How to close a Facebook account after a loved one passes

There are five options for what to do with a Facebook account when someone passes away:

1) If you were appointed the legacy contact, you will be in charge of looking after the memorialized account or deleting the account after the death. If you want to keep the account active and manage it, here’s how:

• Go to the memorialized profile

• In the bottom right of the cover photo, click Manage

• Use the menu on the left to do things like (1) add a pinned post, (2) respond to new friend requests, and (3) change the profile/cover photo

2) Do nothing. The deceased’s account will remain as is and people will still receive reminders about birthdays and People You May Know.

3) Convert the deceased’s account to a memorial account, with the following features, using: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480

• "Remembering" will be shown next to the name

• Depending on the privacy settings of the account, friends can share on the timeline

• Content the person shared (example: photos, posts) stays visible to whomever it was shared with

• Memorialized profiles don't appear in birthdays, ads, or suggestions for People You May Know

• No one can log into a memorialized account

• Memorialized accounts that don't have a legacy contact can't be changed. Legacy contacts can change the person’s profile/cover photo, write a pinned timeline post, and accept friend requests

• Pages with a sole admin whose account was memorialized will be removed from Facebook if they receive a valid request

4) Delete the deceased’s account using this link: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480

5) Create a group for an additional place for people on Facebook to share memories of your loved one:

• Click the down arrow in the top right of Facebook and select Create Group

• Enter your group name, add group members and then choose the privacy setting for your group

• Click Create

• Once you create the group, you can personalize it by uploading a cover photo and adding a description

Note: Facebook will never let you log into a deceased person’s account. It's against the Facebook Terms to log into another person's account. They'll only be able to give you access to an account if they can verify that it’s your account.

However, despite it being a violation of the terms and conditions, some people recommend that you can reset the password for your loved one’s account and use this to log in. We are not endorsing this choice, but if recommended by your lawyer, here are the instructions:

• Go to the Find Your Account Page: https://www.facebook.com/login/identify

• Type the email, mobile phone number, full name or username associated with your loved one’s account, then click Search

• Follow the on-screen instructions

• If you're still having trouble, try “Account Recovery”