How To Memorialize A Facebook Account: A Step-By-Step Guide

Losing a loved one is incredibly difficult. During such a painful time, the last thing you want to think about is closing down their online accounts. However, leaving a deceased person‘s Facebook profile untouched can lead to upsetting notifications and messages. Memorializing the account is the compassionate solution, preserving their memories and securing their data.

In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn what happens when a Facebook account is memorialized, who can submit the request, the exact steps for memorialization, features of a memorialized profile, and more. With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, chances are you‘ll need this info for a friend or family member at some point. Arm yourself with knowledge so you can honor their life on Facebook properly.

What Does Memorializing a Facebook Account Mean?

Memorializing an account differs from deleting it permanently. It‘s meant to freeze the profile in time, paying homage to the deceased while keeping their memories alive.

When an account gets memorialized, these changes take place:

The word "Remembering" appears next to the person‘s name
The profile pic gets hidden or changed
Logging into the account gets disabled
Some sections get hidden from public view
Certain notifications and suggestions turn off

Importantly, memorialized accounts stay viewable by confirmed friends. Loved ones can still post memories, photos, and updates on the person‘s timeline. It becomes a communal place to pay respects.

Basically, memorialization transforms the profile into an online memorial while protecting sensitive account data.

Who Can Submit a Memorialization Request?

Immediate family members and estate executors normally submit these requests. To qualify, you must provide proof of death like an obituary or death certificate.

If you can‘t supply documentation, another option is reporting the death to Facebook by:

Visiting facebook.com/help
Searching for "report a deceased person‘s account"
Filling out the form

Facebook also permits anyone to share a memorialization request. But they‘ll only memorialize pages if multiple non-family sources confirm the death.

No matter how you share the news, Facebook reviews each case before memorializing to prevent false claims.

Step-by-Step Guide to Memorializing a Facebook Account

Ready to memorialize someone‘s profile? The process is straightforward once you prepare their information and proof of passing.

Step 1: Locate Their Facebook Profile

Start by identifying the correct account. Search for their name and scan results for a "Remembering" banner atop the page.

If you can‘t find it, enlist a mutual friend to assist. Failing that, try entering a combination of their name plus details like hometown, company, school, etc.

Once the right profile pops up, click it to view the URL. You‘ll need this for the next step.

Step 2: Gather Documentation

As mentioned before, Facebook requires proof of death to memorialize accounts, like:

Obituary listing
Public death notice
News article reporting the death
Death certificate (for immediate family without public records)

Collect a link leading directly to one of these documents. Avoid uploading scans or attachments at this stage. Links get handled faster.

If no documents exist yet, you can report the death without proof initially. But Facebook may follow up requesting records later.

Step 3: Fill Out the Memorialization Request Form

Now comes memorialization time. Seek out Facebook‘s official submission form by:

Visiting https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/386813487193238
Scrolling down and clicking "Request to Memorialize Account"

Next, fill in the blanks with:

The deceased‘s full name
Their birth and death dates
The Facebook profile URL you located earlier
Your relationship to the deceased (family member, executor, etc.)
The link to online proof of death like an obituary

Double check all entries before submitting. Accurate info confirms deaths faster, avoiding extra waiting.

Step 4: Allow Facebook to Review

Facebook pledges to handle all memorialization requests sensitively and promptly. But the volume means one of two possibilities:

Instant memorialization – If you included irrefutable proof upfront
Follow up required – If doubts exist or proof is missing

For questionable cases, Facebook contacts the requester for clarification or extra documents. As long as you provided accurate initial records, the process finishes here.

Otherwise, supply any added proof Facebook asks for. The page memorializes once records get verified.

Features of a Memorialized Facebook Profile

Memorialized accounts function differently than normal pages. Certain features change or disappear completely. Knowing these discrepancies helps living users know what to expect.

Remembering Section

Look for the "Remembering" heading right below the deceased‘s name. This confirms Facebook memorialized the profile properly.

Friends and loved ones get encouraged to post memories here keeping the person‘s legacy alive.

Logins Disabled

Once memorialized, logging into the account ceases completely. This helps avoid content theft or changes to the preserved timeline.

But designated legacy contacts access tools to manage, update, or remove memorialized accounts if desired. More below.

Timeline Restrictions

By default, memorialized timelines stay viewable by confirmed friends of the deceased. But family can alter this via privacy settings if desired.

The major change – no one can check into memorialized accounts. Location services get disabled to prevent inappropriate impersonations.

Limited Notifications

Tagging notifications, suggested contacts, birthday reminders, etc. all disable once a profile gets memorialized. Users stop receiving messages in general.

But Facebook does permit personalized notifications in remembrance if configured pre-memorialization. These require manual set up initially.

Updated Login Landing Page

If someone tries accessing a memorialized account, they‘ll encounter an updated login landing page. This includes:

The memorialization date
Who submitted the request
An explanation that logins ceased

This prevents unauthorized access attempts. Friends can still view posts and content without logging in.

Appointing a Facebook Legacy Contact

Memorialized accounts stay viewable but unattended…unless a legacy contact exists. Like a social media executor, these individuals manage memorial profiles on a deceased user‘s behalf.

Any Facebook friend can become someone‘s legacy contact. Just set it up via the memorialization settings beforehand. Legacy users then gain powers like:

Writing pinned tribute posts
Responding to new requests
Changing the profile and cover photos
Downloading archived data
Removing accounts if desired

Legacy contacts provide continuance, helping memorialized pages adapt to updates over time.

Interested in connecting your own Facebook account to a trusted friend? Follow the path below:

Click the down arrow at the top right on Facebook
Choose "Settings & Privacy" > Settings
Go to Memorialization Settings
Click "Choose a Legacy Contact" and pick any Facebook friend

Once chosen, Facebook informs your selected users about their future role. Reach out to them directly too so they understand the duties fully.

Requesting Account Removal for Immediate Family

Sometimes families want a loved one‘s entire Facebook presence erased after death. Facebook permits this only for confirmed immediate family members.

If that‘s you, submit a special removal request by:

Visiting Facebook‘s form at https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480
Filling in the deceased‘s info and relationship details
Attaching a death certificate

Facebook may ask for additional verification given the permanent nature of account removal. As long as you provide legitimate proof upfront, the process finishes smoothly.

To Memorialize a Facebook Account, Remember…

Memorialization helps families secure accounts while sharing memories
Immediate kin and executors normally submit requests
Facebook reviews each case before memorializing pages
"Remembering" headings confirm memorialized profiles
Legacy contacts manager and update memorialized accounts
Only confirmed relatives can request full account removal

Equipped with this knowledge, you can now properly memorialize any Facebook user in your life. During difficult times, this compassionate gesture means so much to the bereaved.