Locating a Deceased Person's Online Accounts When There's No List in Ontario

Most people don't leave behind a tidy list of every online account they hold. When someone dies without one, the estate trustee is left doing something closer to detective work than paperwork — piecing together a digital footprint from whatever traces the deceased left behind. If you're an executor facing no list of a deceased person's online accounts, here's a structured way to approach the search.

Start With the Email Account

Email is usually the single most productive starting point, because it's the hub almost every other account connects back to — password resets, receipts, renewal notices, and account confirmations nearly all flow through it.

• Search the inbox for terms like "welcome," "verify your email," "receipt," "invoice," "statement," "renewal," or "subscription."
• Check the archive and any older folders, not just the primary inbox — many people file or archive account-related emails without deleting them.
• Look at contacts and calendar entries for clues about financial institutions, memberships, or services.
• Note recurring senders — a company that emails monthly almost certainly corresponds to an active account or subscription.

Work Through Financial Records

Bank and credit card statements are a second reliable trail, since they show what the deceased was actually paying for, regardless of whether an email confirms it.

• Review several months of statements for recurring charges you don't immediately recognize
• Look up unfamiliar merchant names — many appear cryptic on a statement but are easily identified with a quick search
• Check for wire transfers or e-transfers to platforms that might indicate investment accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, or online lenders

Check the Deceased's Devices

A phone or computer often reveals accounts that never generated a single email or statement line, particularly ones set up entirely through an app.

• Review installed apps on a phone — the presence of a banking, investment, or crypto app is itself a strong clue, even before logging in
• Check saved logins in a web browser's password manager, if accessible
• Look at browser bookmarks and browsing history for frequently visited financial or account-management sites
• Check for a physical or digital password manager the deceased may have used — see our companion article on digital estate planning with a password manager for what a well-organized version of this looks like

If the device itself is locked, see our companion article on accessing a deceased person's phone or computer for the general limits an executor runs into there.

Physical Records Still Matter

Not every clue is digital. Traditional paper trails often point to online accounts:

• [ ] Old tax returns — look for interest, dividend, or capital gains slips referencing financial institutions
• [ ] Mail and any papers kept at home — printed statements, welcome letters, or renewal notices
• [ ] A safe, safety deposit box, or filing cabinet — sometimes account information or passwords are written down here
• [ ] Business cards or notes from financial advisors, insurance agents, or account representatives

Once You Find a Lead

Finding evidence that an account exists is only the first step — actually accessing or closing it is a separate question, and the answer depends heavily on the type of account:

• Financial institutions generally have an established process for estate trustees, often requiring a death certificate and, depending on the asset, a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee.
• Subscriptions and consumer accounts can often be cancelled directly or through customer support with proof of death — see our companion article on closing online subscriptions after a death for a practical approach.
• Cryptocurrency requires particular care, since access typically depends entirely on a private key or seed phrase rather than any institutional process — our companion article on cryptocurrency in an estate covers this in detail.
• Social media and personal accounts are usually governed by the platform's own deceased-user policies rather than a formal estate law process.

When to Stop Looking

There's rarely a clean point where an executor can be completely certain every account has been found. A reasonable, diligent search — email, financial records, devices, and physical papers — combined with keeping records of what was checked, is generally what's expected of an estate trustee. If something significant surfaces later (a forgotten investment account, for instance), it can typically still be dealt with as part of ongoing estate administration.

Frequently asked questions