PRACTICAL GUIDE · OCTOBER 2026

What happens to your passwords when you die?

A password and permission to use an account are different things. Plan the access route before someone has to guess it.

An inventory is not a password dump

List which services matter, what information is needed, and who should deal with each one. Avoid putting passwords in a shared spreadsheet or email. Write where authorized instructions can be found, rather than copying every secret into another system.

Provider tools have different boundaries

Apple states that Legacy Contact access excludes iCloud Keychain passwords, payment information and passkeys. Google has a separate process for deceased-account requests. Knowing a password does not establish legal authority or remove a provider's requirements.

Make the instructions usable

Review your password manager's official emergency-access or recovery instructions. Discuss the intended access with the person you name and ensure they can find the plan. Test an example using a non-critical account. Keep recovery material outside broadly shared planning notes.

A small next step

List services without passwords.
Check official access options.
Tell your trusted person where instructions are kept.
Review when accounts or contacts change.

Where Digital Keep fits

Digital Keep's invitation-only beta lets you try private notes, documents and explicit read-only sharing with fictional information. Adding a person does not grant access; you choose sharing separately. Automatic death verification and inheritance delivery are not active. Digital Keep does not replace provider tools or legal advice.

Do not upload passwords, seed phrases, bank credentials or irreplaceable data during the beta. Read the security boundaries and keep independent copies.

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