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Wills · 7 min read · Published

Where to Store Your Will and How Your Family Can Find It

Where you keep your will matters as much as what it says. Solicitor storage, the National Will Register, telling your executors, and why only the signed original counts.

By Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP, a solicitor in Bridlington who writes every guide himself.

A black japanned deed box on a scrubbed table with its lid propped open, upright cream folders inside edged with terracotta tabs, one standing a little proud of the rest, and a small brass key in the lock.

Guides · Wills · No. 6 of 18Published · 7 minutes

You can make a careful will, but if nobody can find it after you die, it may as well not exist. People often worry less about what the will says than about where to keep it and how the family will get hold of it. Storing a will well is simple once you know the few things that matter.

Why the signed original is the only one that counts

Under the Wills Act 1837, a valid will in England and Wales must be in writing, signed by you and witnessed by two people. The paper carrying those signatures is your original will, and it is the original the Probate Registry wants to see. Photocopies, scans and PDFs are useful as references. They do not replace the signed paper.

So where you store the will matters as much as what it says. A perfect will that no one can produce is, in practice, no will at all.

Your storage options

There is no single correct place to keep a will, only trade-offs between security, cost and how easily your family will find it. These are the main options.

  • Storage with your solicitor. Many firms, including Aaron's, hold clients' original wills in secure storage and keep a record of whose they are. Your executors simply contact the firm. The will is protected and easy to trace.
  • At home. Fine if you choose a dry, secure spot and tell your executors exactly where it is. A home safe or a sealed document wallet works. A kitchen drawer or a loft box that nobody knows about does not.
  • A bank. Some people keep wills with the bank. Access after death can be slow, because the bank may insist on seeing the grant of probate first, and you cannot get probate without the will. Check the bank's process before choosing this route.
  • A document-storage service. Professional storage companies hold the original for a fee. As with any third party, make sure your executors know who holds it and how to reach them.

The National Will Register: a safety net

Registering does not store the document. It records a signpost. After your death, your executors or their solicitor can search the register and be pointed to whoever holds the original. It is a one-off step, and useful if your family lives away and is not sure where you kept things.

You can register a will made recently or years ago, and you can do it alongside storing the original with your solicitor. The two work together: secure storage keeps the will safe, and the register makes sure it can be found.

Telling your executors: the step people often skip

A common reason wills go missing is not theft or fire. It is that the person who made the will told nobody where it was. You do not have to reveal what is in it. Your executors need to know three things: that a will exists, where the original is kept, and who to contact to get it.

How to brief your executors well

  1. Confirm they are willingCheck the people you have named are happy to act before you rely on them. Being an executor is a real responsibility.
  2. Tell them where the original isName the solicitor, the storage service or the exact place at home. If it is with a firm, give them the firm's name and town.
  3. Write it downLeave a short, dated note with your important papers saying where the will is. Update it if anything changes.
  4. Mention the registerIf you have registered with the National Will Register, tell them, so they know a search will find it even if they lose your note.

Keeping it safe over the years

Storing a will is not a one-off task. A few habits prevent the most common problems.

  • Re-check where your will is kept whenever you move house, change solicitor or update the will.
  • If you make a new will, make sure the old original is dealt with, so the right document is the one that is found.
  • Keep your note at home current. An out-of-date pointer sends the family to the wrong place.
  • Protect the original from damp and fire. A sealed wallet in a safe beats a loft or a damp shed.
  • Tell a second trusted person, as well as your executors, where the will is.

A will only does its job if the family can find the signed original on the worst day of their lives. Secure storage and a simple, honest conversation with your executors are worth as much as the wording itself.

Aaron Johnson, Solicitor and STEP-qualified TEP

Local help keeping your will safe

If you want to know your will is stored securely and can be found when needed, Aaron Johnson, a solicitor and STEP-qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner, will talk it through. He works with families across Bridlington and the Old Town, Driffield, Filey, Hornsea, Beverley, Bempton, Flamborough and the wider East Riding, with fixed fees and home visits. The first call is free and there is no obligation.

Written by Aaron Johnson, Consultant Solicitor and TEP · Law of England and Wales as at 18 June 2026 · Ends

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

General answers for England and Wales. What applies to you depends on your circumstances.

Where is the safest place to store my will?

There is no single safest place. The most reliable options are secure storage with your solicitor or a professional document-storage service, ideally combined with registering the will on the National Will Register so it can be traced. Wherever you keep it, the original must be protected from fire and damp and your executors must know where it is. Home is fine if it is dry and secure and you have told the right people.

Does the National Will Register store a copy of my will?

No. The National Will Register records that a will exists and where the original is held, not its contents. It is a signpost, not a vault. After someone dies, their executors or a solicitor can search the register to find out who holds the original. That is especially helpful when the family is not sure where it was kept.

Do my executors need to know what's in my will?

No. Your executors only need to know that a will exists, where the original is stored and who to contact to obtain it. The contents can stay private until after your death. The simplest approach is to tell them where it is kept and leave a short, dated note with your papers as a backup.

Can my family use a photocopy or scan of my will?

Usually not on its own. The Probate Registry normally requires the signed original, because that is the document the Wills Act 1837 recognises. A copy is useful for reference and for pointing the family to the original. If the signed original cannot be found, the law may presume it was destroyed, which can cause delay and cost. That is why safe, findable storage matters.

Should I keep my will at the bank?

You can, but it is not always practical. Some banks will only release a stored will once they have seen the grant of probate, and you cannot normally obtain probate without the will. That can create a frustrating loop. If you are considering this route, check the bank's exact process for releasing a will after death before deciding.

Next step

Four ways to start. Take the one you are comfortable with.

Or call 01262 310 850. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

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Important

This guide contain general information about the law of England and Wales as at June 2026. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on in place of advice on your own circumstances. Wills, inheritance and intestacy law change often; check any specific point before acting on it. Outcomes for any one person depend on their facts, the documents, and decisions taken by HMRC, the courts and others. Fees shown are fixed once agreed in writing, before any work starts. Safe Harbour Legal is a trading name of Legal Studio Solicitors (MDLS Solicitors Limited, company number 08599445), authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA 598793. The complaints procedure is at safeharbour.legal/complaints-procedure.