How to Choose a Digital Executor for Your Online Accounts

What Is a Digital Executor and Why Do You Need One?

A digital executor is a person you appoint to manage your digital assets and online accounts after your death or incapacitation. Their responsibilities include accessing your accounts, securing sensitive data, closing or memorializing profiles, transferring digital property to heirs, and protecting your identity from fraud. Think of them as the online counterpart to a traditional estate executor — except their domain is passwords, cloud storage, and social media accounts instead of houses and bank vaults.

The need for a digital executor has grown dramatically. A 2024 survey by NordPass found that the average person now maintains 168 personal online accounts — a nearly 70% increase in just over three years (NordPass, 2024). These accounts span email, social media, banking, shopping, cloud storage, streaming services, cryptocurrency wallets, and more. When you die, every single one of those accounts becomes a potential problem if no one has the authority or the knowledge to handle it.

Without a designated digital executor, your family may find themselves locked out of critical accounts during an already devastating time. CNN reported the story of a widow who could not access her late husband's phone after his sudden death from a heart attack, leaving her unable to reach financial records, personal photos, or business accounts (CNN, 2024). This scenario is alarmingly common and entirely preventable. For a broader view of what your family faces when you die without a digital plan, see our complete guide to digital legacy planning.

What Does a Digital Executor Actually Do?

A digital executor manages everything in your online life that would otherwise go unattended after your death. Their tasks are practical, technical, and sometimes emotionally sensitive — which is why choosing the right person matters enormously.

What Are the Core Responsibilities of a Digital Executor?

The core responsibilities fall into five categories: inventory, access, preservation, closure, and protection. Here is a detailed breakdown of each.

The financial dimension deserves special attention. If you hold cryptocurrency, run an online business, or have domain names with resale value, your digital executor needs to know how to locate and transfer those assets. Our guide on what happens to cryptocurrency when you die covers this in depth.

How Is a Digital Executor Different From a Traditional Executor?

A digital executor focuses specifically on your online presence and electronic records, while a traditional executor handles physical property, financial accounts, court filings, and debt settlement. In practice, the same person can serve in both roles, but the skill sets are different. A traditional executor needs organizational ability and legal literacy. A digital executor needs those qualities plus technical competence — the ability to navigate password managers, two-factor authentication, cloud platforms, and the varying policies of dozens of different service providers.

Some estate planning attorneys now recommend naming the same person for both roles but defining the digital responsibilities separately in your will or trust. Others suggest splitting the roles entirely, especially when a tech-savvy friend or younger family member is better equipped to handle the digital side than the person managing your financial estate.

What Laws Govern a Digital Executor's Authority?

The primary legal framework in the United States is the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, commonly known as RUFADAA. This law, drafted by the Uniform Law Commission in 2015, provides fiduciaries — including executors — with a legal path to managing the digital assets of deceased or incapacitated persons. As of 2024, RUFADAA has been adopted by 46 states, with Delaware maintaining its own version and Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma yet to enact either statute (Bequest, 2023).

How Does RUFADAA Determine Who Gets Access?

RUFADAA establishes a clear hierarchy of priority for account access after death. The highest priority goes to any online tool the user has activated during their lifetime — for example, Google's Inactive Account Manager or Facebook's Legacy Contact feature. If no online tool was set, the next source of authority is the user's estate planning documents: a will, trust, or power of attorney that explicitly grants digital access. If neither an online tool nor legal documents exist, the platform's terms of service become the default, which often means minimal or no access for families (Trust & Will, 2025).

This hierarchy carries an important practical implication. Even if your will names a digital executor, many platforms will only provide access to a catalog of communications — essentially metadata like sender, recipient, and date — rather than the actual content of emails or messages, unless you explicitly consented to content disclosure. This is why it is critical to both name a digital executor in your legal documents and configure the online tools offered by your major platforms.

Does RUFADAA Apply in Every State?

No. While 46 states have adopted some version of RUFADAA, each state legislature can modify provisions during adoption. For instance, New Jersey's version excludes court-appointed conservators from the definition of fiduciary, even though the original RUFADAA includes them (Financial Planning Association, 2018). If you live in one state but spend significant time in another, or if your digital assets are held by companies based in different jurisdictions, consulting an estate planning attorney is wise. The American Bar Association's digital property resource page offers state-specific guidance.

