When someone dies, their photos, files and accounts are left behind.
We help the family find what is there, on computers, home servers and online. We recover what can be recovered, hand it over in good order and close the rest.
What was left, and what became of it
An example of the list we write for each family
- Laptop in the studyRecovered
Photos and documents copied to a drive for the family
- Home server in the loftRecovered
Four drives, family photos from 2004 to 2023
- 14 subscriptionsClosed
£86 a month was still being charged
- Email accountWith the provider
Request sent with the probate papers
- Mobile phoneWith the provider
Locked. Request made through the maker's own process
- Password managerCannot be opened
No master password was left
When my dad died he left behind servers, a password vault and storage full of data. I work in IT, and I still had to work out where to start.
Most families have nobody who can. Handed On is what I learned, turned into something other people can use.
Lindell, founder
How it works
You need to be the executor or administrator of the estate, or have their written permission. Everything we do is under that authority.
Find
We list every device, account, subscription and backup we can find, and mark each by what it holds: money, memories, legal papers, or nothing that needs keeping.
Recover
We open the computers, drives and servers the estate owns and copy off the photos, documents and records.
Hand over
The family receives a password-protected portable drive, everything sorted into plain folders, with a printed list of what was found and where it now lives.
Close
We cancel subscriptions, prepare the requests to each online provider, and wipe the hardware so it can be sold or given away.
What we can and cannot do
Some things cannot be opened by anyone. We tell you which before you pay for any recovery.
We can usually recover
- Laptops and desktop computers
- Home servers and network storage
- External drives, USB sticks and memory cards
- The photos and documents stored on them
The provider decides
- Email accounts
- Online photo and file storage
- Social media accounts
- Locked mobile phones
Each company has its own process for a customer who has died. We prepare the paperwork and you send it.
Nobody can open
- A password manager with no master password
- An encrypted drive with no key
If someone says they can, be careful. This is what planning ahead is for.
Check what you have
Tick what was left behind. Your list builds as you go, showing what usually happens to each one.
Your list
Nothing ticked yet. Tick the first thing that comes to mind.
This is what usually happens. A first look tells you for certain, device by device.
What the family receives
At the end of a full recovery you are handed one password-protected portable drive and a printed pack. The drive opens on any computer, with no special software.
Everything is in plain folders with plain names, so the person who is least confident with computers can still find the wedding photos.
- Photos, by yearEvery photo we recovered, in one folder for each year.
- DocumentsLetters, records, spreadsheets and scans, sorted by what they are about.
- Accounts and subscriptionsWhat exists, what was closed, what is still with a provider and what you need to do next.
- The printed listEverything that was found, what became of it and where it now lives, with the password for the drive.
- A backup for 90 daysWe keep a secure copy in case the drive is lost or the password is mislaid. Then we delete it.
Prices
Fixed prices, agreed before any work starts. We are taking on a small number of families first, so each button asks for your details and we reply by email.
After someone has died
The kit
A step by step workbook to list everything yourself, guides for each major provider, and letters you can send as executor.
- An online workbook you sign in to, covering devices, email, photos, money, subscriptions and social media
- Guides for Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram and Amazon
- Letters to close accounts, ask for data and claim back payments, filled in with your details
A first look
A call and a check of the devices. You get a written list of what can be reached, what has to go through a provider and what is lost.
- About an hour on a call, with you at the computer
- Each device checked: does it start, is it locked, is the drive healthy
- The written list within three working days, with a fixed quote if recovery is worth doing
Full recovery
We do the work: find, recover, hand over and close. Quoted as one fixed price after the first look.
- Photos, documents and records copied off every computer, drive and server
- One password-protected drive for the family, with a printed list
- Subscriptions cancelled, provider requests prepared, hardware wiped
- A secure backup kept for 90 days, then deleted
Planning ahead
Your own handover
For the person who looks after the family's technology. We help you write down what exists and set up proper access for whoever comes after you, with a yearly check that it is still right.
- A written list of everything you look after, in plain words
- Emergency access set up in your password manager and your Apple and Google accounts
- A one page letter your family can follow
- We never see or hold your passwords
Questions
Is this legal?
Yes, when the executor or administrator asks for it. We ask to see the grant of probate or letters of administration, and we only work on equipment the estate owns. Online accounts go through each provider's own process.
Can you unlock a phone?
No. Modern phones cannot be opened without the passcode. The makers have a process for families, and we help you with it. Photos from a phone are often also on a computer or in an online account, where we can reach them.
What do you need from us?
Proof that you act for the estate, the devices themselves or access to them, and anything written down: notebooks, PINs, old passwords, letters from providers.
How do we receive the data?
On a password-protected portable drive, with the files sorted into plain folders you can open on any computer: photos by year, documents, and a folder for accounts and subscriptions. The password is written in the printed pack we hand you. We keep a secure backup for 90 days, in case the drive is lost or the password is mislaid, and then delete it.
What happens to private things you find?
We copy what you ask for and nothing else. We do not read messages or documents beyond what is needed to sort them, and once your backup window ends we hold no copy of anything.
Where do you work?
In the UK. A lot can be done on a call with you at the computer. Servers and drives can be sent by tracked courier.