What to Include in Your Digital Will

A digital will is one of the most practical gifts you can leave your loved ones — and most people haven't written one. Here's exactly what to include.

1. Financial Accounts

List every bank account, investment account, and retirement fund you hold. Include the institution name, account type, and how to access it. For online-only banks, include the login email address and note where the password can be found (e.g., in your password manager, or in a FinalNote message).

2. Digital Assets

This includes cryptocurrency holdings, NFTs, domain names, online businesses, and monetized accounts (YouTube, Substack, etc.). For each, document: where it is held, roughly how much it's worth, and how to access or transfer it. Crypto requires special care — see our dedicated guide on protecting crypto assets.

3. Social Media Accounts

Decide what should happen to each of your social media profiles. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all have memorialization or legacy contact options. Document your preferences: memorialize, delete, or pass to a specific person.

4. Subscriptions and Recurring Payments

List all active subscriptions — streaming services, software, memberships, storage plans. This prevents your estate from being charged indefinitely and helps your heirs cancel what is no longer needed.

5. Personal Files and Photos

Where are your important photos, videos, and documents stored? Cloud services (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox), external drives, or local computers? Document access instructions and express any wishes about what should be kept, shared, or deleted.

6. Personal Messages

Beyond the practical, your digital will is also an opportunity to leave something emotionally meaningful. Use FinalNote to write messages for specific people — to be delivered at your death or at significant moments in their lives: their wedding, the birth of a child, a difficult anniversary.

How to Store and Share It

Never leave sensitive access credentials in an unsecured document. Use a password manager with emergency access enabled, or use FinalNote's encrypted delivery system to ensure the right information reaches the right people at the right time — and only then.