How do I sort out my digital legacy?

Almost everything is now behind a login, and without arrangements the people dealing with your affairs face a wall. Photographs become unreachable, subscriptions keep charging, and accounts stay online indefinitely.

Step by step

1. Use the built-in legacy features.The major platforms let you nominate someone to access or close your account. It takes minutes each and it is the cleanest route because it is officially sanctioned.
2. Make a list of what exists.Email, banking, subscriptions, photograph storage, social accounts, domains. Not the passwords — just what exists and where.
3. Store the list where it can be found.With your will, in a sealed envelope with a solicitor, or in a password manager's emergency access feature. Someone must know it exists.
4. Never put passwords in your will.A will becomes a public document once probate is granted. Reference where the details are kept instead.
5. Use a password manager's emergency access.Most offer a nominated contact who can request access, with a delay during which you can decline. It is purpose-built for this.
6. Get photographs off proprietary platforms.Family photographs are what people most want and most often cannot reach. An external drive or a shared family archive removes the problem entirely.
7. List the subscriptions.Recurring payments continue after death and can be difficult to cancel without account access. A list makes it straightforward.
8. Tell someone.The best-organised arrangement is useless if nobody knows it exists. One conversation is the most important step here.

Tips

• Do the photographs first. They are what families actually grieve losing, and they are the easiest thing to secure.
• Review it when circumstances change. An out-of-date list is nearly as unhelpful as none.
• This is also useful while you are alive — hospital stays and accidents create the same access problem temporarily.

Questions people ask