Skip to content

Facebook · Legacy contact

What happens to your Facebook account when you die

A Facebook profile can become a place where people gather to remember you, or it can quietly disappear. You get to choose which.

Legacy settingOfficial help centre

What happens if nothing is set up

If you never made a choice, the account stays as it is until someone tells Facebook about your death. A friend or family member can then request memorialisation by sharing proof, such as an obituary.

A memorialised profile shows 'Remembering' next to your name. What you shared stays visible to the audience you shared it with, and friends can post memories, depending on your privacy settings. Nobody can log in to it.

Without a legacy contact, no one can update the profile or pin a post. Immediate family can instead ask Facebook to remove the account entirely.

Steps

How to choose a legacy contact or deletion

Facebook's memorialisation settings let you pick a legacy contact, or say you would rather the account be deleted.

  1. Open settings

    In the Facebook app or website, open Settings & privacy, then Settings.

  2. Find memorialisation

    Use the search box in settings and search for 'Memorialization' to find the current location of the option.

  3. Choose a legacy contact

    Pick a Facebook friend to be your legacy contact. Facebook lets you send them a message to tell them.

  4. Or choose deletion

    If you would rather not leave a profile behind, select the option to have your account permanently deleted after your death.

  5. Tell the person

    Talk to your legacy contact so they know what you would like, such as what to write in a pinned post.

Facebook moves its settings around, so searching settings is the most reliable way to find this option.

What your family can request

Facebook offers request forms for people reporting a death.

  • Anyone can ask for the account of someone who died to be memorialised
  • Verified immediate family or an executor can ask for the account to be removed
  • A legacy contact, if chosen, can manage the memorialised profile and also request removal
  • No one is given the password or access to private messages

Documents usually requested

  • Proof of death, such as an obituary or memorial card, for memorialisation
  • A death certificate, for removal requests
  • Proof of relationship or legal authority, for removal requests

Policies change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm on each service's own help pages.

FAQ

Questions about Facebook

They can write a pinned tribute post, change the profile and cover photo, respond to new friend requests and request that the account be removed. They cannot log in, read your messages or remove friends.

The word 'Remembering' appears next to the person's name. Their content stays visible to the people it was shared with, and nobody can log in.

Yes. In memorialisation settings you can choose to have your account permanently deleted once Facebook is told of your death, instead of naming a legacy contact.

No. Instagram has its own process and does not currently offer a legacy contact. It is worth writing down your wishes for each account separately.

Other services

Other accounts to plan for

Back to all accounts

Related reading

One service at a time. Or the whole picture at once.

Write one sealed note to your executor in Sealkept listing every account and what you want done. It's delivered only if you stop checking in.

Save this to Sealkept

Set up in a few minutes · $5 a month, cancel anytime