Legacy contacts
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Legacy contacts can look after your profile if it's memorialised. We strongly suggest setting a legacy contact so your profile can be managed once it's memorialised.
Legacy contacts can:
Manage a memorialised account.
Write a pinned post for the memorialised profile.
Respond to new friend requests.
Update the profile picture and cover photo of the memorialised account.
Legacy contacts can't:
Log in to the memorialised account.
Remove or edit past posts.
Read messages.
Remove any friends.
Learn more about memorialised accounts.
Choose a legacy contact
Add a legacy contact to a memorialised Facebook profile
Add a legacy contact to a memorialised Facebook profile
To add a legacy contact to a memorialised profile, you will need:
1.
To first be Facebook friends with the user.
2.
A will of the deceased that names an individual who should be given control over a person's online accounts.
3.
If no legacy contact is added, a court administering the estate of the deceased issues an order directing us to appoint a custodian of a deceased user's social media accounts or to add an individual as the legacy contact for a deceased user's Facebook account.
What happens to your Facebook account if you pass away
What happens to your Facebook account if you pass away
Choosing your legacy contact is currently only available for your main profile and doesn't apply to additional Facebook profiles. You can choose to either appoint a legacy contact to look after your memorialised main profile or have your account permanently deleted from Facebook.
If you don't choose to have your account permanently deleted, only your main profile will be memorialised if we become aware of your passing.
Memorialised profiles
Memorialised profiles are a place for friends and family to gather and share memories after a person has passed away. Memorialised profiles have the following key features:
The word Remembering will be shown next to the person's name on their profile.
Depending on the privacy settings of the profile, friends can share memories on the memorialised timeline.
Content the person shared (e.g. photos, posts) stays on Facebook and is visible on Facebook to the audience it was shared with.
Memorialised profiles don't appear in suggestions for People you may know, ads or birthday reminders.
No one can log in to the account of a memorialised profile.
Memorialised profiles that don't have a legacy contact can't be changed.
Pages with a sole admin whose profile was memorialised will be removed from Facebook if we receive a valid memorialisation request.
Legacy contacts
A legacy contact is someone you choose to look after your profile if it's memorialised. We strongly suggest setting a legacy contact so that your profile can be managed once it's been memorialised.
A legacy contact can accept friend requests on behalf of a memorialised profile, and change the profile picture and cover photo.
Learn more about what legacy contacts can do and how to add a legacy contact to your account.
Deleting your account when you pass away
You can choose to have your account permanently deleted should you pass away. This means that when someone lets us know that you've passed away, all of your messages, photos, posts, comments, reactions and info will be immediately and permanently removed from Facebook. Your main profile and any additional Facebook profiles will also be deleted.
Manage your memorialisation preference in Accounts Centre
Request that your account be deleted
1.
Log in to Facebook from a computer.
2.
From your main profile, click your profile photo in the top right of Facebook.
3.
Select Settings and privacy, then click Settings.
4.
Below General profile settings, click Memorialisation settings.
5.
Scroll down, click Request that your account be deleted after you've passed away and click Delete after death.
For friends and family
If you'd like to create another place for people on Facebook to share memories of your loved one, we suggest creating a group.
Learn how to request the memorialisation of an account or how to request the removal of a deceased person's account from Facebook.
Add, change or remove your legacy contact on Facebook
Add, change or remove your legacy contact on Facebook
You can add, change or remove your legacy contact in Accounts Centre at any time. Choosing your legacy contact is currently only available for your main profile and doesn't apply to additional Facebook profiles.
Add a legacy contact for your main profile
1.
From your main profile, tap 
in the top right of Facebook.
in the top right of Facebook.2.
Scroll down and tap Settings and privacy, then tap Settings.
3.
Below Account, tap Access and control.
4.
Tap Memorialisation settings.
5.
Tap Choose legacy contact and follow the on-screen instructions.
To change or remove a legacy contact, follow steps 1-4 above, then click Remove. From there, you can add a new legacy contact if you'd like.
If your main profile is memorialised, your legacy contact will be notified. Learn more about what a legacy contact can do.
