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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/wants-to-know-it-all on 2026-04-01 16:06:19+00:00.
My brother died suddenly 18 months ago. He was divorced with two teenage daughters. The six months after his passing were devastating โ we were completely locked out of his world.
He was obsessively private. and I messed up by never asking him about his will and emergency passwords. Changed passwords constantly, nothing written down, no shared logins. We couldn't get into his Mac, iPhone, or a single account. We didn't know all his friends or where to begin.
TL;DR His will is on his computer. We never found it. His daughters are teenagers who lost their dad โ He was the family photographer - they deserve his photos, 25 years of them, and they deserve to know what he wanted for them.
Apple has been completely useless. We've hit walls at every turn. Has anyone navigated this? Are there legitimate professionals who help families recover digital estates? Any guidance is welcome.