In the days after someone dies, the world doesn’t pause the way your body wishes it would. A phone still lights up. A “new follower” notification still appears. A friend tags your loved one in an old photo, and suddenly their name is right there again—bright, public, and strangely alive. For many families, this is when the question surfaces: what should happen to their Instagram?
Instagram offers two primary paths when a person has died: you can request that the account be memorialized, or you can ask for it to be permanently removed. Both options are meant to protect the person’s identity and reduce the risk of impersonation, hacking, or painful surprises. And both can be part of practical funeral planning—not because it’s “just social media,” but because a digital presence can keep showing up in real moments of grief.
If you’re searching for phrases like close instagram account after death, delete instagram account deceased, memorialize instagram account, or instagram deceased account request, you’re not alone. More families are handling online accounts as part of after-death logistics, alongside the paper documents, phone calls, and decisions that come with loss. If it helps to see the bigger picture first, Funeral.com’s guide to digital accounts after a death walks through the practical “closure checklist” many families end up creating.
The two choices Instagram gives families
Before you fill out any forms, it helps to name what you’re actually trying to protect. Some families want the account to remain as a quiet place for remembrance, where photos and comments can keep a person’s story visible. Others want the account closed because the algorithmic “afterlife” feels too sharp—suggested follows, memories, resurfacing tags, and unexpected reminders.
Instagram’s two options map neatly to those two needs.
Memorialization keeps the account as a protected space
When an account is memorialized, it becomes a kind of digital headstone—still viewable, but safeguarded. A “Remembering” label is added to the profile, and the account can’t be logged into, which helps prevent changes or takeovers. A recent legal-aid guide that summarizes platform policies notes that memorialization adds a “Remembering” tag and that no one can log into a memorialized Instagram account, so the existing content and settings can’t be changed. VOLS Pro Bono
For some families, memorialization is the gentlest option because it preserves what already exists without asking anyone to “manage” a life that has ended. It also reduces the risk of impersonation, which can be a real concern when public profiles remain active.
Deletion removes the account and its content
Deletion is permanent. If you request removal and Instagram approves it, the account is taken down, along with the photos, videos, and profile. Families tend to choose this when the person would have wanted privacy, when the account is being targeted by scammers, or when the profile’s continued presence creates more pain than comfort.
According to the same platform-policy guide, deletion typically requires a verified immediate family member or executor to provide proof of death and proof of authority or relationship. VOLS Pro Bono
If you’re unsure which choice fits your family, you don’t have to decide in a single afternoon. Many people begin by preserving what matters—saving photos, downloading posts, or gathering the account’s most meaningful memories—before deciding whether memorialization or removal is best. Funeral.com’s article on social media memories after loss is written for that exact “we can’t think straight yet” phase, when reminders and resurfacing content can feel destabilizing.
What changes when an Instagram account is memorialized
Families often ask, “If we memorialize it, what will actually be different?” The short answer is: the account remains visible (to the audience it was visible to before), but it becomes locked down in key ways to protect the person’s identity.
In most cases, memorialization adds a “Remembering” label to the profile, prevents anyone from logging in, and keeps the account in a protected state so the content remains as it was shared (without anyone being able to edit the profile or posts). VOLS Pro Bono
Just as important is what memorialization does not do: it does not give family members access to private messages, and it does not turn Instagram into an archive you can “administer” like an estate account. Major platforms generally won’t provide login credentials after death, even with documentation. This is one reason digital legacy planning—deciding in advance how accounts should be handled—has become a practical act of care. The Associated Press recently described this as part of managing a “digital estate,” noting that Meta can memorialize accounts upon valid request and that deletion requests often require documents like a death certificate. Associated Press
What Instagram usually asks for: information and proof
In grief, paperwork feels especially cruel—yet it’s also what protects a person from identity theft and fraudulent takedowns. In most cases, Instagram requires some combination of basic account details and proof that the person has died.
Many guides agree that proof of death is typically required, and the easiest form is a death certificate. A consumer resource published through the American Red Cross site notes that most websites require proof of death, often via a death certificate, and may request proof of authority if the death certificate isn’t available yet. American Red Cross
In practice, families often gather the same “packet” for multiple accounts—Instagram, Facebook, email providers, and subscriptions. If you’re building that packet now, it may help to read Funeral.com’s digital legacy planning guide, which connects the emotional reality of loss with the practical reality of passwords, account recovery, and protecting a loved one’s identity.
For an instagram deceased account request, families most commonly need the deceased person’s Instagram username and the URL to the profile (if you can find it), your own contact information (usually your email address and full name), and proof of death (often a death certificate, though in some situations an obituary link may be considered depending on the request). If you are requesting deletion, you may also need documentation showing you are an immediate family member or the executor/authorized representative.
