The Complete List of Forgotten Online Accounts — and How to Find Them
A practical guide for families organising their digital life
Most people have far more online accounts than they realise.
Email. Banking. Subscriptions. Shopping. Cloud storage. Loyalty programs. Social media.
Over time, these accounts accumulate — and many are completely forgotten.
The problem is that forgotten online accounts can still contain personal information, payment details, subscriptions, photos, documents or financial assets.
This guide will help you identify the online accounts you may have forgotten — and show you some simple ways to find them.
This becomes a serious problem when families need to:
organise important information
help ageing parents manage technology
locate financial accounts
manage digital assets after death
This guide outlines the most commonly forgotten online accounts so you can make sure nothing important is missed.
Why Forgotten Online Accounts Matter
Untracked accounts can create several problems for families:
Important financial assets can be missed
Many people forget about:
PayPal balances
investment apps
cryptocurrency wallets
unused gift cards or loyalty points
Subscriptions may continue charging
Streaming services, cloud storage, and app subscriptions often keep charging long after they’re forgotten.
Important information becomes inaccessible
If login details are lost, family members may not be able to access:
photos
documents
financial information
personal communications
Organising these accounts now helps ensure clarity and peace of mind for the future.
How to Find Forgotten Online Accounts
You don't have to rely on memory to find old accounts. Your existing email inboxes, devices and financial records can provide useful clues.
Search your email inbox
Search for words and phrases commonly found in account emails, such as:
“Welcome”
“Verify your email”
“Confirm your account”
“Reset your password”
“Your subscription”
“Receipt”
“Your order”
“Payment received”
Try this in every email address you've used over the years.
Check saved passwords
Look at the passwords saved in your browser, phone or password manager.
You may discover websites and services you haven't used for years.
Don't immediately delete anything. Make a note of the account first.
Look through your bank and credit card statements
Recurring transactions can reveal forgotten:
subscriptions
memberships
apps
cloud storage
software
streaming services
online services
Look back over several months rather than checking only your latest statement.
Check old phones and tablets
An old device can be a surprisingly useful record of your digital life.
Look through installed apps and note any accounts or services you recognise.
Check your app stores
Your Apple App Store or Google Play history may reveal apps you've previously downloaded, including ones no longer installed on your current device.
Look at your social sign-ins
If you've used options such as “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Apple”, check the services connected to those accounts.
Don't try to fix everything as you find it.
Start by creating a list.
Once you know what you have, you can decide what needs to be kept, updated, secured or closed.
The Complete List of Online Accounts People Often Forget
Use this list as a starting point when organising your digital life.
Email Accounts
Many people have multiple email accounts created over the years.
Common examples include:
Gmail
Outlook / Hotmail
Yahoo Mail
Apple iCloud email
work email accounts
Older accounts are often forgotten but may still contain important information.
Banking and Financial Accounts
These are some of the most important accounts to track.
Examples include:
online banking
credit card portals
superannuation accounts
share trading platforms
investment platforms
cryptocurrency exchanges
PayPal or online wallets
Some people also have multiple bank accounts created years ago that are no longer used regularly.
Government Accounts
In Australia, government portals are essential to manage.
Examples include:
MyGov
Medicare
ATO
Centrelink
Service NSW
My Health Record
These accounts often contain critical personal records.
Shopping Accounts
Online shopping accounts are extremely common and often forgotten.
Examples include:
Amazon
eBay
Afterpay
PayPal linked shopping accounts
store loyalty accounts
airline shopping portals
These accounts may store payment details or delivery addresses.
Subscriptions and Streaming Services
Subscriptions quietly accumulate over time.
Common examples include:
Netflix
Disney+
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Premium
newspaper subscriptions
software subscriptions
Many people forget these accounts entirely.
Cloud Storage Accounts
Cloud storage often contains valuable personal data.
Examples include:
Google Drive
Dropbox
Apple iCloud
Microsoft OneDrive
These accounts may hold:
family photos
scanned documents
backups of phones or computers
Social Media Accounts
Even unused social accounts should be recorded.
Examples include:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter / X
TikTok
Pinterest
Families may need access to these accounts in the future.
Travel and Loyalty Programs
These accounts frequently contain valuable points or rewards.
Examples include:
airline frequent flyer programs
hotel loyalty programs
credit card rewards programs
Many people forget about points accumulated over many years.
Utility and Household Accounts
Many everyday services now require online accounts.
Examples include:
electricity providers
gas providers
water services
internet providers
insurance portals
These accounts often contain important billing information.
Apps Linked to Phones or Tablets
Mobile devices create dozens of app accounts.
Examples include:
ride-sharing apps
food delivery apps
fitness apps
banking apps
health tracking apps
Even if the app is no longer used, the account may still exist.
Health and Medical Accounts
Examples could include:
health insurance portals
pharmacy accounts
medical appointment platforms
pathology or imaging portals
health and wellbeing apps
Memberships and Community Accounts
Examples:
clubs and associations
professional memberships
sporting organisations
charities
online communities
course and learning platforms
How to Start Organising Your Online Accounts
A simple first step is to create a master list of accounts, including:
the service name
associated email address
username
notes about the account
Passwords should never be written in an unsafe way, but having a clear record of accounts helps families understand what exists.
Want to Make Sure You Haven't Missed Anything?
Trying to remember every account, service and digital asset you've accumulated over the years isn't easy.
That's why I've created the free Family Digital Asset Checklist.
It covers more than 100 digital assets and accounts families commonly need to identify — giving you a practical starting point without trying to organise everything at once.
Prefer Some Personal Help?
If organising your accounts, passwords and important digital information feels overwhelming, Digital Care Services Australia also provides personalised digital organisation support.
I help seniors and families bring structure to their online accounts, passwords, documents and digital information — calmly and one step at a time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Search old email inboxes for account confirmations, password resets, receipts and subscription emails. You can also check saved passwords, bank statements, old devices and your app download history for clues about accounts you've created over the years.
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Most people accumulate many online accounts over time, often across multiple email addresses, devices and services. Because accounts are created gradually, it's easy to forget about ones that haven't been used for years.
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Not necessarily straight away. First identify the account and check whether it contains information, photos, purchases, subscriptions or other records you may want to keep. Once you've determined that an account is no longer needed, you can investigate how to close or delete it safely.
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Keeping a record of important online accounts can help you understand what exists and make it easier to manage your digital information. It can also give someone you trust a starting point if they ever need to help you.
You don't necessarily need to record passwords alongside the account list.
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Digital assets can include online accounts, email, photos, documents, subscriptions, cloud storage, websites, social media profiles and other information or property that exists digitally.