Note: You must be aged 18 or over to select a legacy contact.
Only one of your facebook friends can act as your legacy contact
Only one of your facebook friends can act as your legacy contact
Currently you can only add a Facebook friend as your legacy contact.
Learn how to add a legacy contact.
I am a legacy contact
Manage a memorialised profile on Facebook
Manage a memorialised profile on Facebook
Manage a memorialised profile
1.
Go to the memorialised profile.
2.
Tap 
Manage next to the profile photo.
Manage next to the profile photo.3.
Use the menu to do things such as:
Add a pinned post.
Respond to new friend requests.
Change the profile picture and cover photo.
As a legacy contact, you can also request to have the memorialised profile you're managing removed. To submit an account removal request, or if you have questions about being a legacy contact, please fill in this form.
Add a pinned post to a memorialised profile on Facebook
Add a pinned post to a memorialised profile on Facebook
If you're someone's legacy contact, you can pin a tribute post to the memorialised profile. This post will stay at the top of the memorialised profile.
Add a pinned post
1.
Go to your friend's or family member's profile.
2.
Write a post on your friend's timeline.
3.
Tap 
and select Pin to top.
and select Pin to top.Your pinned post will stay at the top of the profile until you've decided to change or remove it.
Change or remove the pinned post
1.
Go to the post.
2.
Tap .
.3.
Select Unpin from top, Edit post or Delete.
Decline being a legacy contact on Facebook
Decline being a legacy contact on Facebook
If someone let you know that they chose you as a legacy contact and you don't want to be, we suggest that you let them know by sending them a message or talking to them in person. Please bear in mind that everything you can do as a legacy contact is optional.
Troubleshooting
Request removal of a deceased family member's Facebook account
Request removal of a deceased family member's Facebook account
We're very sorry for your loss. To help us remove your loved one's account from Facebook, we'll need you to provide documentation to confirm that you're an immediate family member or executor of the account holder.
The fastest way for us to process your request is for you to provide a scan or photo of your loved one's death certificate.
If you don't have your loved one's death certificate, you'll need to provide proof of authority and proof that your loved one has passed away. Please see the documents that we accept below.
Submit one document to provide proof of authority:
Power of attorney.
Birth certificate (in cases where the deceased is a minor).
Last will and testament.
Estate letter.
Submit one document to provide proof that your loved one has passed away:
Obituary.
Memorial card.
Note: The information on the documentation that you provide must match the information on your loved one's account. When submitting documentation, please cover up any personal information that we don't need to fulfil your request (e.g. social security number).
Once you have the required documentation, please send us a request.
Learn more about what happens when an account is deleted.
Ask a question about a deceased person's account on Facebook
Ask a question about a deceased person's account on Facebook
We're sorry to hear about your loss and we're working to make sure that your report gets reviewed. Please note that we have fewer people available to review reports because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which means that it may take us additional time to memorialise or delete the account you requested.We apologise and want to send our condolences for your loss.
We can help with questions or requests from family members, including requests to remove their loved one's account. Learn more about what happens when an account is removed from Facebook.
If you'd like to submit a question or request regarding your loved one's account, please contact us.
Reporting a deceased person or a Facebook account that needs to be memorialised.
Reporting a deceased person or a Facebook account that needs to be memorialised.
We're sorry to hear about your loss and we're working to make sure that your report gets reviewed. Please note that we have fewer people available to review reports because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which means that it may take us additional time to memorialise or delete the account you requested.We apologise and want to send our condolences for your loss.
Memorialising the account
Memorialised accounts are a place for friends and family to gather and share memories after a person has passed away. Memorialising an account also helps keep it secure by preventing anyone from logging in to it.
It's our policy to memorialise an account for someone who has passed away if a valid request is received. Learn more about what happens to a memorialised account.
Please bear in mind that we can't provide login information for someone else's account, even under these circumstances. It's always against Meta's policies to log in to another person's account.
To request memorialisation for a profile, please contact us.
Removing the account
Facebook friends with the correct documentation may request the removal of a loved one's account from Facebook.
