After you pass away, there are a few things that can be done with your Google account:
- Inactive Account Manager: Google’s Inactive Account Manager allows you to set up an account that will automatically notify designated contacts if your account becomes inactive for a certain period of time. This feature also allows you to specify what happens to your account and data after it becomes inactive.
- Executor of the estate: If you have an executor of your estate, they will be able to access your Google account, as well as other online accounts, as part of the process of settling your estate. They will need a death certificate and a legal document to prove their authority.
- Google’s Data & Personalization: You can also set up data & personalization settings to choose what happens to your account and data, like your Gmail, Drive, and photos, after you pass away. You can choose to have your data deleted after a certain period of inactivity or to have it passed on to a specific person.
It’s important to note that Google’s policy is to close the account of a deceased person, but if an authorized person requests for the account to be memorialized it will be done, keeping the account in a read-only mode, and disabling functionality such as sending or receiving email.