What legacy contacts can and can’t do
Overview of what legacy users can access and when
Legacy contacts are trusted individuals chosen to access a SafeKeep account after the account holder has passed away. Their role is to view, manage, and protect the information left behind, but access is limited to ensure the security and integrity of that data.
Here’s what legacy contacts are able to do—and what they are not—before and after an account takeover.
Before the account holder passes away
Until the primary account holder has passed away and the death is verified, legacy contacts:
- Cannot see or access the account holder’s documents, messages, or memories
- Cannot request access without submitting formal verification
- Can see that they have been added as a legacy contact in their own SafeKeep account
No other action or access is possible before the account takeover is approved.
After the account takeover is approved
Once the account holder is confirmed deceased and the takeover request is approved, the legacy contact can:
- View all documents, messages, and memories in the account
- Search and browse the account exactly as the primary user would have
- Download documents and files to their own device
- Copy documents and account data into their own SafeKeep account
Copied content will count toward the legacy contact’s own storage quota, based on their current plan.
What legacy contacts cannot do
Even after account takeover, legacy contacts:
- Cannot edit or change any of the original account’s data
- Cannot upload new documents into the deceased user’s account
- Cannot delete or rename existing files
- Cannot update expiry dates, tags, folders, or custom fields
To make changes to any data, the legacy contact must copy the documents into their own account first. Once copied, they will have full editing access, as with any document in their personal Safe.
After access is granted
The legacy contact has 90 days to view, download, or copy the data. After that time, the deceased user’s account and all its contents will be permanently deleted from SafeKeep’s system.
This structured access ensures that important information is preserved, shared, and treated with care, while also protecting the account holder’s privacy and wishes.