What happens to a person’s Facebook page when they pass away?

If somebody you know has recently passed away, it’s important to take the time you need to grieve and celebrate the life of your loved one.

It will be one of the hardest times of your life and having to deal with all of the arrangements around saying goodbye, makes everything even feel overwhelming.

That is why it is important for you to take your time and utilise the help and support around you to manage the stress effectively while making the necessary arrangements.

In time, once all the initial arrangements are sorted, there might be some other minor issues to resolve. For example, you may realise that the Facebook of the departed, is still running as though they are still alive, which can make some people feel uncomfortable.

The last thing you want is for old posts to pop up or to come across their Facebook profile when you least expect it. This is why it’s handy to know what happens to someone’s page when they pass, so you can make the necessary changes.

When it comes to dealing with a Facebook profile of somebody who has passed away, there are a couple of options to choose from.

Remove the profile completely

The first is to remove the profile completely which Facebook can take care of without the need to provide a password or email, to find out how to close a Facebook account, you can read our dedicated guide here (link to how to close the Facebook account of someone who has passed away)

Memorialise their Facebook account

The second option is to memorialise the Facebook account, which means that the profile will still exist but nobody will be able to login to it and make changes. We have a dedicated section which explains how to do this, which you can get to by clicking here. (link to relevant page)

Consider the wishes of the immediate family

It is important to keep in mind the thoughts and wishes of all of family and friends when considering what to do with a Facebook account, as the page will have significance.

If an individual has been a heavy user of social media, it is likely that they will have a large network of friends and family as well as photos, videos and messages which are stored nowhere else.

A Facebook page may offer you the best representation of your loved one after they pass away and it is important to recognise that it may hold a lot of value to friends and family, that is exactly the reason that Facebook has the memorialise option.

We would suggest that you reach out to those who would be impacted by removing a Facebook profile and talking about what would be best to do, but don’t think that you have to make a decision quickly.

There are much more important issues to think about when a loved one passes away so you should only start thinking about this matter when you feel ready.