Accounts and access
Email, social profiles, cloud storage, domains, online memberships and subscription services.
A practical guide
What is a digital legacy?
It is the collection of digital accounts, files, communications, creative work and online traces you create—and the choices and instructions that help trusted people understand what should happen to them.
Direct answer: A digital legacy can include email and social accounts, subscriptions, cloud files, photos, videos, websites, online communities, digital purchases, personal messages and the instructions connected to them. Organizing it means making an inventory, recording where important items are, deciding what you want preserved or closed, and identifying the appropriate people to act when needed.
What can be part of a digital legacy?
Your digital legacy is broader than social media. It includes practical records and meaningful material, whether stored online, on a device or with a service provider.
Files and creative work
Documents, photographs, recordings, writing, designs, websites and other work you have made or collected.
Messages and meaning
Stories, personal messages, traditions, values and context that help others understand why something matters.
A useful distinction: an inventory says what exists and where it is. A digital legacy also captures your wishes and the meaning behind selected items. Avoid placing passwords in an ordinary document; use the security and legacy options offered by each service and an appropriate password-management method.
A five-step digital legacy checklist
Start with the material that would be hardest for someone else to find or interpret. You do not need to finish everything in one sitting.
Make an inventory
List important accounts, devices, storage locations and digital assets. Note the provider or location, not necessarily the password.
Choose what matters
Mark what should be preserved, transferred, memorialized, downloaded, cancelled or reviewed.
Add clear context
Record what an item is, why it matters and any practical instructions that would prevent guesswork.
Identify trusted people
Decide who should know that your records exist and who is appropriate for each responsibility.
Review regularly
Update the inventory after changing services, devices or priorities, and remove information that is no longer useful.
- ✓Key email and communication accounts
- ✓Photos, recordings and cloud libraries
- ✓Social profiles, websites and domains
- ✓Subscriptions and recurring online services
- ✓Devices and important file locations
- ✓Personal messages, stories and instructions
How Be Sure They Know can help
Be Sure They Know is a private place for the information, instructions, messages, memories and meaningful details you want the people around you to know. It helps you add human context to a digital inventory.
Organize practical details
Use My Life Logistics to record accounts, important locations and what someone may need to do first.
Preserve what matters
Use Personal Messages, My Stories and the Media Library to keep words, memories and media together.
Name the right people
Use My Contacts to record who should be contacted and clarify their roles in relation to your records.
Be Sure They Know was created by Ann (Annie) Hall, PMP and is operated by Golden Pond Investments Inc, a Michigan-based company. It complements, but does not replace, legal documents or professional legal, financial or security advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is a digital legacy only about what happens after someone dies?
No. Organizing digital information is useful now—for sharing the right context, reducing forgotten subscriptions, preserving work and helping trusted people assist when you choose.
Should a digital legacy list include passwords?
An inventory can identify accounts and where secure access information is managed without exposing passwords in an ordinary document. Follow each service's access rules and use an appropriate security method.
Are digital photos and messages part of a digital legacy?
Yes. Photos, videos, audio, writing and messages can be among its most meaningful parts, especially when you add names, dates, stories and context.
Does a will manage every digital account?
Laws, provider terms and account tools vary. A digital inventory and clear instructions may complement appropriate legal documents, but they are not a substitute for jurisdiction-specific legal advice.
How often should I update my digital legacy records?
Review them at least periodically and whenever you change a key account, device, contact or preference. A short, current record is more useful than a detailed but outdated one.