Make a private map of your digital life
Start with a map, not a password list
Imagine a family member looking for the right electricity bill while a relative is in hospital. A note that says “utility account” gives too little direction; a copied password may be unsafe and may not give the person permission to act. A better inventory identifies the kind of service, what it supports, where its official paperwork is kept and whom to consult before making a change.
The same approach works for photographs, email, a website domain, a smartphone and a digital subscription. An inventory is most helpful when it answers four questions: What is it? Why does it matter? Where can the authorized person find reliable instructions? What would you prefer to happen? The answer to the last question may be “keep this running,” “ask me first,” “preserve the memories” or “discuss this with my representative.”
Use the inventory builder on this page to make a category-level starting map. It is deliberately not a sign-in form. If you want to identify particular providers or account references, write them later in a protected private document or on the separate blank worksheet; do not share that record indiscriminately.
List the connections that can lock everything else
Begin with the inbox that receives account notices, the phone or security key used for verification and the place where recovery instructions are stored. These are often the routes through which other services are managed. If that phone is replaced or an email address becomes unavailable, a plan for photographs or bills may suddenly depend on account recovery.
The inventory should name the dependency without publishing the secret. “Important services use my main phone for verification” is useful context. A one-time code, a password-manager recovery key or a device unlock code belongs in a separate secure arrangement, not in a shared note or ordinary online form.
If you do not know whether a service uses the same inbox or phone, mark it “needs checking.” A responsible unknown is more useful than a guess presented as fact. People managing their own affairs can check the provider’s account settings; helpers should first establish permission before looking at someone else’s private devices or records.
Include obligations as well as possessions
A digital life is not only photographs and social posts. It also includes recurring payments, memberships, domain renewals, cloud storage, software licenses, work-related records and the email address used to receive tax or insurance notices. Some of those entries matter because something must continue, not because a file needs to be recovered.
Consider a shared household internet subscription. An inventory entry can say what the service supports, where the latest bill is filed and whether interrupting it would affect anyone else. That is more valuable than an unsupported instruction to cancel everything after death. Payment cards, service agreements and contractual obligations may need separate decisions.
Give particular care to assets with legal or business consequences, including domain registrations, creative work, online storefronts and digital financial interests. Record that specialized guidance may be needed without placing private wallet keys, recovery phrases, bank identifiers or confidential business records in the general inventory.
Decide what a helper is allowed to do
Being named in an inventory does not appoint a legal representative or grant account access. While someone is alive, they may be able to consent to specific help, set limits or use an existing legal arrangement. A person who lacks capacity may need a properly authorized decision-maker. After death, different documents and provider procedures can apply.
If you use a provider’s advance-contact feature, the inventory can record the feature’s name, the person you selected, when you last reviewed it and where the provider’s current instructions can be found. Do not put its secret key or another person’s credentials in a shared checklist. Record whether the arrangement is meant for death, inactivity or living assistance, because those conditions do not mean the same thing.
In a household, record what belongs to one person, what is jointly administered and what is held for an employer, school, client or child. Separate a wish from a right to act. When the authority is uncertain, the useful next step is to check the applicable provider terms and local law, not to try a familiar password.
A small example of a useful entry
Suppose you select “Photographs and videos,” note that the storage location has been identified and choose “Preparing for myself.” Your resulting map can recommend checking whether a separately restorable copy exists and documenting where instructions can be found. It should not announce that your photographs are backed up; the site has no way to inspect them.
For the same category under “Helping a living person,” the next step changes: ask what they want preserved and what assistance they authorize before opening private content. After death, the emphasis changes again to copies already available lawfully, the person’s wishes and any relevant provider process. A map is useful only when those differences change the advice.
The builder creates these category-level suggestions without requiring your login details. If you download a map, your browser will save a file on your device. Treat it as a private planning record. If you print it, collect the pages and keep them somewhere secure.
Mark what is known, missing or waiting for a decision
A practical inventory does not need to be complete before it becomes useful. Use four states: not yet located; a location or instruction is known; an action needs checking; or authority and permission need to be clarified. These states distinguish a missing map entry from a disputed right to act.
Choose the status that honestly describes your position today. “Location known” should mean that you know where the proper instructions or official records live, not that you have tested access to every account. “Needs a decision” is appropriate when keeping or closing a service would affect a partner, dependent or business.
Use the printed worksheet to add a review date and identify who should be asked about a decision. Do not invent an owner, beneficiary or emergency contact in the record. For issues involving another person’s private accounts, an unverified entry should stay unverified.
