Free Digital Will Template: Download and Complete in 2026

Most people know they need a digital will but have no idea what one actually looks like. They imagine complex legal language, formal notarization, and a process that requires an attorney and several hundred dollars before they can even start. The reality is more accessible than that.

A digital will — more accurately called a digital assets memorandum or digital estate document — is a practical, plain-English document that tells your executor exactly what digital accounts you hold, how to access them, and what you want done with each one. It works alongside your formal legal will rather than replacing it. And unlike your legal will, which becomes a public document after probate, your digital will is a private document that stays private.

This page gives you a complete, free digital will template you can adapt for your own situation, explains each section and why it matters, and shows you exactly how to store and use it.

What a Digital Will Actually Is

Let's be precise about terminology, because it matters legally. A "digital will" is not a legal document in the formal sense. You cannot replace your traditional will with one. What people commonly call a digital will is usually one of two things.

The first is a digital assets memorandum — a private document referenced in your formal will that provides detailed information about your digital accounts. Because your formal will becomes public after probate, sensitive account details and access information should never go in it. The memorandum stays private and can be updated freely without amending the will itself.

The second is a Letter to Family — a plain-English companion document that tells your executor and family everything they need to know to manage your digital life. It is less formal than a memorandum and more conversational, but serves a similar practical purpose. See our complete Letter to Family guide and template.

Your formal legal will needs to include a digital assets clause that grants your executor authority over digital accounts under RUFADAA. Without that clause, even the most detailed digital will template cannot give your executor legal standing to act. See our RUFADAA explainer and our guide to adding digital assets to your will for the specific language needed.

The Free Digital Will Template

Print or save this template, complete it in handwriting or on your computer, and store it securely with your estate documents. Update it at least annually and whenever you open or close significant accounts.

Section 1: Email Accounts

List every email account you hold. Your primary email is the most important — it is the recovery address for every other account.

Section 2: Social Media Accounts

List each social media platform and your explicit wishes for what should happen — memorialization keeps the profile visible; deletion removes it permanently.

Section 3: Financial Accounts and Apps

This section covers accounts with real monetary value. List every financial app, payment platform, and investment account. Include approximate balances where you know them — this helps your executor prioritise.

Section 4: Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency requires the most specific documentation because there is no institutional recovery process. Without this section completed, self-custody cryptocurrency is permanently inaccessible.

Section 5: Subscriptions

List every active subscription. Your executor needs this list to cancel them promptly after your death. Group them by the payment method they charge to make cancellation systematic.

Section 6: Cloud Storage and Photos

Section 7: Online Businesses and Income

If you have any income-generating digital presence, list it here. Include monthly revenue — this helps your executor understand what is at stake and prioritise appropriately.

Section 8: Loyalty Programs

Section 9: Devices and Physical Access

Section 10: My Final Instructions

How to Store Your Digital Will Template Safely

A digital will template is only useful if your executor can find it when they need it. Store it in at least two of these locations.

Physical copy: Print a completed copy and store it in a fireproof safe, a bank safety deposit box, or a sealed envelope with your other important estate documents — will, insurance policies, birth certificate. Tell your executor and at least one other trusted person where to find it.

Digital copy (encrypted): Store a digital version in an encrypted file or in your password manager's secure notes. Your executor can access this through the Emergency Access process once they have your master password or recovery key.

With your estate attorney: If you work with an estate planning attorney, provide them a copy to store alongside your will. They will have it available as part of the estate administration process.

Never store your completed digital will template in an unencrypted file on your desktop, in a regular email draft, or in an unprotected cloud document. The information it contains — account usernames, password locations, cryptocurrency details — is sensitive. Protect it with the same care you give your other important estate documents.

Reviewing and Updating Your Digital Will

Set a calendar reminder to review your digital will template once per year — the same time you review your traditional estate documents. When you review, update any accounts that have been opened or closed, revise any balances that have changed significantly, confirm that your digital executor is still the right choice, verify that Emergency Access is configured in your password manager, and confirm that Google Inactive Account Manager and Apple Legacy Contact are still active.

The review typically takes under an hour for an existing document. That hour, done annually, ensures that your family always has a current and accurate guide to follow — rather than a document that was accurate two years ago and is now missing half your accounts.

Start with our free 30-item digital estate checklist alongside this template — the checklist surfaces categories of accounts you may have forgotten, while this template provides the structure for documenting each one. Together they give you a complete digital estate plan you can be confident in.