How to Use a Password Manager to Share Your Logins After You Die (2025)

It’s not funny To speak, but there is only one thing in life. You must have a plan for your digital inheritance, just as you make a plan for your physical assets; Otherwise, your accounts, services and connections will rot in a data center before being inevitably erased by a data retention policy.

Some services recognize the importance of digital inheritance. Apple and Facebook have inherited contacts that can access your accounts, and the American Bar Association is always with the legality to access online accounts when someone dies. Most online services do not.

Recognition of the digital inheritance is always uneven and without dedicated inherited contacts, access to online accounts of the deceased often involves judicial orders or legal documents (and a lot of time). However, digital heritage does not need to have so many obstacles. Password managers have integrated inherited digital inherited features that can unlock your digital life in an emergency.

Define a digital heritage

There are a lot of things that go to your digital inheritance, from your online banking connection to all the digital active ingredients you have, but even an apparently simple online life can quickly make a mess. Does the Netflix account continue to empty the current account until you can penetrate and modify the payment option? The photos that have been downloaded from the cloud are now lost in a data center, never being recovered? Add pass keys, perhaps social connection features, and you have a network of complex data which is almost impossible to untangle.

So-called digital executors exist, operating in the same way as the testamentary executor, just for digital assets. It is a good idea to configure a digital executor to ensure that your digital assets are treated properly, but that does not help someone who dies. The approval process can take at least a few months, and sometimes several years.

Password managers like Bitwarden offer a shortcut. You can transfer access to a confidence parent, spouse or even your nearest friend, as well as an overview of what to do with your accounts.

The legality of this is a little troubled, with the American Bar Association noting that access to someone else’s account, even with its username and password, is not legal if it violates the conditions of use of the platform. The law concerning digital assets varies from one state to another, so it is always a good idea to consult a lawyer for long -term access.

Here are the advice that Nordpass gave: “For all those who think about the digital inheritance, the best step is to establish emergency access in advance, clearly communicate the use of identification information with your trust contacts and follow the conditions of service of the respective platforms.”

Immediate access is still important, not only in the event of death but also in the event of incapacity. If you, for any reason, cannot access your online accounts, you can transfer these accounts easily using an emergency contact function available in a password manager.

Password managers with digital inherited features

There are excellent password managers, and most of them have a way to unlock your account in an emergency. However, they go there in different ways. Here are the three that I recommend to most people. (Learn more in our best guide to password managers.)

Charter-cross

With the kind authorization of Proton

Proton recently added an emergency access function, and it is not limited to Proton Pass. Unlike most password managers, Proton Pass is only an application available in the Proton suite. Proton also manufactures our favorite VPN, and it offers an encrypted cryptographic portfolio, cloud storage and even a calendar.

Access to emergencies is not limited to an application with Proton. It is rather access to your entire account, so if you have several protons applications, you can transmit them. It is not difficult to see where it could be useful, especially if you have a lot of data stored in Proton Drive or money in your cryptographic wallet.