How to name a digital executor (step-by-step)
How to name a digital executor: pick who manages your online accounts, nominate them in your will, and back it with a separate, securely stored access list.
To name a digital executor, pick the person you want to manage your digital property, nominate them in your will, and back that nomination with a separate, securely stored access list you keep out of the will itself. Most people name the same person who serves as their estate executor, and an estate attorney can add the proper legal language for your state — or a low-cost codicil if you already have a will.
What is a digital executor?#
A digital executor is the person you name in your will to manage your digital property — photos, videos, cryptocurrency, email accounts, and income-generating blogs and websites — after you go silent. The scope is narrow on purpose: a digital executor handles only digital property, while a traditional executor manages the upkeep and distribution of your entire estate.
What does a digital executor actually do?#
A digital executor does not replace a traditional executor. They serve in a complementary capacity, and the day-to-day work is concrete:
- Archive personal files, photos, and videos so nothing important is lost.
- Delete files or erase devices you asked to be wiped.
- Maintain certain accounts, including paying to keep a service running where that matters.
- Close accounts such as social media profiles and paid subscriptions.
- Transfer transferable or income-generating accounts to the heirs you named.
How is a digital executor different from your estate executor?#
They can be the same person, and usually are — but the roles are not identical.
| Digital executor | Traditional (estate) executor | |
|---|---|---|
| What they manage | Only digital property: accounts, files, crypto, sites | The entire estate's upkeep and distribution |
| Role | A complementary role, not a replacement | The primary fiduciary for the estate |
| Legal recognition | In most states, not yet a formal, binding designation | Long-established and legally recognized |
| Same person? | Most people use one person for both | Can also carry the digital role |
If your holdings are split — personal files in one place, financial accounts in another, a business you run online — you can name more than one digital executor for different categories of assets.
How do you name a digital executor in your will?#
You can generally nominate a digital executor directly in your last will and testament and leave them instructions. Everplans recommends working with an estate attorney to include the proper legal language for your state; if you already have a will, you can add the designation with a codicil, which is legally binding and much less expensive than rewriting the will.
For a starting point, Everplans offers sample will language such as "My executor shall have the power to access, handle, distribute and dispose of my digital assets," plus an alternative that authorizes your primary executor to engage a tech-savvy helper: "I authorize my executor to engage NAME OF TECH-SAVVY PERSON to assist in accessing, handling, distributing and disposing of my digital assets." Everplans cautions this language may not be legally binding in your state and does not constitute legal advice — one more reason to have an attorney adapt it. If you hold many digital assets or a complex digital estate, FreeWill also recommends working with an attorney rather than handling it alone.
Why should passwords stay out of the will itself?#
Because any passwords, account numbers, or account values included in a will become public records when the will goes through probate, listing them there is the equivalent of publishing them. Keep the will to a directive: name who has authority over your digital assets and point to where the access information is stored. Put the usernames, passwords, and account numbers in a separate document that does not appear in the will.
FreeWill makes the same split: list all your digital assets, including online passwords, store that list securely, and tell your digital executor how to reach it — kept apart from the will.
One caution: a bare list of passwords is not a plan on its own. Downs Law Firm recommends a password manager that lets you name someone to manage the assets upon your passing — or, if you prefer paper, a securely kept physical notebook.
Is a digital executor legally recognized, and what does RUFADAA change?#
Because the role is fairly new, in most states a digital executor is not a formally recognized, legally binding designation — confirm with a local estate attorney whether your state recognizes it.
What does carry legal weight is the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), drafted by the Uniform Law Commission and adopted by the large majority of states. It gives fiduciaries — executors, trustees, agents, and conservators — a legal path to access and manage digital assets. It grants access to the content of electronic communications such as emails and DMs only if you explicitly consented, which is exactly why explicit instructions matter.
RUFADAA sets a three-tier priority order: a provider's online tool controls first; if there is no online tool, your legal documents (will, trust, power of attorney) control; if neither exists, the custodian's Terms of Service governs.
Do Google and Facebook's own tools override your will?#
Yes — this is the part most people miss. Provider tools like Google's Inactive Account Manager and Facebook's Legacy Contact let you decide who manages the account, and under RUFADAA these tools take priority over all other instructions — including the Terms of Service, and, under the three-tier order, over the instructions in your will. If you set a Legacy Contact to one person and name a different digital executor in your will, the Legacy Contact wins for that account. Align the two, or your will's intent is quietly overridden.
Who should you choose as your digital executor?#
Everplans describes an ideal digital executor as highly organized and detail-oriented, tech-savvy and comfortable using the internet, committed to following your wishes as you have spelled them out, and patient — the process can take a long time and means dealing with many different companies. Patience is not a nicety here; it is the job.
What should you hand your digital executor?#
Give them enough to act without you present. A practical handoff list:
- An asset inventory — every account, file store, wallet, and site, so the job is easier for your digital executor.
- A password manager or secured list — one that lets you name someone to manage the assets upon your passing.
- Where the keys live — recovery codes, hardware wallet locations, and which email each account is tied to.
- Access instructions — how to reach the secure list, kept separate from the will.
- Aligned provider tools — your Inactive Account Manager and Legacy Contact settings matched to your will, because those tools take priority.
This is the same discipline behind sound digital estate planning for the self-employed, where income-generating accounts and business logins raise the stakes. If you run a business alone, a business-continuity check-in like Proceedly can hold these instructions and where keys live — never the passwords themselves — and release your encrypted handoff plan to the person you name only after you miss a check-in past a grace window.
FAQ#
Can my digital executor and my estate executor be the same person? Yes. Most people choose one person for both so a single person has complete responsibility, though you can name a different person for the digital role if you prefer.
Can I name more than one digital executor? Yes. You can name different digital executors for different parts of your digital estate — for example one for personal files, one for financial accounts, and one who understands your business operations.
Do I need an attorney to name a digital executor? Not always, but it helps. Everplans recommends an estate attorney for the proper state-specific language, and FreeWill recommends working with an attorney if your digital estate is large or complex.
Should I put my passwords in my will? No. Passwords included in a will become public records once it goes through probate. Keep credentials in a separate document and let the will only name who has authority and where to find that document.
Will my provider settings override my will? Yes, for that account. Under RUFADAA, Google's Inactive Account Manager and Facebook's Legacy Contact take priority over other instructions, so align those settings with your named digital executor.
Sources#
- FreeWill — What is a digital executor?
- Everplans — How to name a digital executor
- Everplans — Sample language to use when naming a digital executor
- Everplans — How to choose a digital executor
- Downs Law Firm — Are your passwords protected as well as your estate?
- Nolo — The Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA)
- Trust & Will — What is RUFADAA?