What Qualities Should You Look for in a Digital Executor?

The right digital executor combines technical ability with personal trustworthiness and long-term availability. Not every person who is good with technology is a good choice, and not every trusted family member has the skills to navigate the technical complexity involved.

How Important Is Technical Competence?

Technical competence is essential but does not require professional-level expertise. Your digital executor should be comfortable using a password manager, understand two-factor authentication, know how to navigate platform-specific processes for account recovery and closure, and be able to download and back up files from cloud services. They should also understand that different platforms have different policies — Apple's Legacy Contact system works differently from Google's Inactive Account Manager, which works differently from Facebook's memorialization process.

A good rule of thumb: if the person you are considering would struggle to help you reset a forgotten password today, they will struggle far more to manage 168 accounts after your death.

Why Is Trustworthiness the Most Critical Factor?

Trustworthiness matters above all because your digital executor will have access to your most private information: personal emails, private messages, financial records, medical data, and potentially embarrassing or sensitive content. They must be someone who will honor your wishes, respect your privacy, and act with discretion — even under pressure from other family members who may want access to things you would prefer to keep private.

Nolo, the legal publisher, emphasizes that giving your executor broad digital access is practical for most people but that anyone with privacy concerns should explicitly define what their executor can and cannot view (Nolo, 2023). Your digital executor should respect these boundaries absolutely.

Why Does Long-Term Availability Matter?

Long-term availability matters because you do not know when you will die, and estate settlement can take months or even years. Your digital executor needs to be someone who is likely to be alive and capable when the time comes, willing to invest the hours required — managing dozens of accounts is not a one-afternoon task — and geographically and logistically able to communicate with platforms, credit bureaus, and other institutions.

This is why many people choose a younger family member, a tech-savvy adult child, or a trusted friend rather than an elderly parent or a peer of the same age.

How Do You Formally Appoint a Digital Executor?

Appointing a digital executor requires action on two fronts: your legal documents and your platform-specific tools. Neither alone is sufficient.

What Should You Include in Your Will or Trust?

Your will or trust should contain a specific clause that names your digital executor by full legal name, grants them explicit authority to access, manage, transfer, and close your digital accounts and assets, references RUFADAA (if your state has adopted it) to anchor the authority in law, and specifies any restrictions on which accounts they may or may not access. The Zarda Law estate planning firm recommends embedding this clause within a broader estate planning document rather than creating a standalone digital-only instrument, which may not carry the same legal weight.

One critical warning: do not include your passwords in your will. A will becomes a public record during probate. Instead, store your credentials in a separate, secure document — such as a password manager with emergency access features — and reference the location of that document in your will.

Which Platform-Specific Tools Should You Set Up?

The major platforms offer built-in tools that, under RUFADAA, take the highest priority in determining access. Setting these up takes minutes and provides your digital executor with a direct, legally recognized path to your accounts.

For a comprehensive overview of what happens to each major platform when you die, see our articles on what happens to social media accounts after death and what happens to email accounts when you die.

What Information Should You Prepare for Your Digital Executor?

Your digital executor can only do their job if you give them a roadmap. The most technically skilled executor in the world is helpless without knowing what accounts exist, where credentials are stored, and what you want done with each one. Prepare the following materials and store them securely.

What Should a Digital Asset Inventory Include?

A comprehensive digital asset inventory should cover every category of your online life. Here is a checklist.

For a step-by-step guide to closing subscriptions and accounts, our article on how to cancel subscriptions and close accounts after death provides a detailed walkthrough.

Where Should You Store This Information?

The ideal storage solution is a password manager with an emergency access or digital inheritance feature. Many modern password managers — including 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane — allow you to designate a trusted contact who can request access to your vault after a waiting period. This approach keeps your credentials encrypted and current while providing a clear path for your digital executor.

If you prefer a physical backup, store a printed document in a fireproof safe or with your attorney. Reference the safe's location and combination (or the attorney's contact information) in your will. Never email yourself a list of passwords, store them in an unencrypted file on your computer, or include them in the body of your will.

