Managing Social Media Accounts After a Loved One has Passed

With today’s times of social media popularity, it is more than likely your loved one was active on many social media platforms. There are ways to manage these accounts and deactivate them after a loved one has passed. There are also some social media platforms that allow you memorialize instead. Memorializing an account allows family and friends to pay tributes to their loved one, post pictures and reminisce.

Here are some common social media platforms and instructions for deactivation:

Facebook

• Click the account menu at the top right
• Select “Settings”
• Click “Security” in the left column
• Choose “Deactivate Account” – then follow the steps to confirm

Memorialize: You have to have proof of death for the account holder (Death Certificate) – and submit a request to Facebook.

Twitter

• Go to account settings & click on “Deactivate account” at the bottom of the page
• Read over the deactivation information and click “okay”
• Enter the password when prompted to verify the deactivation

Note: The deletion of the account can take up to 30 days as stated in the Privacy Policy. Also, content may still appear in Google and Bing after the deactivation which Twitter has no control over.

Instagram

• Go to the – Delete your Account page (Link brings you directly to this page)
• You must log in to continue with the deletion of the account
• Select an option from the drop-down menu for the reason of deletion
• Re-enter your password
• Click “Permanently Delete Account”

Memorialize: You have to have proof of death for the account holder (Death Certificate) – and submit a request to Instagram

LinkedIn

• Log into your loved one’s LinkedIn account
• Put the cursor over the profile picture in the top right corner
• Go down and click on “Privacy and Settings”
• Re-enter the password if required and click “Account” on the left
• Click “Close Account”
• Confirm deletion of account

In order to have access to these accounts to perform these deactivation or memorialization actions, you need to have passwords. It is suggested to plan ahead and create a file with your passwords on your computer or write them down somewhere for your family and friends to have access one you have passed. If there was no instruction on what to do with social media accounts, you can contact these social media providers and inform them of the death of a loved one to shut down or memorialize accounts internally.

If you have any questions on this topic, you can contact our professionals here at, Wagg Funeral Home located in Port Perry, Ontario.