Sharing your passwords with the people close to you
The password sheet in the kitchen drawer is still the most common method — and the riskiest. Here is how to let your family reach what matters without exposing your entire digital life.
Separate what must be reachable from what must not
Your partner does not need your 200 logins. They need three or four: the main email account, the bank, the phone, and the place where important documents are kept.
Make that short list first. It is far easier to keep current than a full inventory, and it is the one that will actually rescue an emergency.
The methods, worst to best
All of these are used by real families. Some become expensive the day something goes wrong.
- Avoid: passwords sent by email or text. They stay readable forever in inboxes you do not control.
- Acceptable as a stopgap: a handwritten sheet in a safe or with your notary, as long as you date it and replace it when things change.
- Recommended: a password manager with emergency access, granting a named person access after a waiting period.
- Complementary: the digital-legacy tools built into major platforms (legacy contact, inactive account manager).
The forgotten link: the phone
The phone has become the key to everything else: it receives the two-factor codes. Without it, even the correct password is not enough.
So write the phone’s unlock code in the same place as the essential logins, and make sure your partner can access the SIM or the mobile account itself.
Write down where it is, not what it is
You do not have to share the passwords themselves. Very often it is enough to state plainly where they are kept and who can obtain them: lower risk, same result.
Keep those instructions with your important documents, tell one trusted person they exist, and re-read them once a year. It is a living document, not an archive.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to give my passwords to a relative?
Voluntarily sharing access with a spouse is common, but the terms of service of most platforms formally prohibit it. That is why official digital-legacy tools are preferable wherever they exist.
Should passwords go into my will?
No. A will can become a document others may consult, and it is not updated every time a password changes. It should say where the credentials are, not contain them.
How often should the list be updated?
Once a year, plus after any major change: new phone, new bank, new primary email address.
Solexi does not replace a legal will, a notary or a lawyer. Solexi helps you gather, organize and pass on your information.