Digital Accounts After Divorce: Passwords, Streaming, and Security
Bank accounts and real estate get all the attention during a divorce. Digital accounts barely register — until your ex shows up in your shared photo stream, watches your Netflix history, or accesses your email through a saved password. The digital footprint of a marriage is sprawling, and courts do not issue orders about who keeps the Disney+ subscription.
Separating shared digital accounts is not legally complex, but it is tedious and easy to defer. The risk of deferring is real: a shared account is a window into your post-divorce life that neither party should have.
Passwords First
If you and your ex shared a password manager (1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden), the other person potentially has access to every account you ever saved a password for. Change the master password on your own vault immediately. If you shared a family vault, migrate your entries to a new individual vault and leave the shared one.
Even without a shared password manager, most couples know or can guess each other's passwords. Change passwords on every account that matters:
- Email (this is the master key — password reset links go here)
- Banking and financial accounts
- Cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox)
- Social media
- Amazon, PayPal, and any account with a saved credit card
Use unique passwords for each account. A password manager makes this manageable.
Two-Factor Authentication
If your ex-spouse's phone number is set as the two-factor authentication (2FA) backup on any of your accounts, they can intercept login codes. Check the 2FA settings on your email, banking, and cloud accounts. Remove your ex's phone number and replace it with your own. Switch to an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy) rather than SMS codes where possible — authenticator apps are tied to your physical device, not a phone number that could be ported or intercepted.
Similarly, check whether your ex is listed as a recovery contact or trusted device on your Apple ID, Google account, or Microsoft account. Remove them.
Streaming and Subscription Services
Most streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Spotify, YouTube Premium) allow family plans with multiple profiles. If the account is in your ex's name and you have a profile on it, you will lose access when they decide to remove you — or you will continue sharing an account indefinitely, which keeps a data connection between your households.
The clean break: cancel your profile on any account owned by your ex, and set up your own subscriptions. If the account is in your name and you want to keep it, remove your ex's profile and change the password.
Free Download
Get the Wisconsin — After-Divorce Life-Admin Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
Cloud Storage and Shared Albums
Shared iCloud Photo Libraries, Google Photos partner sharing, and shared Dropbox folders give your ex ongoing access to photos, documents, and location metadata. Turn off sharing features and review what is in shared folders before deleting them — you may want to download copies of photos or documents first.
Cellular Family Plans
If you shared a cellular family plan, separate the lines. The account holder controls the entire plan, including the ability to view call and text logs, add or remove lines, and change billing. Contact the carrier to transfer your line to an individual account. You may need both parties to authorize the transfer.
Smart Home Devices
If you shared smart home devices — Ring doorbells, Nest cameras, smart locks, Alexa, Google Home — the person with admin access can view camera feeds, unlock doors, and access voice history from anywhere. Remove your ex from admin access or factory-reset shared devices and set them up under your own account.
Securing your digital life after divorce is a one-time project that takes a few hours. The Wisconsin After-Divorce Checklist includes a digital security audit section that lists every account category with checkboxes for password changes, 2FA updates, and access removal.
Get Your Free Wisconsin — After-Divorce Life-Admin Checklist
Download the Wisconsin — After-Divorce Life-Admin Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.