Closing Email Accounts After a Death: Gmail, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo

To close a deceased person's email account, you ask the email provider to do it. You do not log in and delete it yourself, and providers will not give you the password. Wait before you act: the inbox is usually how you find and unlock the rest of the person's accounts, so most executors keep it open until the estate is settled. Google, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo each have different rules, covered below.

Should I close the email account right away?

No, unless there is a reason to, such as a risk of fraud. An email address is the recovery route for most online accounts. Banks, insurers, utilities, subscription services and government portals send password-reset links, statements and final notices there.

If you close the address early, you may find you can no longer reset the password on the life insurance portal, the pension account or a utility. Keep it open while you:

• find which accounts use the address, from statements, receipts and "welcome" emails
• move each account to the executor's contact details, or close it
• stop subscriptions and recurring payments
• collect final tax documents and account statements

Our estate inventory checklist helps you track what you find.

Can I get into the email account?

Not by asking for the password. Google says it cannot provide passwords or other login details. Microsoft's agreement says you cannot transfer your account credentials to someone else, and Yahoo's terms say accounts are non-transferable and any rights end when the account holder dies.

The privacy law behind this is the federal Stored Communications Act. It generally bars providers from disclosing the contents of communications unless the sender, recipient or account holder has given lawful consent (18 U.S.C. § 2702). Most states also have a version of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA). Under Florida's version, an executor can usually get a list of who the person emailed and when. The message content itself needs the person's prior consent (through a provider tool or their will) or a court order that says it is reasonably necessary to administer the estate.

If you already have the password, for example from a password manager the person set up, be aware that providers' terms generally forbid using someone else's credentials. The law on a family member doing it is unsettled and varies by state. Ask an estate attorney before you sign in to important accounts, and use the provider's own process when you can. Our guide to password management after death covers how passwords are meant to be passed on.

How do I close or get data from each provider?

Google and Gmail

Google says it "can work with immediate family members and representatives to close the account of a deceased person where appropriate" and may provide content in certain circumstances. Start at Google's "Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account" page. Decide about saving data first: if you choose closure, Google says it cannot turn over the contents later. Our Google Inactive Account Manager guide explains the tool the person could have set up.

Apple and iCloud Mail

If the person named a Legacy Contact, that contact needs the access key and a death certificate, and can get into the account's data for three years from when Apple approves the first request. After that the account is permanently deleted. The Legacy Contact can reach items such as iCloud Mail, notes, photos and device backups, but not purchased media or the iCloud Keychain. Without a Legacy Contact, Apple asks for a court order that names the deceased and their Apple Account, names the requester, states the requester is the legal personal representative, agent or heir, and directs Apple to assist. See our Apple Legacy Contact guide.

Microsoft: Outlook, Hotmail and OneDrive

Microsoft's agreement says you must sign in to Outlook.com and OneDrive at least once in a one-year period or Microsoft will close them, and must sign in to the account at least once in two years. When an account is closed, Microsoft says it will delete the data and cannot retrieve it. That makes timing important: if you need the mail or files, act before the clock runs out. Microsoft's support site sets out its process for family members, and its requirements can change, so read the current instructions before you start.

Yahoo

Yahoo's terms say all accounts are non-transferable and any rights to them end on the account holder's death. The terms also allow Yahoo to terminate accounts for inactivity. Contact Yahoo support about closing the account and ask what it will release.

Work or school email

An account from an employer or school belongs to that organization. Contact its IT or HR department promptly, since it decides what happens to the files and when the account is removed.

What documents do providers ask for?

It varies, but expect some or all of these:

• a certified death certificate (order extra copies; our guide to how many death certificates you need helps)
• your government ID
• proof you are the executor, usually court-issued letters, or proof you are next of kin
• the email address of the account
• a court order for content, if the provider requires one

For a formal request to a provider under Florida's law, the representative must give a written request, a certified death certificate, the court papers naming them and information identifying the account. Other states' rules differ in detail.

What to do if the account is left alone

Providers can close accounts that go unused. Google says it may delete a personal account that has been inactive across Google for at least two years, and sends notices to the account's email and any recovery address first. Accounts with active subscriptions or purchases have exceptions. Microsoft's one-year and two-year rules are above.

So if the photos, documents or messages matter, do not wait. If you have lawful access, download a copy first. Google's Takeout tool, which lets the account holder export Mail, Drive and Photos, is the usual method, and archives can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to prepare.

A step-by-step order for executors

1. Get several certified death certificates and your letters of authority, if you need them for the estate. See what an executor does.
2. Find the email addresses the person used. Check their phone, computer, mail and bank statements.
3. Ask whether the person set up Legacy Contact, Inactive Account Manager or a password manager with emergency access.
4. Keep the phone number working until you know which accounts send codes to it.
5. If you have lawful access, list the accounts linked to the inbox, update each to your contact details, and cancel subscriptions.
6. Redirect paper mail and reduce junk mail. See stopping junk mail for a deceased person.
7. When the estate's accounts are all settled and any data saved, send the provider's closure request.

How can I set this up for my own email?

Two steps cover most of the problem. Name a Legacy Contact on your Apple account, and set up Google's Inactive Account Manager. Then add wording on electronic communications to your will so your executor has authority, and keep your master password and phone passcode where your executor can find them. Our digital will guide and password management guide go into detail.

What to do next

1. Make a list of every email address the person used.
2. Check whether a Legacy Contact or Inactive Account Manager was set up.
3. Start a provider request only once you know which accounts depend on the inbox.
4. Talk to a probate attorney if a provider refuses or the estate is contested.