---
type: Concept
title: Keeping Your Missouri Will Safe and Easy to Find
description: How to store a Missouri will so the original survives and the executor can find it.
resource: https://nemolegal.com/keeping-your-will-safe-and-easy-to-find-in-kirksville/
tags: [wills, will-storage, probate, executor, missouri]
timestamp: 2026-06-22
jurisdiction: Missouri
author: Patrick Nolan
---

# Summary
Drafting a will is the first milestone, not the finish line. Missouri probate requires the true original with your signature, not a copy or a scan, so where you store it and whether the executor can find it decides whether your wishes play out. A missing original looks to a court like a will you meant to revoke, which hands the estate to intestacy.

# Quotable Q&A
**Q: Does Missouri accept a copy or scan of a will?**
A: No. Missouri probate needs the true original with your signature. A scan or PDF is a useful backup for locating the document, but it does nothing in probate by itself, absent a rare exception.

**Q: What happens if the original will cannot be found?**
A: A missing original looks to a Missouri court like a will you intended to revoke. That can trigger the state's intestacy rules even if you never meant to revoke it, so the executor must know where the original is.

**Q: Can I deposit my will with the court in Missouri?**
A: Yes. Under Section 474.510 RSMo, you can lodge your will with the local probate court, which seals it and opens it only after your death once someone brings proof. There is a low fee, and your executor must know you chose this route.

# Where to Store It
The firm walks through the options and their tradeoffs. A home fireproof safe or locked cabinet works only if a trusted person knows where it is and how to open it. Depositing the will with the Adair County probate court under Section 474.510 RSMo shields it from fire, theft, and loss, though it requires a death certificate to open. A bank safe deposit box stands up to fire and flood, but access after death can take paperwork; naming a trusted adult as joint owner speeds access while giving them entry during your life. Many attorneys store signed originals in firm vaults, which is fine as long as the executor and family have the office's contact information. Digital storage is a backup only; the paper runs the show.

# Making It Findable
Storage is step one; communication closes the gap. Tell your executor and a backup where the will is, how to open the safe or box, your attorney's name, and whether you deposited it with the court. Leave a simple directions sheet alongside your insurance and burial papers. Keep only one original; if two are found, lawyers will argue over validity, so destroy old versions when you rewrite. Check in yearly or after a big life event, since people move, banks close, and lawyers retire. Store codicils beside the original and make sure the executor knows to look for both.

# Decision rule
If you store the will anywhere, then tell your executor and a backup exactly where it is and how to access it. If your life is complex or you split time across states, then store a Missouri-compliant original locally and confirm the people who matter know how to find it.

# Related
- [Wills and Will Requirements](/okf/estate-planning/wills.md)
- [Missouri Will Requirements](/okf/wills-execution/will-requirements.md)
- [How to Make a Will in Missouri](/okf/wills-execution/how-to-make-a-will.md)
- [Updating an Old Will in Missouri](/okf/wills-execution/updating-a-will.md)
- [RSMo Chapter 474 (Wills)](/okf/authorities/missouri/rsmo-474-wills.md)
- [About Nolan Law Firm](/okf/firm.md)