Storing a Will Safely: Physical and Digital Storage Guide

Keeping your will safe is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your wishes are followed and your family can settle your affairs with the least stress. As well as the original signed document, you now need a plan for digital details including passwords, online accounts and digital assets. This guide explains practical steps you can take, the options available in England and Wales, and how Beneficial Family Wills and Keylu can help.

Why safe storage matters

You should store your will in a place where it can be found quickly by your executors. Courts and organisations such as the Probate Registry in England and Wales usually expect to see the original signed will when an application for probate is made. If the original will cannot be found, that can delay probate and increase legal costs. There is also a risk that a lost will could be altered or contested.

At the same time, your family will need access to digital information, from online banking to social media and personal photos. Without clear records of logins and digital assets, executors can struggle to gather information and close accounts. The Government provides guidance on wills and probate on GOV.UK, which is a useful authoritative starting point for what is required.

Storing the physical will

Options for keeping the original

• Keep the will with a trusted solicitor or will writer. Many people ask their solicitor to store the original for safekeeping.
• Use a specialist document safe storage service. Services such as Beneficial Family Wills offer secure custody, registration with the National Will Register and insured protection in case of loss.
• If you keep the will at home, store it in a locked, fireproof container and tell your executors exactly where it is kept.

Whichever option you choose, make sure your executors know where to find the original. Consider registering the will with the National Will Register via Certainty so executors can locate it when needed.

Protecting digital details and assets

Digital assets are increasingly important. These may include online bank accounts, pensions, loyalty schemes, cryptocurrency, email, photos and documents. You can leave instructions in your will, but executors will need practical access to accounts and passwords.

Practical steps for digital storage

• Create a secure inventory of logins, account names and providers. Avoid leaving passwords in plain text on paper where they could be lost.
• Use a reputable digital vault or service that releases nominated items to trusted contacts after death. The Keylu platform used by Beneficial Family Wills lets you store documents, videos and secure notes and decide who can access them.
• Make a separate note of cryptocurrency wallets and backup keys. Cryptocurrency requires specific instructions so the executor can transfer or realise the asset.
• Regularly update the list as you open or close accounts and change passwords.

Checklist: simple actions you can take today

1. Decide where the original will will be stored and tell your executor the location.
2. Register the will with the National Will Register to make it easier to locate.
3. Keep copies of the will and important documents in your digital safe, and label them clearly.
4. Create a digital inventory of online accounts and appoint trusted contacts who can help your family access them.
5. Consider storing other documents such as Lasting Powers of Attorney with the same provider to keep everything together.

How Beneficial Family Wills and Keylu can help

Beneficial Family Wills offers a document safe storage service that keeps originals secure, registers wills with Certainty and provides insured protection up to £2 million for losses related to missing legally binding documents. Through the partnership with Keylu you can also store digital copies, videos and secure notes for release to nominated contacts after your death, making it easier for your family to manage your affairs.

Example: you might store your original will with Beneficial Family Wills, upload scanned copies and a digital inventory to Keylu, and record a short video message for your family. When the time comes, your nominated contacts will be able to access the information you have authorised.

Find out more about will writing and how to create a clearly worded will that will be easy to locate. If you are arranging powers of attorney, see our Lasting Power of Attorney service for secure options on storing those documents.

If you would like practical help putting a storage plan in place, or want to discuss how to combine physical custody with digital safe storage, contact Beneficial Family Wills and a member of the team will guide you through the options.

For official information about wills and probate in England and Wales, visit GOV.UK - Wills.