Email accounts often hold years of personal messages, photos and important paperwork. So, when someone dies, knowing how to manage their email accounts after death can feel like a daunting task. This guide explains why it matters, how the main providers handle the accounts of people who have died, and what you can do now to make things easier for your own family.
Why Managing Email Accounts After Death Matters
Dealing with a person’s email accounts serves several purposes. First, it protects their privacy and personal information. Second, emails can point executors towards bank accounts, bills, subscriptions and other assets that need dealing with. In addition, many emails and attachments have sentimental value. Finally, closing or securing accounts reduces the risk of fraud and identity theft.
How the Main Email Providers Handle Accounts
Each provider has its own process, and these processes change from time to time. Therefore, always check the provider’s current help pages before you start. In general, you will need a copy of the death certificate and proof of your own identity. You may also need evidence that you are the executor or next of kin.
Google (Gmail)
Google offers an Inactive Account Manager. With it, account holders can choose what happens to their account after a set period of inactivity. They can name up to ten trusted contacts to receive some of their data, and they can choose whether the account should then be deleted.
If no plan was set up, family members or executors can use Google’s online form for a deceased user’s account. Through it, you can ask Google to close the account, or ask for some data to be released. Google reviews each request individually, and it does not normally give out passwords or full access.
Apple (iCloud)
Since late 2021, Apple users can add a Legacy Contact to their Apple Account. After death, the Legacy Contact can apply for access to much of the stored data, such as photos, messages and notes. To do so, they need the access key the account holder created, plus a death certificate.
Without a Legacy Contact, the position is stricter. Family members can usually ask Apple to delete the account by providing a death certificate. However, Apple will generally only allow access to the account’s contents with a court order.
Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail, Live)
Microsoft does not hand over passwords or transfer accounts. Instead, an Outlook.com or Hotmail account will normally close after a long period of inactivity. For any data request, contact Microsoft directly to find out what is currently possible. Release of contents may require formal legal authority.
Yahoo
Yahoo’s process focuses on closing the account rather than granting access. Typically, you send a request with the person’s Yahoo ID and a copy of the death certificate. Processing times vary, so allow several weeks.
What If You Do Not Have Login Details?
If your loved one did not leave their login details, there are still steps you can take. First, look for written records of their accounts, or a password manager with an emergency access feature. Next, check whether any computer, phone or tablet is still signed in. However, avoid simply logging in with a guessed password. Instead, use the provider’s official process for deceased users, which is the safer route legally.
The Law in England and Wales
There is currently no specific legislation in England and Wales on access to a person’s digital accounts after death. However, several general rules are relevant.
First, executors have authority to deal with the estate, which can include assets held online. Even so, the provider’s terms of service often limit what they can do with an email account. Many accounts cannot be transferred at all.
Second, accessing someone else’s account without authorisation could amount to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. For this reason, using a provider’s official process matters.
Third, UK data protection law only applies to living people. Nevertheless, providers still protect deceased users’ accounts under their own policies, partly because emails also contain the personal data of the living people who sent them.
The Law Commission has also looked at digital assets in recent years. So, the law in this area may develop further.
Making It Easier for Your Loved Ones
You can take some simple steps now to reduce the burden on your family:
- Set up the legacy features your providers offer, such as Google’s Inactive Account Manager and Apple’s Legacy Contact.
- Keep a secure, up-to-date list of your online accounts, and tell your executors where to find it.
- Consider a reputable password manager that offers emergency access for a trusted person.
- Record your wishes for each account in a letter of wishes, kept with your Will.
Do not put passwords in your Will itself. After probate, a Will becomes a public document, and passwords change over time anyway. For more on social media, see our separate guide to managing social media accounts after death.
The Takeaway
Managing someone’s email accounts after death is easier when you understand each provider’s process and use the official routes. In addition, a little planning now can save your own family a great deal of time and worry later.
We can talk you through including your digital assets and a letter of wishes when you make your Will. Call 01865 507174 or email info@adewills.co.uk. If you are dealing with an estate, A.D.E. Wills does not handle probate, but we can refer you to an appropriate professional.
