Digital legacy checklist: make an account access plan
Inventory important online accounts, review Google and Apple legacy options, and leave a clear plan without putting passwords on a public worksheet.
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.
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
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 2026-09-09
- Google: About Inactive Account Manager · Source checked 2026-09-09
- Google: Requests regarding a deceased user’s account · Source checked 2026-09-09
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