How to Set Up Apple Legacy Contact (Step-by-Step 2026)

Without a Legacy Contact, Apple can legally deny your family access to your iCloud account — even with a death certificate and a court order. This means decades of photos, personal documents, notes, messages, and purchased content could become permanently inaccessible to the people who matter most.

The fix takes under three minutes and is one of the highest-impact actions you can take today.

How to Add an Apple Legacy Contact on iPhone or iPad

Requires iOS 15.2 or later.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top
2. Tap Sign-In & Security
3. Tap Legacy Contact
4. Tap Add Legacy Contact
5. Choose someone from your contacts (they don't need an Apple device or Apple ID)
6. Apple generates an Access Key — share it with your chosen person and save a copy yourself in a secure location

How to Add an Apple Legacy Contact on Mac

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings → [Your Name]
2. Click Password & Security
3. Click Legacy Contact and follow the prompts

What Can a Legacy Contact Access?

A Legacy Contact can request access to most iCloud data including photos, notes, files, email, contacts, and calendar data. They cannot access: Apple Pay information, licensed media (music, films, apps — these cannot be transferred), or passwords saved in iCloud Keychain.

What About Google?

Google offers a similar feature called Inactive Account Manager, found under your Google Account settings → Data & Privacy → More options → Make a plan for your digital legacy. You can specify trusted contacts to share data with, and choose what happens after 3–18 months of account inactivity.

What About Microsoft?

Microsoft's policy is more restrictive. As of 2026, Microsoft does not provide a standard legacy access process for OneDrive or Outlook. Family members may petition on a case-by-case basis with extensive documentation. This makes locally backed-up copies of important documents especially important for Microsoft account users.