How Do I Access a Deceased User's Facebook Account?
In the unfortunate event of a Facebook user's death, the company will memorialize the deceased user's page as a place for friends and family to share memories. In general, the only way to access the page after that is to be the legacy contact of the deceased user. There are, however, sometimes exceptions made for family members.
In the unfortunate event of someone's passing, there are a lot of matters to see to, including taking care of social media accounts such as a Facebook page. If you want to learn how to access a deceased user's Facebook account, this is the article for you.
Memorializing a Facebook Account
It is Facebook's policy to memorialize the accounts of deceased users, making them into places where the deceased person's friends and family can come to share memories of that person. The content of the deceased person's account can be viewed by everyone who that person had already authorized to see it. If the deceased user had named a person as a legacy contact, that person can control who is able to view and post tributes on the memorialized account.
Accessing the Account as a Legacy Contact
If you were named as the legacy contact, you can manage the memorialized account by following these steps:
- Go to the deceased person's memorialized profile.
- Click on Manage in the lower right corner of the photo.
- Use the menu on the left side of the page to manage the account.
Accessing the Account as a Relative of the Deceased
As a general rule, Facebook does not allow anyone other than a legacy contact to access a deceased user's account. It will make exceptions in certain cases, though, generally for relatives of the deceased. To request access, you can contact a Facebook customer service representative. You may be required to provide proof of relation, proof of death, and a court order for access. Even then, access is not guaranteed and is at Facebook's discretion.
Contacting Facebook
To get in contact with a Facebook customer service representative, you can use the Facebook help desk, email, chat room, or phone line.
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