What Are the Biggest Mistakes People Make When Choosing a Digital Executor?

The most common mistake is simply not choosing one at all. But among those who do take this step, several errors recur.

Is It a Mistake to Assume Your Traditional Executor Can Handle It?

Often, yes. Your traditional executor may be your spouse, your eldest child, or your attorney — all excellent choices for managing a probate process, but not necessarily equipped to navigate the technical landscape of 168 online accounts, platform-specific memorialization processes, and cryptocurrency wallets. If your traditional executor is not technically comfortable, either appoint a separate digital executor or ensure the traditional executor has a detailed, step-by-step instruction document to follow.

Is It a Mistake to Only Share Passwords Without Legal Authority?

Yes. A password list alone, without legal documentation, may not be enough. Under RUFADAA, many platforms can refuse access even if a family member has the correct password, because the terms of service prohibit anyone other than the original account holder from logging in. Without a will clause or power of attorney granting explicit digital access, your executor may face legal barriers, platform resistance, or both (Nolo, 2017). You need both the practical credentials and the legal authority.

Is It a Mistake to Set It and Forget It?

Absolutely. Your digital life changes constantly — you open new accounts, close old ones, change passwords, and adopt new platforms. The National Institute on Aging recommends updating your advance planning documents at least once a year or after any major life change (NIA). The same principle applies to your digital executor's information. Schedule an annual review — perhaps tied to a birthday or tax season — to ensure your inventory and instructions remain current.

Why Should Your Digital Executor Know About Your Afterlife Messages?

Your digital executor's job is primarily logistical: securing accounts, closing subscriptions, preventing identity theft. But there is another dimension to your digital legacy that is purely emotional — the messages you leave behind for the people you love.

If you have recorded afterlife messages through a platform like LastWithYou, your digital executor should know the service exists, even if they are not a recipient of the messages themselves. This ensures that if any technical issue arises with delivery, someone has the knowledge and authority to follow up. It also prevents the service from being accidentally shut down or overlooked during estate settlement.

The distinction matters: your digital executor manages the logistical side of your digital life, while your afterlife messages handle the emotional side. Both are essential to a complete digital legacy. If you have not yet considered what you want to say to the people who matter most, our guide on how to record a video message for your family is a practical place to start.

What Happens If You Die Without Naming a Digital Executor?

If you die without naming a digital executor and without configuring any platform-specific online tools, your family enters a difficult and time-consuming process. Under RUFADAA, the terms of service of each individual platform become the default authority — and most platforms are restrictive by design.

Google will work with immediate family members to close an account but will not disclose login details or passwords under any circumstances (Funeralocity, 2025). Facebook requires proof of death and a verified family relationship before memorializing or deleting a profile. Apple may require a court order if no Legacy Contact was set. Each platform has its own process, its own required documentation, and its own timeline — and your family must navigate every single one independently, while grieving.

Meanwhile, dormant accounts become targets for fraud. According to ID Analytics, approximately 2.5 million deceased Americans' identities are exploited fraudulently each year, with 800,000 of those used specifically to open credit lines or obtain mobile phone plans (Trulioo, 2024). The IRS has independently confirmed that around 800,000 deceased persons' identities are stolen annually for tax fraud and other purposes (Empathy, 2024). A digital executor who acts quickly can secure accounts and close this window of vulnerability before criminals exploit it.

Conclusion

Choosing a digital executor is no longer optional — it is a core component of responsible estate planning in the digital age. The average person now manages 168 personal online accounts. Nearly all U.S. states have adopted RUFADAA to provide a legal framework for digital asset management. And without a designated person who has both the legal authority and the practical know-how to manage your accounts, your family will face unnecessary frustration, potential financial loss, and real security risks at the worst possible time.

The process does not have to be complicated. Choose someone you trust who is comfortable with technology. Name them explicitly in your will or trust. Configure the online tools offered by your major platforms. Prepare a secure, up-to-date inventory of your digital assets. And tell your digital executor where to find everything they need. These steps, taken together, protect your privacy, your assets, your family's time, and the emotional legacy you leave behind.