Access a deceased loved one's crypto

After a death, the first question about cryptocurrency is usually practical: how do we access it? The honest short answer is that there is no single button, but there is a reliable order, and this page answers the most common questions in plain language. Every answer links to the guide that covers that step properly.

If you are reading this shortly after a loss: our condolences. Take a breath, and before anything else, preserve everything exactly as it is. The correct order of first steps is short and worth reading before acting.

My family member passed away. How do I access their crypto?

Crypto is not a bank account: there is no central institution that can simply hand it over. What is possible depends on two questions, who is legally authorised to act, and where the crypto was held: with an exchange, or in a self-custody wallet. The reliable order is preserve, establish authority, identify, classify, then act. See first steps after a death and what happens to crypto after a death.

Who may access a family member’s crypto after they passed away?

Only the person with legal authority under the applicable succession law: the executor or personal representative named in the will, or the heirs under local law. Possession of a device, a password or a written recovery phrase is not legal authority, a notary, probate registry or the local equivalent confirms who may act. This distinction shapes everything that follows: legal authority vs technical access.

How do I find out whether they had crypto?

With a structured, lawful search: estate paperwork, devices and storage media, financial records, and correspondence from exchanges. There is no central registry of crypto ownership, so the search follows evidence, and blockchain tracing is not the starting point. The full checklist is in how to find someone’s crypto after they passed away.

How do I access their exchange accounts?

Each exchange has its own official procedure for account holders who have passed away, usually requiring a certified death certificate, proof of legal authority and identification. Most exchanges have no beneficiary designation, so the account follows the estate process and typically transfers to a new account in the lawful representative’s name on the same exchange. See exchange accounts after a death. Use only the official channel. Access is gained through the platform’s own official procedure on its official website (typed by you, never clicked from a message) never through an intermediary, and never by logging in with the deceased person’s credentials before authority is confirmed. Anyone who offers to “get you in” is not part of the process. See official channels and source verification.

How do I access a self-custody wallet?

Self-custody means the keys, devices, files and recovery words are the only access path, no company can reset them. What exactly applies depends on what was found:

• A seed phrase or recovery words. A complete phrase is the access path: it can be used to restore the wallet in compatible software or on a hardware wallet. If words are missing, the realistic options change, see what is a seed phrase and wallet recovery: what is realistically possible.
• A hardware wallet. The device with its PIN is one path; the seed phrase can restore the wallet on another device. The PIN alone opens the device itself but cannot restore the wallet elsewhere (that requires the recovery phrase (and passphrase, if one was set). Without either, the funds are generally not reachable) see how to preserve a hardware wallet.
• Wallet files (wallet.dat, keystore, Electrum). The file and its password together form the wallet, see wallet.dat files, Ethereum keystore (UTC—) or Electrum wallets.
• A phone or old computer. Wallet apps and browser profiles may hold the keys, preserve them without updates or syncs; see old devices with a possible wallet.
• A 2FA code or authenticator app. A second factor can block access even when the password or phrase is correct, see 2FA and wallet access after a death.
• A smart-contract wallet (Safe and similar). There is no seed phrase for the contract itself; access follows the wallet’s owners and threshold rules: see smart-contract wallets.

A court order confirms authority; it does not create a missing seed phrase. Start with exchange account or self-custody to classify what you have.

What if the password or recovery words are lost?

Some access problems are solvable and some are not, and nobody can know which without examining the exact situation. A missing word can sometimes be reconstructed; a completely missing phrase cannot be invented. Anyone who guarantees a result before examining the situation is a warning sign, and no official process asks for your secrets for a first assessment. See wallet passwords and passphrases and wallet recovery: what is realistically possible.

How long does accessing inherited crypto take?

There is no universal timeline. Establishing legal authority can take weeks or months depending on the country and the estate, and exchanges run their own review procedures. Acting before authority is confirmed usually makes the process slower, not faster. The full sequence is described in what happens to crypto after a death.

What should I never do?

Never share recovery words, private keys, passwords, PINs, wallet files or authentication codes with anyone, no official process ever asks you to send these, and estates are a frequent target. Never reset, wipe or repeatedly guess on any device: each attempt can destroy the only access path. Preserve everything exactly as found, and learn the warning signs: scams targeting crypto estates.