Facebook’s legacy-contact feature addresses a difficult question: what should happen to a profile after its owner dies? Introduced in 2015, the feature lets a person designate a friend to help manage a memorialized account. The original idea was limited profile management, not transferring ownership or handing over the account password.
What a legacy contact can do
Facebook’s current Help Center says a legacy contact can take certain actions after a profile has been memorialized. Depending on settings and enabled features, these may include writing a pinned post, responding to friend requests, updating the profile picture or cover photo, downloading a copy of shared material when that option is turned on, and requesting account deletion.
The boundaries are important. Facebook says a legacy contact cannot log in as the deceased person, read private messages, remove friends or edit earlier posts. A memorialized profile may show “Remembering” beside the person’s name. Previously shared content remains subject to the audience settings that applied when it was posted. Facebook’s Help Center is the authority for current rules, because features and eligibility can change.
Memorialization or deletion
Facebook also describes an option to request deletion after death. Someone choosing between memorialization and deletion can consider what they want preserved, who should handle the request and what relatives may need. These platform controls apply to Facebook only. They do not determine access to photographs, subscriptions, domain registrations or information stored with other services.
For wider digital-legacy planning, keep an inventory of important services and recovery arrangements in a secure place. Do not put passwords or recovery codes in a public document or ordinary email. Tell a trusted person how to find the instructions, and revisit them when accounts or preferences change. Any access should follow the service’s rules and applicable law.
Historical context
The 2015 launch report described the feature as initially rolling out in the United States and anticipated broader availability. That was a statement about the rollout at the time; it does not establish availability in every country today. Before making a choice, review Facebook’s current instructions for setting a legacy contact, changing the preference, memorializing a profile or requesting removal.
This is an informational overview rather than legal advice. The archival description has been updated with current Help Center boundaries where available. Verify the historical launch detail and imported image rights before publication, and do not infer present availability from the old rollout statement.
