DeadSwitch

Guide for Beneficiaries

If you’re reading this, someone who cared about you used DeadSwitch to make sure you’d have access to their important information. This guide walks you through everything you need to know.

What Just Happened

Someone you know set up a DeadSwitch vault — an encrypted USB drive containing important information they wanted to pass along to you. The system has detected that they are no longer checking in, and after multiple escalation stages and a final grace period, it has delivered your access credentials.

This email is real. It is not spam, a scam, or a phishing attempt. The person who set this up specifically chose to include you. If you’re unsure, look for the person’s name in the email — they may have also written a personal message for you.

What You Received

Your email from DeadSwitch contains:

  • The name of the person who designated you
  • A personal message they may have written for you
  • A unique access code — a long string of characters (this is your decryption key)
  • Step-by-step instructions for accessing the vault

What You’ll Need

Before you can access the vault, make sure you have these three things:

  1. The USB drive — A physical USB device the person should have given you or told you about. It may also be in a location mentioned in the email or on your emergency card.
  2. Your emergency card — A printed card with your name and a secret code. The person who set up DeadSwitch should have given this to you in person, or told you where to find it.
  3. The email you received — Contains your unique access code.

Can’t find the USB or emergency card? Check with other family members. The person may have stored the USB in a safe, filing cabinet, or with their lawyer. The emergency card may be with important papers.

How to Access the Vault

Step 1: Insert the USB Drive

Plug the DeadSwitch USB into any computer — Windows, macOS, or Linux all work. The app should open automatically. If it doesn’t, navigate to the USB drive in your file explorer and double-click the DeadSwitch application.

Step 2: Select Beneficiary Mode

When the app opens, you’ll see an option to “Unlock as Beneficiary”. Select this option. Do not try to log in with a master password — you don’t need one.

Step 3: Enter Your Codes

You’ll be prompted to enter two things:

  • The access code from the email you received
  • The secret code from your emergency card

Enter both codes carefully. They are case-sensitive — uppercase and lowercase letters matter.

Step 4: View Your Items

Once unlocked, you’ll see only the items that were specifically assigned to you. This might include:

  • Passwords & logins — website and app credentials
  • Financial accounts — bank accounts, investments, retirement
  • Crypto wallets — seed phrases, private keys, exchange access
  • Important documents — wills, deeds, insurance policies
  • Medical records — conditions, medications, providers
  • Legal documents — power of attorney, trusts
  • Personal messages — text, video, or audio recordings made for you

Video and audio messages can be played directly in the app. These are personal recordings the person made specifically for you. Take your time with them.

Important Things to Know

  • You can only see items assigned to you. Other beneficiaries may have received access to different items. This is by design — the person chose what each person should receive.
  • The vault is read-only. You cannot modify, add, or delete any items. This protects the integrity of the information.
  • There is no rush. The USB drive will work whenever you’re ready. There is no expiration date. If you need time before looking through everything, that’s completely okay.
  • You can access it multiple times. The USB drive doesn’t lock after one use. You can come back to it whenever you need to reference something.

If Something Isn’t Working

  • Codes not accepted? Make sure you’re entering them exactly as they appear, including capitalization. Copy-paste from the email if possible.
  • App won’t open? Try a different computer. The USB works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Some older systems may need a USB 3.0 port.
  • USB appears damaged? Contact us at support@dead-switch.com. If the drive is physically broken, we may be able to help if the person had a cloud backup enabled.

About DeadSwitch

DeadSwitch is a digital estate planning tool that helps people ensure their important information reaches the right people at the right time. All vault data is encrypted and stored on the physical USB drive — not in the cloud. Nobody, including us, can see what’s in the vault.

If you have questions about how the system works, visit our How It Works page or the Security Model page.