It’s been weeks or even months since your loved one passed away, and now you finally think it’s time to learn how to close a Facebook account when someone dies. There is one official way of closing someone’s account in a case, and family members also have the option to memorialize that FB account.
In this article, we’ll cover both these topics; how to delete a deceased person’s FB account and memorialize a Facebook account. But first things first, to close a deceased person’s account, you need to be their family member, have their username and password, or present the death certificate to Facebook. So ensure that you have the death certificate or the login credentials with you before moving on.
Now, let’s look at how to close a Facebook account when someone dies.
How To Remove A Deceased Person From Facebook?
To remove someone’s Facebook account permanently, you need to have their login credentials. So if you are the deceased person’s close family or friend, you will be able to delete their account.
Here are the steps you need to follow on how to close a Facebook account when someone dies:
- Login to their Facebook account and tap on the hamburger icon at the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap on the Settings icon and select ‘Access and control’ under the Accounts tab.
- Select ‘Deactivation and deletion’ and then choose ‘Delete account.’
- Tap on ‘Continue to account deletion‘ and select ‘I no longer find Facebook useful’ as a reason before continuing.
- If you want to save posts or download any information, you can do it here. Then scroll down and select ‘Delete account.’
- Enter the password and select Continue.
This is how to remove a deceased person from Facebook when you have their login credentials. But then there are times we don’t have login details of our loved ones that passed away. Will you not be able to remove their account, then? Of course, you will.
How To Delete Deceased Facebook Account Without Password?
Facebook allows family members to send in a special request when they want to delete deceased Facebook account without password. Basically, Facebook needs proof that you are really deleting the account of someone that is no longer here and that you have the authority to do so.
So to send the special deletion request, you need to fill out this form and send it to Facebook. After you submit the form, Facebook will contact you in a few days, so make sure you have the death certificate of the deceased handy to show for proof.
Here are all the documents you must have when you are trying to close a Facebook account when someone dies:
- Birth certificate of the deceased
- Death certificate of the deceased
- Proof of authority under local law
How Do You Memorialize A Facebook Account?
Another thing you can do instead of completely deleting the Facebook account of your loved one with all those years’ worth of memories is you can memorialize the account. There are two ways you can memorialize a Facebook account you can memorialize your own account for after you pass away. Another way is when you are memorializing the Facebook account of a loved one that has passed away.
Here are the steps to memorialize a Facebook account for the future:
- Login to your Facebook account and tap on the hamburger icon.
- Tap on the settings icon and select ‘Access and control’ under the Accounts tab.
- Select ‘Memorialization settings’ and tap on ‘Choose legacy contact’ to add a close person to access your account after you pass away.
- Tap on Next and type in the name of the person you want to make a legacy.
- Select OK to add the person as your legacy.
Doing this will memorialize your account after your death, and the person you have chosen to be your legacy will be able to manage posts on your profile or delete your account.
If unfortunately, someone that has already passed away didn’t have a memorialization setting on, you can still memorialize their profile after them. Similar to how you send a special request, you will need to send a memorialization request to Facebook. You will need to provide a scanned copy of the death certificate, and then Facebook will contact you via email regarding the further procedure.
Frequently Asked Question
Q1. How To Remove An Account If You Don’t Have The Password?
If you don’t have the password to the deceased Facebook account, you will need to send a special request to Facebook informing them that someone close to you has passed away and that you wish to close a Facebook account when someone dies. Facebook will ask you to provide more information via email, so keep documents such as the death certificate ready.
Q2. How To Access Someone’s Facebook After They Die?
If you are the deceased person’s legacy contact, you will immediately get access to their account after you inform Facebook of their death. Another thing is you can contact FB support and ask them to give you access to your friend’s Facebook account. But this method doesn’t always work, so it’s better to be a legacy contact.
Q3. Is It Illegal To Use A Dead Person’s Facebook Account?
If you are using a dead person’s Facebook account to handle the tributes or manage it similarly, it is not illegal. But if you are impersonating someone after their death using their FB account, that is considered theft of intellectual property and fraud.
Q4. Where To Find Facebook’s Special Request For Deceased Person’s Account Form?
We have linked the FB special request form above; you can fill it out and send a request to close a Facebook account when someone dies. You can also use the form to request a memorialization or ask for access to the account.
Q5. What Happens To A Facebook Account After The Owner Dies?
Facebook allows users to choose an action for what will happen to their account after their death. Some users might choose to delete their account altogether, while others might use the memorialization feature to give access to their accounts to a friend or a family member. So depending on what they choose for their account, their account will either be deleted or memorialized. If they haven’t chosen any setting, then their account will remain as it is.
Conclusion
We’re really sorry for your loss. If you think is it time to see how to close a Facebook account when someone dies, we are here to help you. It’s easier to do that when you have the account’s login details, but in case you don’t you can still close an FB account.
You can send Facebook a special request letting them know that the owner of the account is no longer there and that, as their close one, you wish to delete their account. You will need to send proof of death and authority for Facebook to follow through with your request. Other than deleting, you can also memorialize their account or just disable it by hiding posts.