Social Media Accounts After Death: Facebook, Instagram, X, and More

A person's social media presence can feel like a living part of their identity — and deciding what to do with it after death is a deeply personal decision. Some families choose to preserve accounts as memorials; others prefer to close them entirely. This guide explains the options available on each major platform and the steps required to take action.

Facebook: memorialisation and removal

Facebook offers two options for accounts belonging to deceased users: memorialisation and full removal.

Memorialisation preserves the account as a dedicated space for friends and family to share memories. The word "Remembering" appears next to the person's name on their profile. Once memorialised, no one can log into the account — it becomes a read-only memorial. Friends can still post to the timeline (if that setting is enabled), and existing content remains visible.

To request memorialisation, go to Facebook's Special Request for Memorialised Account form (found via facebook.com/help) and submit: the name of the deceased, their profile URL, your relationship to them, and proof of death (typically an obituary, death notice, or news article — a death certificate is not always required at this stage). Facebook may contact you for further information.

Full removal permanently deletes the account and all associated content. This cannot be undone. To request removal, use Facebook's Special Request for Deceased Person's Account form. You will need to provide a death certificate and, for some requests, proof that you have authority (such as executor status). Immediate family members and executors are generally accepted as eligible requesters.

If the deceased had set up a Legacy Contact before death (available in Facebook Settings), that person has limited ability to manage the memorialised account — including pinning posts, responding to new friend requests, and updating the profile picture.

Instagram: Meta's shared memorialisation process

Instagram is owned by Meta (the same company as Facebook) and uses the same underlying memorialisation and removal framework, though the specific forms are separate.

To memorialise an Instagram account, submit a request via Instagram's dedicated memorialisation form, providing the deceased's Instagram username, proof of death, and your relationship to the deceased. Instagram may accept an obituary, news article, or death certificate as proof. Once memorialised, the account cannot be logged into and the profile is preserved.

To remove an Instagram account, submit a separate removal request. Instagram typically requires a death certificate and, for removal specifically (as opposed to memorialisation), proof that you are an immediate family member or executor. Processing times can vary from a few days to several weeks.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram does not have a Legacy Contact feature, so there is no mechanism to designate someone to manage the account after death during the deceased's lifetime.

X (formerly Twitter): deactivation by family members

X (formerly Twitter) does not offer a memorialisation option. The only available action is deactivation and eventual permanent deletion of the account.

An immediate family member (or, in some cases, an estate representative) can request deactivation of a deceased person's account by submitting a privacy report through X's Help Centre. Navigate to Help Centre, then "Privacy", then "requests about a deceased or incapacitated user". You will be asked to provide:

• Your full name and contact email address
• Your relationship to the deceased (immediate family member or authorised representative)
• The deceased's X username or account URL
• A copy of the death certificate or other official documentation
• In some cases, a copy of your own government-issued photo ID

X states that accounts are deactivated after reviewing the request, and permanently deleted after 30 days of deactivation. Note that until the family requests action, an inactive X account will simply remain as it was — the platform does not automatically act on inactivity.

TikTok and YouTube: limited options and Google's process

TikTok: TikTok's options for deceased users are more limited than Meta's platforms. TikTok does not offer a formal memorialisation feature as of early 2026. Family members can report the account through TikTok's Help Centre by selecting "Report a deceased user". TikTok will then review the request and may deactivate the account. The process requires a death certificate and information about the account.

YouTube: YouTube accounts are Google accounts, and the process is managed by Google rather than YouTube directly. If the deceased had set up Google's Inactive Account Manager before death, that person's designated contacts may automatically receive data or notification. Without this, family members can submit a formal request through Google's "Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account" form. Google can close the account and, in limited circumstances, may provide access to specific data to verified next of kin. YouTube channel content — particularly if it was monetised and generating income — should be addressed as a specific asset of the estate.

LinkedIn: why closing a professional profile matters

LinkedIn presents a specific risk that differs from personal social networks: an active professional profile creates opportunities for identity fraud. Fraudsters can use a seemingly active LinkedIn profile — particularly one with many connections — to impersonate the deceased in professional contexts, approach their former contacts, or create false legitimacy for scams.

To close a LinkedIn profile belonging to a deceased person, go to LinkedIn's Help Centre and search for "deceased member" — this will lead to the Deceased Member Reporting Form. You will need to provide:

• The deceased's LinkedIn profile URL
• Your relationship to the deceased
• The date of death
• A copy of the death certificate or obituary (LinkedIn may request this)

LinkedIn typically processes these requests and closes the account, preventing it from appearing in searches and connections feeds. Unlike some platforms, LinkedIn does not offer memorialisation — the only option is removal. Processing generally takes a few weeks.

If the deceased was self-employed and their LinkedIn profile was an important business tool — for example, a consultant or freelancer — consider whether it is worth downloading their profile data first, as this could contain useful contact information for notifying professional connections about the death.