A password manager holds the keys to almost every other account you have, which makes it the most important thing to plan for. If you die or are suddenly unable to manage your affairs, the person handling things needs a way in that does not depend on guessing your master password.
Most password managers offer a built-in way to do this: Bitwarden, LastPass and Keeper call it Emergency Access, where a trusted person can request entry and gets it after a waiting period you set. 1Password relies on a printed Emergency Kit instead. Apple’s Legacy Contact does not pass on saved passwords, so set this up even if you use iCloud.
How emergency access works
The waiting period is the safeguard. If your contact requests access while you are well, you get an email and can deny the request. If you cannot respond, access opens automatically when the wait ends.
Set it up in the common apps
| App | Where to find it | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden | Web app › Settings › Emergency access › Add emergency contact | Needs Premium or a Families plan. Choose View or Takeover and a wait time (minimum one day). Confirm the contact after they accept. |
| LastPass | Emergency access in the vault menu | Premium or Families plan. Your contact needs a LastPass account. Set a wait time for each contact; access is granted if you do not deny the request in time. |
| Keeper | Account › Emergency Access › Trusted Users | Up to five contacts, each with a delay from immediate to three months. Contacts need a Keeper account and get read-only access. Personal and family plans only. |
| 1Password | On 1Password.com, select your name › Manage Account › Save Emergency Kit | No request-and-wait feature. The kit holds your Secret Key; write the account password on it by hand and store it with your estate papers. On a family plan, a family organizer can help recover a member’s account. |
| Apple Passwords | Passwords app › Shared Groups | Share chosen passwords with a trusted person. Legacy Contact does not include passwords. |
| Google Password Manager | Share a password with your Google family group | Shares one password at a time. Do not rely on Inactive Account Manager for passwords. |
Menu names change between versions. If you cannot find the option, search the app’s help for “emergency access”.
Choose the right person and wait time
- Pick someone you would trust with your bank and email. Takeover-level access lets them change passwords and close accounts.
- Pick a wait time you would notice. Seven days suits most people: long enough to deny a mistaken request, short enough that bills and accounts are not stuck for weeks.
- Add a backup person. Bitwarden, LastPass and Keeper all allow more than one contact.
- Tell them it exists. An invitation sitting unaccepted in someone’s inbox does nothing.
If your app has no emergency access
Write the master password on paper, seal it in an envelope, sign across the seal, and keep it with your will or in a home safe. Tell your executor where it is. Do not write it in a notebook or a digital legacy organizer that could be lost.
Two things emergency access does not solve
- Two-factor codes. If your vault holds passwords but your authenticator app is on your phone, your contact may still be blocked. Store recovery codes in the vault, or see how to move your authenticator app for backup options.
- Your phone itself. A locked phone stays locked. Seal the passcode with your estate papers.
These sit alongside the account-level tools in our guide to setting up legacy contacts on iPhone, Google and Facebook.
What your contact can do once access opens
| App | Access level | Wait time options |
|---|---|---|
| Bitwarden | View (read your vault) or Takeover (set a new master password and own the account) | You choose; the minimum is one day |
| LastPass | One-time access to your vault | You choose for each contact |
| Keeper | Read-only access to your vault; contacts cannot edit, move or delete items | From immediate to three months |
| 1Password | Full sign-in with the Emergency Kit and account password | None; whoever holds the kit can sign in |
Bitwarden’s Takeover replaces your master password and removes your two-step login methods once used, so choose it only for someone you would trust to run the account. View is enough for most families to find what they need.
Test it before you need it
- Ask your contact to open their password manager and confirm they see you under their trusted or emergency contacts list.
- In Bitwarden, check that your contact shows as Confirmed, not Invited or Accepted.
- In Keeper, check the status under Account › Emergency Access › Trusted Users.
- For 1Password, open the printed Emergency Kit and confirm the Secret Key and sign-in address are readable and the account password is written on it.
- Put a note in your calendar to check again once a year, and whenever your contact changes their email address.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the invitation unaccepted. Bitwarden and Keeper both need the contact to accept, and Bitwarden needs you to confirm them afterward.
- Choosing a wait time of zero. Immediate access means a stolen or compromised contact account can open your vault with no warning.
- Storing the 1Password Emergency Kit with the master password in a place others can reach. 1Password warns that writing the password on the kit adds risk if someone else gets hold of it. A sealed envelope in a home safe or with your will is the usual compromise.
- Forgetting shared family vaults. Passwords in a shared family vault stay available to the other members, which can cover the essentials without emergency access at all.
Questions
Can my emergency contact see my passwords while I am alive? Not without requesting access first. Bitwarden and LastPass notify you when a request starts and let you deny it during the wait time. Keeper starts its delay when your contact first tries to open your vault.
Does my contact need to pay? In Bitwarden and LastPass, you need a paid plan to add contacts; your contact needs their own account in the same app. Keeper limits Emergency Access to its personal and family plans and requires your contact to have a Keeper account.
What if I change password managers? Set up emergency access again in the new app and delete the old account, so nobody inherits an outdated vault.
Is a password manager safer than writing passwords down? Yes, for most people. A sealed list cannot be updated and must be rewritten each time a password changes, which rarely happens.
Digital Legacy & Account Access Kit · $24
Includes a one-page access map for your password manager, recovery codes, authenticator app and phone passcode, recording where each one is without writing the secrets down, plus every legacy tool setup and a checklist for your family.
Checked against Bitwarden, LastPass, Keeper, 1Password, Apple and Google help pages in November 2026. Plans and menu names change; check your app’s current help page.
Sources
- Bitwarden Help Center: Emergency access
- 1Password Support: About your Emergency Kit
- Apple Support: How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account
- LastPass: Emergency Access
- Keeper: Emergency Access
