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How to Close a Facebook Account When Someone Dies

How to Close a Facebook Account When Someone Dies

March 29, 2022 by Madalina Dinita 13 Comments

Nothing is certain in this world except death and taxes. But nobody knows the day or hour of their death. Oftentimes, such events take people by surprise. In this guide, we’ll show how you can close the Facebook account of someone who died. We’ll also explore what you can do to get your own digital affairs in order.

Request the Removal of a Facebook Account After User’s Death

To remove someone’s Facebook account after their death, you need to provide Meta with documents that confirm you’re an immediate family member. You also need to provide a scan or photo of their death certificate. Equally important, ensure all the necessary details are visible. The information on the document must match the details of the Facebook account you want to close. Obituary and memorial cards are also accepted.

Executors can request Meta to delete the account of a dead person. You can submit proof of authority and proof that the account owner has passed away for lack of a death certificate.

Meta accepts the following proof of authority documents:

  • Birth certificate
  • Last will and testament
  • Estate letter
  • Power of attorney

Set Your Facebook Account to Delete Itself After Your Death

Facebook users can choose to get their affairs in order before leaving this world. For example, you can instruct Meta to permanently delete your Facebook account after you pass away.

This means that all the information associated with your account will be permanently deleted from Facebook. This includes photos, messages, comments, reactions, etc.

How to Request That Your Facebook Account Be Deleted After Your Death

  1. Go to Facebook and click on Account
  2. Then, navigate to Settings & Privacy
  3. Go to Settings
  4. Click on Memorialization Settings
  5. Scroll down to Request that your account be deleted after you pass away
  6. Select Delete After Death

Facebook-memorialization-settings

Another Option: Memorialize the Account

Alternatively, if you don’t want your Facebook account permanently deleted after your death, you can appoint a legacy contact. They’ll look after your memorialized account after you pass away. The word Remembering will appear next to your profile.

Your family and friends can visit your memorialized account and share memories on the timeline. Memorialized profiles are not visible in public spaces. The login option is automatically disabled. However, the late account owner’s content on Facebook remains visible to the audience it was shared with.

Conclusion

To close a person’s Facebook account after their death, contact Meta and provide them with the death certificate. Additionally, send them some documents that prove you’re an immediate family member. If you don’t want to burden others with managing your Facebook account after your death, you can prepare your digital accounts before you die.

Have you got your digital affairs in order? Let us know in the comments below.

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Filed Under: Internet Tagged With: facebook

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sean says

    November 26, 2022 at 7:26 am

    Most people have already tried several times to delete deceased loved ones and Facebook/ Meta doesn’t care about the emotional harm they do, it’s all about money to them. My mom passed away in 2018, i have sent them her death certificate multiple times that has my name on it as her son. It goes no where with them.

  2. John Samson says

    November 2, 2022 at 3:49 am

    Agree with other posters that Facebook has not deleted my late wife’s account. I have sent the death certificate. I received an e-amil sking for it again but their website does not allow me to upload it. Her Facebook Friends receiving distressing reminders of her birthday.

  3. Terri says

    October 26, 2022 at 1:14 pm

    I have tried at least a dozen times to send the requested documents to prove my father’s death 1/2022 but your system will not submit them. It seems I am not alone in trying to get a human being to help with removing dead relatives accounts. Obviously FB does not care

  4. Karen Prosser says

    October 22, 2022 at 10:28 pm

    No it did not . My son died in 2018 and I sent face book a copy of his Death certificate which also shows I am his Mother and it is not deleted yet. His Page pops up a lot to add as a friend . Why is it still there, I did this back the first of October 2022. What can I do to get it deleted?

  5. Nancy says

    October 22, 2022 at 9:48 am

    FACEBOOK, are you listening?? SAME problem here. My mom has an account, but she now has dementia and people are receiving friend requests from her. She no longer has a computer, nor has she for the past 4 years. I AM NOT going to provide a death certificate to META. No way! Give us a way to delete accounts.

  6. Saleem rasul says

    September 28, 2022 at 1:31 pm

    My 17 year daughter passed away last year . Some one slimming pill company has posted pics on her inactive account.. and. I have told FB that she has passed away . Did everything possible. And they replied that the account holder has to ask for her account to be deleted..

  7. Toni says

    September 25, 2022 at 6:28 pm

    Now my mother passed September 16 and to go through these changes just to delete her account is down right confusing and disturbing and making harder to do. Meta needs better approaches a bit easier to remove someone account after passing..

  8. Robert Adolfson says

    September 13, 2022 at 10:15 am

    How can I make a request to METTA to have my deceased brother’s Facebook account delegated? He has been dead since 2017 and I am now receiving Friend Requests from him. Something is not right here. I have read several comments on your web page expressing much frustration with similar issues. Can I not speak with METTA (Facebook) directly to resolve this issue?

  9. SANDY WILSON says

    September 11, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    IT DIDN’T HELP. YOU WANT ME TO SIGN INTO MY DAD’S ACCOUNT AND THEN I HAVE TO HAVE INFORMATION FOR THE ACCOUNT SO YOU CAN VERIFY AND I DON’T HAVE THE INFORMATION. CAN ANYONE HUMAN HELP WITH THIS ISSUE.

  10. Tara D. Ougel says

    August 12, 2022 at 2:00 pm

    I, Tara D. Ougel,POA for my dad Larry U Dufrene would like to request a closing of his FB account because he has passed away on May, 5,2022. I was just notified by a family member that a Twitter account in his name & using his info has been opened. I’m not sure what I have to do in that situation.
    I do have proper documentation to prove his passing. Please let me know what the next steps would be.

  11. Rita Olsson says

    August 11, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    My sister died in December 2021 at 92 years of age. She had a Facebook account for viewing I don’t think she ever osted anything. Her family has tried to delete her account, submitted death certificate and obituary all to no avail. Today, 7 months after her death, I received an email asking me to become her friend!! This is absurd.

  12. leslie j yerman says

    August 10, 2022 at 1:27 pm

    My sister-in-law has provided both Facebook and Instagram with everything they have requested to no avail. Is there a supervisor or customer service email or twitter account we can contact?

  13. B says

    July 14, 2022 at 5:36 am

    I have tried this for months, doesnt seem to work. At first I could not pass the security check, as all I got was a blank square, on multiple PC and several browsers.
    Then I noticed that the check does work on mobile version of the page.
    But on mobile version files wont upload (they do on PC), so I get sent back and it says it cannot be empty.

    Is it not enough to send in death certificate? Do I have to add more files? Do they need specific names?

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