Keep the detailed copy somewhere appropriate
A shared household checklist and an account-recovery document should not be the same file. The broad checklist can tell a trusted person that a record exists and where to seek help. Detailed account identifiers, legal documents and secret recovery material call for stronger access controls and a different storage decision.
Choose a storage method that suits the people who may have to use it: a secured paper folder, an appropriately protected vault, or a documented arrangement with a qualified professional. Consider how someone with limited technology access, impaired vision or no working phone would locate the instructions. A sophisticated system is not helpful if no one knows it exists.
The downloadable category map is not encrypted and should not be treated as a vault. Download it only onto a device you trust, and avoid filling its optional nickname field with private account numbers, passwords, recovery codes, complete email addresses or other secrets. Where sensitive information must be retained, use a suitable secure method outside this website.
Check the plan before it is needed
A few entries should be tested rather than assumed. Can you locate a current bill without searching through hundreds of emails? Can you restore one harmless photograph from a genuinely separate copy? Can you find the official legacy-setting page for the service you use? A short check can reveal more than a long list of account names.
Do not test a helper’s access by secretly entering another person’s account. Ask the person directly when possible, use appropriate authorization and follow the service’s formal process. A printed map can remain helpful even when there is no internet connection, but any provider instructions inside it may change.
After a phone change, move, new bank account, family change or annual document review, revisit the categories that depend on that change. The inventory should stay small enough to update. A map that nobody maintains will eventually mislead the very people it was written to help.
Use the map to choose a next step
Start with one or two categories rather than trying to capture a lifetime of services in an afternoon. If the map shows that the main inbox is the common recovery point, review its security and recovery arrangements. If the map shows an essential bill without a clear owner, find the current agreement before changing the payment. If photographs matter most, test an independent copy before deleting anything.
For a more detailed private record, open the blank inventory worksheet and fill it in offline. It has space for a broad description, the location of official instructions, a note about dependencies, the person responsible for deciding and a review date. It deliberately has no password field. A paper version can be completed away from this website; check a digital form’s information handling separately before entering identifying details.
When you finish, your next action should be an ordinary, verifiable task—not “complete digital estate planning.” Locate one agreement, confirm a backup, check a provider feature or speak with the person who has authority. The map is a starting point for these decisions, not proof of ownership or access.
Questions people ask
Does this inventory tool find my accounts automatically?
No. It helps you organize the types of accounts, devices, files and obligations you know about. It cannot search your devices, banks or providers, and it cannot certify that an account exists.
Should I enter passwords or account numbers?
No. The browser tool does not need them. Even in a private inventory, keep any credentials or recovery material in a separate appropriately secured arrangement rather than in a general list shared with relatives.
What does the downloaded file contain?
Only the broad categories, non-sensitive nicknames you choose to type, planning status, storage-location category, selected situation and suggested next steps. A downloaded file is not encrypted; save it only to a device and location you trust.
Will the site save my entries for next time?
The inventory starter is intended for one planning session, not as a secure permanent record. Save or print your map before leaving, and store completed copies where other people cannot casually see them. Do not enter account passwords, numbers or recovery codes into a general worksheet.
Can I use this for someone who is still alive?
Yes, as a planning aid. Do not assume that being a relative or having a device gives permission to inspect private content. Ask the person about their wishes and confirm the authority needed for any action.
What if I am dealing with a death?
An inventory can help you find records and plan questions, but it cannot give you the right to enter an account. Preserve lawful copies and documents, and use applicable representative and provider procedures.
Is this a legal document or an estate plan?
No. It does not make appointments, transfer ownership, create authority or replace professional advice. It helps you prepare information that may support a separate legal or financial process.
How often should I update it?
Review it after changes that matter, such as a new phone, important service, payment account, recovery method or family arrangement. A short periodic check is more useful than keeping an exhaustive list that becomes obsolete.
Can I use the worksheet without internet or JavaScript?
Yes. The separate printable HTML worksheet contains ordinary text and blank spaces. Open it locally or print it and write your notes in private; check current provider rules separately when you have access.
General planning education. It cannot establish ownership, account access, valid consent, legal authority or provider eligibility. Local law and provider policies differ.
Further reading and source scope
These references explain the evidence and its limits. Inclusion here does not verify current provider procedures or establish authority in your circumstances.
- Planning for diminished capacity and illness — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account — Apple Support
- About Inactive Account Manager — Google Account Help
- Accessing Outlook.com, OneDrive and other Microsoft services when someone has died — Microsoft Support
- Use Two-Factor Authentication To Protect Your Accounts — FTC Consumer Advice