What to Do With a Will After Signing

Probate is normally granted based on the original signed will, not a photocopy, so where you keep that original document matters. Common options include a fireproof home safe, a bank's safe deposit box, storage with a solicitor, or a dedicated will storage service. Whatever you choose, the priority is that it survives fire, flood or simple loss over what could be decades.

Avoid attaching paperclips, staples or sticky notes directly to the will itself. Marks left by fasteners, or evidence that something was once attached and later removed, can sometimes raise questions during probate about whether pages have been added or taken away. See our guide on where to store a will for a full comparison of the options.

A valid will that cannot be located is treated, in practice, in much the same way as no will at all, because nobody knows to apply for probate using it. Tell your executor, or at least one trusted person, exactly where the original is kept and how to access it, including any relevant safe combinations, keys or account details for a storage service.

You do not need to show your executor the contents if you would rather keep them private for now, only the location and how to retrieve it. It is worth writing this information down somewhere separate from the will itself, such as a letter of wishes or a simple note kept with other important documents.

It is sensible to keep a copy of your will for your own reference, and it can help your executor understand your wishes while they locate the original. However, a copy cannot generally be used to obtain probate on its own if the original cannot be found; in that situation, there is a legal presumption that a missing original was deliberately destroyed and therefore revoked, which can be difficult and costly to overturn.

For this reason, treat the copy as a convenience, never as a backup for the real document. If you lose the original, the safest course is to make a new will rather than relying on a copy being accepted.

If you later make minor changes using a codicil, a short legal document amending an existing will, keep it physically together with the original will so both are found at the same time. Loose codicils that get separated from the main document can be missed entirely, or can create confusion about which provisions currently apply.

For anything beyond a small, specific change, it is usually simpler and clearer to make an entirely new will that revokes the old one, rather than building up several codicils. See our guide on how to change a will for guidance on which route suits your situation.

Marriage or civil partnership automatically revokes an earlier will in most cases, unless the will was made specifically in contemplation of that marriage, so this is a moment to check your will exists and is current rather than assume it does. Divorce does not revoke a will, but it does usually treat an ex-spouse as having died before you for the purposes of gifts and executor appointments, which can leave gaps.

Other good moments to review your will include the birth of a child or grandchild, a significant change in the value or nature of your assets, moving house, or simply the passage of several years. See our guide on when to update your will for a fuller list of triggers.