How can my family access my Ghost account after I die?

The process typically involves contacting Ghost with a death certificate and proof of relationship. Our step-by-step guide walks you through the exact procedure.

💼 Work & Business

What Happens to Your Ghost Account When You Die

CriticalNewsletter/Membership

Ghost powers newsletter and membership businesses. Paid members are being billed through Stripe. Pause memberships immediately to stop charges.

Quick Facts

Priority

Critical — paid members billing monthly

Difficulty

Hard

Key Info

Self-hosted or Ghost Pro newsletter and membership platform

Step-by-Step Guide

Pause paid memberships

Log into the Ghost admin panel and pause new signups and billing. If self-hosted, access the server directly. If Ghost Pro, log into the dashboard.

Estimated time: 10 min

Export all content and members

Export the full member list and all posts/content. Ghost allows JSON and CSV exports. The subscriber list and content archive are valuable assets.

Estimated time: 15 min

Check hosting and domain

If self-hosted, document the hosting provider, server access, and domain registrar. The site will go down if hosting payments lapse.

Estimated time: 10 min

Plan for transition

Decide whether to continue the publication, sell the subscriber base, or archive the content. Ghost content can be migrated to other platforms.

Official docs

Document Now Checklist

Ghost admin email
Publication name and URL
Monthly revenue from memberships
Total member count (free and paid)
Hosting type (Ghost Pro or self-hosted)
Server/hosting provider and credentials (if self-hosted)
Stripe payment connection
Executor note: paid members billing monthly — pause immediately

Last verified: June 2026. Platform policies may change. Verify current procedures directly with Ghost. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Related Guides

Domain Names (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare)

Domains expire on a specific date. If not renewed, they become publicly available and can be registered by anyone.

Shopify

If you have an active Shopify store, orders may continue coming in. Your executor needs access immediately to fulfill or refund.

GitHub

Transfer important private repositories to a trusted collaborator or organisation. Go to Repo Settings → Transfer.

Browse all 1,800+ platform guides Digital Readiness Score Domain Names (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare) guide Shopify guide

Protect your Ghost account — and all your others

Document your digital life in a zero-knowledge encrypted vault. 1,800+ platform guides. Dead Man's Switch. Everything your family needs.

Start your free trial →