If you’re searching for “death certificate instagram” or “report death on instagram,” that’s usually why: Instagram wants documentation that confirms the death and protects against misuse of the system.
How to request memorialization
Memorialization is often the best fit when the account feels like a meaningful scrapbook—photos, captions, comments, and a timeline that matters to friends and family. If you’re not sure whether memorialization will be comforting or painful, consider what happens when the account appears unexpectedly: does it feel like warmth, or like a wound reopening? There’s no wrong answer here, only what’s survivable.
Instagram provides a dedicated path to submit a request to memorialize an account. In most cases, you’ll provide the account details and proof of death through an online form. You can start with Instagram’s official reporting page for a deceased person’s account: Instagram’s memorialization request form.
After you submit, there’s usually a review period. If the request is approved, you’ll eventually see the “Remembering” label appear. If you don’t hear back quickly, it doesn’t necessarily mean your request was rejected—support queues and verification steps can take time, especially when documentation is incomplete or unclear.
If memorialization feels right but you also want a calmer, more controlled space for tributes, some families choose to create a separate memorial page or tribute account rather than rely only on the original profile. Funeral.com’s guide to memorializing a loved one on social media explains how to balance tributes with privacy, especially when older posts or private messages could feel sensitive.
How to request deletion of a deceased person’s Instagram account
Deletion can feel like a relief when the account is drawing unwanted attention, when the person would have wanted privacy, or when seeing the profile causes daily distress. The process tends to be stricter than memorialization because it’s irreversible.
Instagram offers an official route for instagram account removal form requests. You can begin with Instagram’s form for requesting removal of a deceased person’s account: Instagram’s account removal request form. In addition to proof of death, deletion requests typically require proof that you are an immediate family member or have legal authority (such as being the executor). VOLS Pro Bono
One gentle caution: families sometimes try to “solve” this by accessing the account directly—resetting passwords, logging in from a shared device, or changing email settings. Even when your intent is loving, account access can raise legal and ethical issues, and it can trigger security locks that make everything harder. When you don’t have clear authorization, it’s usually better to use the official channel first.
If you do have login access, what to consider before you change anything
Sometimes the deceased shared passwords, or a spouse managed accounts together, or a phone is already logged in. If you have legitimate access, it may be technically possible to remove the account from inside Instagram’s Accounts Center. But pause first and ask one question: what would your loved one have wanted?
In the first wave of grief, families often act quickly just to stop the pain of seeing a profile surface. If you can, preserve the pieces that matter before deleting: download favorite photos, screenshot meaningful comments, and save a few posts that feel like “them.” If you want a structured way to do that, Funeral.com’s digital accounts checklist can help you separate “preserve,” “close,” and “monitor” so everything doesn’t blur together.
How Instagram fits into the bigger digital legacy
Instagram is rarely the only account a family has to handle. After a death, the real burden often comes from the web of password resets—email accounts, cloud photo libraries, subscriptions, and financial logins tied to two-factor authentication. That’s why many experts now talk about digital legacy planning as part of end-of-life preparation, alongside wills and practical arrangements.
As the Associated Press explains, major platforms increasingly offer after-death tools—Apple’s Legacy Contact, Google’s Inactive Account Manager, and Meta’s memorialization process—because families need legitimate pathways to protect accounts and preserve what matters. Associated Press
If you’re handling this for a loved one now, you’re also learning what you might want for yourself later. Funeral.com’s digital legacy planning resource is a compassionate place to start, and it pairs well with online memorial websites if your family wants a stable, searchable place to gather stories, service details, and photos without relying entirely on social platforms.
A practical, humane way to decide: keep, memorialize, or delete
When families feel stuck, it’s usually because two truths are colliding: you want to honor the person, and you also need to protect the living. Here’s a grounded way to think about it.
If the account is public and drawing attention you can’t manage, memorialization can reduce risk without erasing the person’s history. If the account feels like a tender gathering space—old friends leaving notes, photos telling a life story—memorialization often supports grief rather than intensifying it. And if the account’s continued existence is causing harm, deletion is a valid, protective choice.
Whichever path you choose, it helps to treat it as part of care. You’re not just submitting a form. You’re creating boundaries around a digital presence that still carries emotional weight. If you need help handling the emotional side of the reminders, Funeral.com’s social media memories after loss article offers gentle strategies for turning down the volume—so the internet doesn’t keep surprising you with grief you didn’t consent to feel that day.
And if you’re building a fuller plan—who gets access to photos, what gets deleted, what gets preserved—remember that you’re allowed to do this slowly. Grief is already a lot. The goal isn’t to be perfect. The goal is to make the next week a little more livable, and the next month a little safer.
