How to Set a Legacy Contact on Facebook (Step by Step)

It's not a nice thing to think about, but if you've built up years of photos, business contacts and conversations on Facebook, it's worth deciding what happens to them. Facebook lets you choose one person to look after your profile if it's ever memorialised. That person is called a legacy contact.

I'll take you through the steps exactly as Facebook's help centre sets them out, what a legacy contact can and can't do, and a few things I'd think about before you choose. It's a quiet five minutes that spares your family a difficult job later.

What a Facebook legacy contact is

Facebook's help centre says a legacy contact is someone you choose to look after your main profile if it's memorialised after you've passed away. If you add one, that person can make decisions about your main profile once it's memorialised.

Three details trip people up. The choice only applies to your main profile, not to additional Facebook profiles. You must be 18 or older to select a legacy contact. And you choose a friend, because the steps ask you to type a friend's name.

How to set a legacy contact on Facebook from a computer

Facebook now manages this in Accounts Center. The help centre gives two slightly different sets of steps, depending on what you see at the bottom of Accounts Center. The first set is for when you see Manage accounts.

1. Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
3. Click Accounts Center, then click Manage accounts.
4. Click Account ownership and control.
5. Click Memorialization and select your account.
6. Click Memorialize account, then click Next.
7. Type a friend's name into the text box, then click their profile picture.
8. Choose whether to give your legacy contact permission to download a copy of what you've shared on Facebook.
9. Click Save.
10. Click Send to let your friend know, or click Skip if you'd rather not tell them yet.

If your Accounts Center says Accounts instead

If you see Accounts at the bottom of Accounts Center, the help centre swaps just one step. After Accounts Center, click Profiles and personal details, then carry on from Account ownership and control exactly as above. The rest of the steps are the same.

Facebook words the menu labels differently depending on the version you've been moved to, and it says it's gradually updating people to Meta Accounts. So if a label doesn't match mine, look for the nearest wording, such as Memorialization.

What a Facebook legacy contact can do

The help centre lists what your legacy contact is allowed to do once your profile is memorialised:

• Write a pinned post for your profile, for example a final message or details of a memorial service.
• Update your profile picture and cover photo.
• Request the removal of your account.
• Download a copy of what you've shared on Facebook, if you gave them that permission.

Facebook adds that it may add more capabilities for legacy contacts in the future, so it's worth rereading the help page now and then.

What a Facebook legacy contact can't do

This is the part that reassures most people. According to the help centre, a legacy contact can't log into your account, can't read your messages, and can't remove any of your friends or make new friend requests. They look after the profile as a memorial. They don't take it over.

That's worth saying out loud to the person you pick. It tells them what to expect, and it tells you your private messages aren't handed over.

How to change or remove a Facebook legacy contact

You can change your mind at any time. The help centre says you can add, change or remove your legacy contact in Accounts Center whenever you like.

• To change: follow the first six steps above, then select your current legacy contact. From there you can choose a new one.
• To remove: follow the first five steps, then click Delete after death.

Be careful with that second option. Facebook's help centre explains that you can either appoint a legacy contact or have your account permanently deleted, and Delete after death is the label on that screen. Read it twice before you click anything.

What your Facebook legacy contact is told

When you click Send at the end of the steps, your friend is notified that they're now your legacy contact. If you click Skip, they aren't. The help centre also says that if your main profile is memorialised, your legacy contact will be notified then. So there's no need to tell them straight away, though I think it's kinder to have the conversation.

Should business owners set a Facebook legacy contact

If your Facebook profile is the admin of a business Page, think about this one carefully. The help centre article is about your main profile. It doesn't describe handing over the running of a Page, so I wouldn't treat a legacy contact as a succession plan for your business.

What I'd do instead is add a second trusted admin to your Page while you're alive and well, and keep a written list of where your accounts are for the person you trust. If you're tidying your settings while you're in there, you might want to see where older Facebook posts are kept, or read whether Facebook tracks your location before you review the rest of your privacy.

If you can't find the legacy contact setting

• Check you're signed in to your main profile, because the choice doesn't apply to additional profiles.
• Check you're 18 or older, as the help centre requires.
• Look for Memorialization under Account ownership and control, not in the main privacy menu.
• Try a computer if the app doesn't show the option.
• Look for both Manage accounts and Accounts at the bottom of Accounts Center, as the steps differ.

If it's still missing, report the problem through Facebook's help menu so the team can look at it.

For the rest of the series, see the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a legacy contact on Facebook?

Go to Settings, then Accounts Center, then Account ownership and control, then Memorialization. Select your account, click Memorialize account, choose a friend and click Save.

Can a Facebook legacy contact read my messages?

No. Facebook's help centre says a legacy contact can't read your messages, log into your account, or remove your friends.

How old do I need to be to choose a legacy contact?

You must be 18 or older.

How do I remove my Facebook legacy contact?

Follow the steps to Memorialization, then click Delete after death. You can also change your legacy contact from the same place.

Does my legacy contact get told straight away?

Only if you click Send at the end of the steps. If you click Skip they aren't told then, but they're notified if your main profile is memorialised.