1Password is brilliant for keeping your online life secure, but it does not yet have a simple way to pass on selected information after you die. There is no built in legacy contact feature, and organisers cannot access your private vaults. This leaves a gap for anyone who wants to share only some things with family in the future without giving away their whole account.
After testing different options, I found a straightforward approach that works well. It gives your family the information you want them to have, keeps your private vaults private, and avoids complicated workarounds.
Here is the idea.
The problem with the simple options
If you want your family to have access to everything, you can give them your Emergency Kit. The problem is that this also gives them your entire account. Every vault, every item, everything. That is not ideal if you want some things to stay private, or just don’t want to burden them with unimportant access information.
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If you want to share only a small set of items, you can create a shared vault and put the information in it. The problem is that this is only an option while you are alive. Once you are gone, no one can gain access to anything new unless they already have the keys. 1Password cannot grant access on your behalf.
So we need a way to give your family access to selected items at the right time, without exposing anything else and without requiring your master password.
The two account solution
The neat solution is to create a second account for yourself inside your 1Password Families plan. This is allowed, and it gives you a separate identity that you control.
Your main account stays private. Your second account becomes an inheritance account.
Here is how it works:
Step one
Create a second member in your Families plan and set it up as an organiser. Think of this account as future you. At this point also ensure you partner or trusted adult is also an organiser on your account.
Step two
Create one or more inheritance vaults. Add only the information that you want your family to have after you die. Avoid using your Private vault for this.
Step three
Share the inheritance vaults with your second account. The second account now has access only to the selected items.
Step four
Give your family the Emergency Kit for the new second account. This contains the secret key and space to write the master password. Store this securely with your will or estate documents.
Step five
Do not give your family the Emergency Kit for your main account. That account remains entirely private and no organiser can access it.
Why this works
Each 1Password account has its own encryption keys. Your main account holds keys for your personal vaults. Your second account holds keys only for the inheritance vaults. Even as an organiser, it cannot unlock anything it has not been given access to.
After your death, the trusted adult can sign in as the second account and open the inheritance vaults. They cannot open anything from your main account, because they do not have the keys and cannot recover them.
This setup gives you clean separation. You choose what is shared, you choose what remains private, and your family can still manage the subscription if they need to.
A tidy, flexible approach to digital inheritance
This method works without special features or risky compromises. It keeps your private information safe and gives your family clear access to what they need. It also avoids problems with billing, freezing accounts, or locked vaults, because your second account is already an organiser.
It is simple, secure, and easy to update. If you want to add or remove items later, you can, and your family will receive the right information at the right time.