account Manager can notify selected contacts or share selected data after an inactivity period you choose. These are different mechanisms, so do not treat either as an immediate emergency handoff, and check each provider’s current help pages because these rules change.
Record a decision for each important service #
Create an inventory with service name, purpose, desired outcome, chosen contact, official support link and last-check date. Decide whether your goal is preserving files, closing the account or notifying someone. Check the provider’s current rules before giving instructions.
Test the recovery plan without exposing secrets #
Confirm your chosen contact knows that a plan exists and where the necessary instructions are protected. Check that your own recovery methods are current. Review after changing a phone, email address or password manager. Keep access keys and recovery codes out of ordinary email, public worksheets and widely shared document indexes.
What belongs in a digital estate planning checklist? #
For the information-organizing part, list essential email, devices, cloud files, subscriptions and other accounts. Give each service a purpose, desired outcome, chosen contact and official access-process link. Record where protected keys or instructions live without copying the secrets into the list. For questions about legal authority or ownership, ask the provider or an attorney.
Source: Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
Source: Google: About Inactive Account Manager
Source: Google: Requests regarding a deceased user’s account
Does a legacy contact get all my passwords? #
Usually not, so do not assume so. At our last review, Apple said Legacy Contact access does not include iCloud Keychain passwords and passkeys, and Google said its deceased-account process does not provide passwords or login details. Check each provider’s current permissions, and arrange a separate approved password-manager process if appropriate.
Source: Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
Source: Google: Requests regarding a deceased user’s account
Worked example: an account inventory without passwords #
These fictional entries separate the desired outcome from the access process. They do not contain credentials or assume that one provider’s rules apply to another. Use the provider guides linked below when setting up a real arrangement.
- Give each service its own row, even if the same person handles several.
- Record the date you checked the provider instructions.
- Keep “preserve data” and “close account” as separate decisions. Review the provider’s consequences before requesting either.
| Service category | Desired outcome | Instruction to record |
|---|---|---|
| Family photo storage | Preserve the album identified in the family note | Chosen contact, current official support page and protected instruction location |
| Household subscription | Review whether the service is still needed | Provider name, statement location and official support route |
| Primary email | Identify the appropriate provider request | Existing access-plan location and who coordinates questions |
Source: Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
Source: Google: About Inactive Account Manager
Source: Google: Requests regarding a deceased user’s account
Compare the official access routes #
These are different mechanisms, not interchangeable permission to sign in as someone else. Sources checked October 4, 2026; follow the provider’s current instructions before relying on a plan.
| Provider route | What triggers it | What to prepare separately | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Legacy Contact | A request after death | The Legacy Contact access key and required death documentation | Does not include iCloud Keychain passwords, passkeys or payment information. |
| Google Inactive Account Manager | The inactivity period chosen by the owner | Chosen contacts and the data-sharing choices in Google’s settings | Inactivity is not proof of death; only the configured data-sharing plan applies. |
| Bitwarden Emergency Access | A request by a previously confirmed emergency contact | An accepted and confirmed invitation, access type and wait settings | The grantor can approve or reject; configured waiting and provider requirements apply. |
Source: Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
WiseTomorrow is a technology service for organizing and sharing information. It does not provide legal, tax, financial or estate-planning advice, does not replace a will, trust, power of attorney, beneficiary designation or advance directive, and does not verify that stored documents are valid. Consult a licensed professional for advice about your situation. Read the full legal disclaimer.
Sources and editorial notes
Prepared by WiseTomorrow, the maker of Wise Box. These resources help organize information; they are not an independent product review. No specialist review is claimed. How these resources are prepared.
- Apple: Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account · Source checked 2026-10-04
- Google: About Inactive Account Manager · Source checked 2026-10-04
- Google: Requests regarding a deceased user’s account · Source checked 2026-10-04
- Bitwarden: About emergency access · Source checked 2026-10-04
Have a correction? Contact WiseTomorrow.