With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become an integral part of many people’s lives. It allows us to stay connected with friends and family, share life events, and memorialize lost loved ones. When someone passes away, their Facebook account often becomes a place for people to post memories, photos, and messages of condolence. This can provide some comfort to grieving friends and family. However, it also leaves the deceased person’s profile vulnerable to being accessed or changed in ways they may not have wanted. Fortunately, Facebook does provide an option to “memorialize” an account.
What does it mean to memorialize a Facebook account?
Memorializing an account prevents anyone from logging into it again, while still preserving the profile and past posts as a place for friends and family to gather and pay tribute to the deceased. Specifically, memorializing an account does the following:
- The word “Remembering” is added next to the person’s name at the top of their profile.
- The profile can no longer be changed or updated (no new posts, photos, comments, likes, etc.).
- It no longer appears in public spaces like recommendations or birthday reminders.
- Friends can still post memories on the memorialized Timeline.
In essence, memorializing freezes the account in time and converts it into a memorial page. It protects the deceased person’s privacy while still allowing loved ones to connect and find solace through the profile.
Who can memorialize a Facebook account?
Facebook has set up a hierarchy of account memorialization permissions:
- Immediate family: Spouse, parents, siblings and children can request memorialization.
- Extended family: Other family members like cousins, aunts/uncles can also request it, but Facebook may ask for documents to verify relationship.
- Legacy contact: If the deceased designated a legacy contact, that person can memorialize the account.
- Friends: Close friends can request memorialization by providing documentation like an obituary.
So in order of priority: spouse > parents > siblings > children > extended family with proof > designated legacy contact > close friends with proof.
How to memorialize a Facebook account
If you fall into one of the above categories, memorializing an account is relatively straightforward:
- Go to the Memorialization Request Form and select “Request to Memorialize Account.”
- Enter the deceased person’s name and Facebook URL.
- Indicate your relationship to the deceased.
- Facebook may ask for documents like an obituary notice to verify death and relationship.
- Once verified, Facebook will memorialize the account and notify the legacy contact (if one is designated) or family.
The key documentation you need is some official proof that the person has passed away, like a published obituary or printed funeral service program. Verifying your relationship may require scans of documents like a marriage or birth certificate.
What if I’m not an immediate family member?
If you don’t fall into one of the categories above, you still have options to request memorialization:
- Other friends: Ask an immediate family member to submit a request on your behalf. Provide them any documentation or context needed.
- No family: If no family can be located, Facebook will consider requests from close friends, co-workers, neighbors etc. The more proof/context you can provide, the better.
- Public figure: Facebook may memorialize accounts of public figures like celebrities based on news reports of their passing.
The key is providing as much context to Facebook as possible so they can verify the memorialization request is legitimate.
What happens if a deceased person had no Facebook account?
If someone passed away but did not have a Facebook profile, two options are:
- Groups: Friends can create memorial groups dedicated to the person where memories and photos can be shared.
- Pages: For public figures, unofficial fan pages and memorial pages can be created where the public can post tributes.
Groups tend to work better for non-public figures so memories can be shared among friends in a private setting. Pages allow the community at large to participate in honoring someone with widespread impact.
Can a memorialized account ever be deleted?
Facebook does allow for deletion of a memorialized account if requested by immediate family members. Reasons they may request deletion include:
- The deceased specifically asked for their Facebook to be deleted after death.
- There are concerns over identity theft or other account misuse.
- The ongoing memorial is too painful for immediate family.
- There are legal considerations requiring removal of content.
To request deletion:
- Immediate family submits a special deletion request form.
- Facebook reviews the request and may require verification documents.
- If approved, Facebook removes all account content and converts profile to a non-viewable “memorialized account”.
- An appeal can be submitted if initial request is denied.
So while memorialized accounts are designed to be permanent memorials, Facebook does make exceptions for immediate family members who decide the account should be deleted from the platform entirely.
Can you reactivate a memorialized account?
Once an account is memorialized, Facebook does not allow anyone to log back into it or reactivate it. The rationale is out of respect for the deceased person and to prevent misuse of their identity. There are a few exceptional cases where Facebook may consider reactivating a memorialized profile:
- If it can be officially proven the person is still alive.
- If immediate family provides legal documents showing the memorialization was requested in error or without permission.
- If Facebook finds evidence of a fraudulent memorialization request.
Barring those unlikely scenarios, Facebook treats memorialized accounts as permanent. No one can access the profile or use it again. And content can only be managed by immediate family requesting deletion.
What happens when you die and have no legacy contact?
Designating a Facebook legacy contact lets you choose someone to manage your profile if you pass away. If no legacy contact is selected, a few things happen:
- Memorialization can only be requested by immediate family members.
- No single person has ongoing account management privileges.
- Any friend can request memorialization by providing proof of death.
- Facebook will use its hierarchy policy to determine valid requests.
So not having a legacy contact simply means Facebook will lean on its standard memorialization process. Your family can still memorialize the account, but no one friend is officially handed your profile management.
Can you tell if someone blocked you after they died?
Once someone has passed away and their account is memorialized, it is not possible to tell if you were blocked by that person while they were still alive. A few signs that may indicate you were blocked include:
- You suddenly could not see their Facebook profile or any of their activity.
- They never responded to your messages or friend requests.
- Mutual friends mention not being able to tag or connect you and the deceased.
But since their account is now memorialized, the normal ways to check if you are blocked (searching their friends list, tagged photos etc.) are no longer visible. Facebook does not provide a way to definitively check if a memorialized account had blocked you.
Can you share memories on a memorialized account?
Yes, one of the main purposes of memorializing an account is to allow the deceased person’s friends and family to share memories after they have passed away. Anyone can still post on the memorialized Timeline including:
- Sharing photos, videos, and stories about the deceased.
- Expressing how much they miss the person and the impact they had.
- Offering condolences and emotional support for grieving loved ones.
Friends can also continue to tag the memorialized account in new posts as a way of remembering them. But no one can log into the account to make new posts or change past content.
Conclusion
Memorializing a Facebook account after someone passes away allows friends and family to save their profile as an ongoing memorial while protecting their privacy. Immediate family members have priority over the process, but Facebook does allow close friends and public figures to also submit requests. The key is providing enough context and proof to verify the death and connection to the deceased. Facebook then restricts access to the account so it becomes a read-only archive honoring their life. While Facebook doesn’t allow reactivating memorialized accounts, immediate family can request full deletion if they prefer. Knowing how Facebook memorialization works can bring some comfort that your profile can remain a lasting memory for your loved ones.