Digital will: what carries legal weight and what does not
The phrase “digital will” gets used for two very different things: a legal document, and a practical set of instructions. Mixing them up is how people end up believing they are covered when they are not.
What the phrase actually means
In everyday use, a digital will is usually a file or a service describing what should happen to your accounts, photos and files.
That is not a will in the legal sense. A will is an instrument governed by the law where you live, with requirements about form and signature. A list of instructions, however thorough, does not satisfy those requirements.
What carries legal weight, and what does not
The dividing line is simple: anything that assigns ownership belongs in the legal will. Anything that explains where things are and how to handle them belongs in your instructions.
Both matter, and neither substitutes for the other. One grants authority, the other grants clarity.
- Legal weight: naming an executor, distributing assets, guardianship of minor children.
- No legal weight on its own: the list of online accounts, wishes about photos, deletion requests, personal messages.
- In between: an instruction document can be referenced by the legal will, which gives it standing without turning it into a will.
Why instructions still matter enormously
In practice, most of what stalls a family after a death is not legal at all: they simply do not know what exists or where to look.
A flawless will almost never says where the holiday photos live, which subscription keeps billing, or which mailbox holds the important invoices. Written instructions fill exactly that gap.
How to combine the two properly
The safest approach: have your legal will drafted or reviewed by a lawyer or notary in your jurisdiction, then keep a living instruction document beside it, updated whenever your life changes.
In Solexi that instruction document is not an isolated file: it sits with the documents and memories it describes, visible to the people you allowed in. The legal will stays with your legal professional.
Pricing, in plain words
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Frequently asked questions
Is a digital will legally recognized?
Not as such in most jurisdictions. The form a will must take is set by local law. A digital instruction document complements a valid will, it does not replace one.
Can I write my own digital instructions?
Yes, and you should. They require no particular format. The only real requirements are that they stay current and that someone knows they exist.
Should passwords go in there?
No. List which accounts exist and what you want done with each. Credentials belong in a password manager that has its own emergency access procedure.
Does Solexi write my will?
No. Solexi helps you write, store and pass on your practical instructions. Drafting a legal will is done with a notary or lawyer.
Solexi does not replace a legal will, a notary or a lawyer. Solexi helps you gather, organize and pass on your information.