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

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

💬 Social Media

What Happens to Your Facebook Account When You Die

MemorialiseLegacy Contact

Facebook has the best memorial process of any social platform. Set up a Legacy Contact now — it takes 5 minutes.

Quick Facts

Deadline

None

Difficulty

Easy

Key Info

Legacy Contact feature available

Step-by-Step Guide

Choose a Legacy Contact

Go to Settings → Memorialisation Settings → Legacy Contact. This person can manage your memorial profile, pin a tribute post, and respond to friend requests.

Estimated time: 5 min

Go to page

Decide: memorialise or delete

Choose whether you want your account memorialised (adds "Remembering" to your name) or permanently deleted after you pass.

Estimated time: 5 min

Download your Facebook data

Go to Settings → Your Facebook Information → Download Your Information to get a copy of all posts, photos, and messages.

Estimated time: 20-60 min

Go to page

Family reports to Facebook

Family uses the Special Request form with Death Certificate to request memorialisation or removal.

Go to page Official docs

Document Now Checklist

Facebook profile URL
Legacy Contact name
Memorialise vs delete preference
Important groups/pages you admin

Save this to your vault

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

Related Guides

Instagram

Go to Settings → Account → Download Data to save all photos, videos, and profile info.

X (Twitter)

X does NOT memorialise accounts. If not deactivated, X may eventually delete your account due to inactivity.

Go to Settings → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data. Export connections, posts, and profile info.

Browse all 1,800+ platform guides Platform Guides Instagram guide X (Twitter) guide

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