Why This Site Exists
When my dad passed away in 2025, I was handed a responsibility no one prepares you for: dealing with his entire digital life. His computer, his email accounts, his online subscriptions, his photos stored in the cloud — all of it suddenly became my problem to sort through, secure, and eventually close down.
I quickly discovered that clear, comprehensive guidance for this situation barely exists. Legal resources don’t explain the technical steps. Tech forums don’t address the legal authority questions. And neither addresses the emotional weight of scrolling through a deceased parent’s inbox.
That experience became Pixels & Probate.
What We Cover
Pixels & Probate is the comprehensive resource for digital estate planning and administration. We publish guides, legal analysis, and practical walkthroughs across four areas:
- Planning & Protection — Organizing your digital life so your family doesn’t have to guess
- Access & Administration — Step-by-step guides for recovering accounts, canceling services, and managing a deceased person’s digital presence
- Law & Practice — State-by-state legal frameworks, RUFADAA analysis, and compliance guidance for professionals
- Legacy & Humanity — The emotional side of digital estates — grief, memory, memorials, and what it means to preserve someone’s digital life
Who This Is For
Whether you’re an executor who just inherited a digital mess, a family member trying to access a loved one’s accounts, an estate attorney building digital asset expertise, or someone who simply wants to organize their own digital life for the people who’ll need it someday — we wrote this for you.
Our Approach
We lead with empathy and follow with clarity. Every guide acknowledges that you might be reading it on the worst day of your life, and respects your time by getting straight to the actionable steps. We cite our sources, admit when situations are genuinely unresolvable, and never pretend that a platform’s policies are better than they are.
Digital estate planning should be as standard as writing a will. Until it is, we’re here to help.