Estate planning as a Instagram account holder

Instagram is Meta's photo and video sharing network, holding personal posts, Reels, Stories, direct messages, and -- for creators and businesses -- professional profiles, followers, Instagram Shops, and monetization earnings. Although Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp identities are now linked through Meta's Accounts Center, memorialization and deletion are still decided per product, and Instagram's death policy is more restrictive than Facebook's. An account can be memorialized or, at the request of a verified immediate family member, permanently removed. No one is ever given login access, content is not released to family or executors, and Instagram historically had no Legacy Contact equivalent to Facebook's (a legacy-contact feature now appears on the Instagram Help Center but its availability has been geographically staged).

Meta Platforms, Inc. reviews transfer requests for Instagram accounts on a case-by-case basis after the account holder's death. Approval is at the company's sole discretion, and documentation requirements must be met before any transfer is considered.

What happens at death

Instagram offers two outcomes for a deceased person's account: memorialization or permanent removal. To memorialize an account, Instagram requires proof of death, such as a link to an obituary or a news article -- anyone who reports the account can supply this. A memorialized profile shows the word "Remembering" next to the person's name, cannot be logged into by anyone, cannot be changed in any way (likes, followers, tags, posts, and comments are frozen), and is removed from public spaces such as Explore. Posts the person shared, including photos and videos, stay visible to the audience they were originally shared with. Permanent removal is more restrictive: only a verified immediate family member can request it, and Instagram requires proof of authority under local law that the requester is the lawful representative of the deceased person or their estate. Instagram does not provide login information to anyone and does not release a copy of the account's content to family or executors. A legacy-contact feature now appears on the Instagram Help Center -- a person you designate in advance who can update your profile picture and download copies of content you shared publicly after memorialization, but who cannot log in, post or message on your behalf, or read your messages -- though its rollout has been geographically staged and general availability is not confirmed for all regions.

Frequently asked questions