How to Make a Digital Legacy Inventory — Which Accounts Should You Organize

The first step in organizing a digital legacy is not 'storing passwords' — it is 'making a list.' First get clear on what digital accounts you have, which ones matter, and who handles them. Most people do not know how many accounts they have until something happens and the family discovers: money in WeChat, a balance in Alipay, photos in cloud storage, holdings in a brokerage account — but no one knows any of the passwords.

Inventory Categories: Organize by Purpose

We suggest organizing into the following 6 categories, listing every relevant account under each:

• Payments & finance — WeChat Pay, Alipay, bank cards (debit + credit), stock and fund accounts, crypto wallets — these directly involve assets, so they are the highest priority
• Communications & social — Phone number, email, WeChat, QQ, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu — these carry friend connections and chat history
• Cloud data — iCloud, Google Drive, Baidu Netdisk, OneDrive, Nutstore — these hold photos, files, and backups
• Work accounts — Company email, office systems (DingTalk/Feishu/WeCom), GitHub, servers — these affect work handover
• Device unlock codes — Phone lock screen, computer login, NAS password — these are the gateway to everything else
• Subscriptions — Streaming memberships, music memberships, cloud service subscriptions, domain hosting — these have auto-renewals to handle

What Each Entry Should Contain

Each account entry in the inventory should include:

• Account name — Platform name + login (phone number/email/username)
• Password — The actual password or a hint (when storing formally, enter it in the vault; in the inventory you can write 'see vault' for now)
• Notes — How important the account is, linked assets, any special handling
• Handling — What your family should do: log in and act directly / go through the platform's inheritance process / close the account / do nothing

TimeWill's Digital Legacy Inventory Template provides a ready-made categorized framework you can use directly.

Lay Out the Framework, Then Fill In

You do not have to list every account in one sitting. Spend 10 minutes laying out the framework (the 6 categories, with 2–3 of the most important accounts under each), then fill it in over the following week. Add one whenever it comes to mind.

Once the inventory is done, the next step is entering the passwords into the Password Vault for encrypted storage. The inventory clarifies your thinking; the vault keeps things secure — use them together. Following the tiered scheme in the Family Password Management Guide, enter the urgent-tier accounts first.

Handling Special Cases

Some accounts have special inheritance policies:

• WeChat — The account cannot be inherited, but you can request a balance withdrawal. Suggest noting in the entry: 'Contact Tencent customer service to apply for asset inheritance.'
• Alipay — Supports the 'asset inheritance' process. Note: 'Apply for asset inheritance in the Alipay app.'
• iCloud — Apple has a 'Legacy Contact' feature you can designate in advance. See [Inheriting iCloud Photos](/seo/iCloud照片继承)
• Cryptocurrency — A lost private key means permanent loss — store it encrypted on its own. See the [Crypto Wallet Secure Inheritance Guide](/seo/加密钱包安全传承指南)

For each platform's detailed inheritance process, see What Happens to Accounts After Death and The Difference Between a Digital Legacy and a Legal Will.