How to access or close someone's email after they die
Email providers won't give you a password, and most won't let you read a deceased person's inbox without either a pre-set nomination or a court order. They will generally close the account if you send a death certificate and proof you're next of kin or executor. The process depends on the provider.
Last changed: 19 October 2026Why email matters so much: the inbox is usually the map to everything else. Bills, bank statements, subscriptions and password-reset links all arrive there. If you can't get in, you'll be working out their accounts the slow way.
Gmail (Google)
- If they set up Inactive Account Manager, their chosen contacts (up to 10) get an automatic email with a download link after the account has been inactive for the period they picked. (Google)
- If they didn't, submit Google's deceased user request. You can ask to close the account, recover funds, or request data. Google reviews each case, never provides passwords, and releases content only in certain circumstances.
- Order matters: submit any data request before a closure request. Once Google closes the account, it can't process a data request later.
- Untouched accounts don't last forever. Google can delete an account that has been inactive across Google for at least two years.
Want this done for you? See the Guided Inventory ↓
Outlook, Hotmail, Live and MSN (Microsoft)
- Microsoft only considers releasing a deceased person's emails or OneDrive files after being served with a valid subpoena or court order. There's no simple next-of-kin form for Australia. (Microsoft)
- If you lawfully hold their sign-in details (for example, left in their estate records), you can close the account yourself. Closed accounts can be reopened within 60 days.
- If nobody acts, Outlook.com and OneDrive accounts are frozen after one year of inactivity, and their emails and files are deleted shortly after. If anything in there matters, act within that year.
Yahoo
Yahoo will not provide passwords or access to the inbox, because accounts aren't transferable under its terms. It will close the account, stop billing and delete the contents. Send Yahoo Australia: (Yahoo AU Help)
- A letter with your request and the deceased's Yahoo ID
- A copy of the document appointing you executor or personal representative
- A copy of the death certificate
Post to: Concierge Executive Escalations, Yahoo Australia Pty Ltd, Level 3, 223 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.
Telstra / BigPond email
Telstra email is tied to the Telstra account. To keep using it, it must be transferred to a new account holder. Request this on Telstra's Bereavement Support form at the same time you deal with their phone and internet. (Telstra)
What you'll usually need
- Death certificate
- Your ID
- Grant of probate, letters of administration, or the will showing you as executor
- The exact email address
Make it easier for your own family
An inbox is the one account your executor most needs and is least likely to get into. Setting up Google's Inactive Account Manager takes five minutes. For Microsoft and Yahoo, which have no equivalent, the practical fix is a password manager with emergency access. We recommend Bitwarden. The Legacy Mapped Guided Inventory walks you through your email accounts one by one and includes the Digital Vault Guide to setting up Bitwarden, so your executor can request access after a waiting period without a password ever being written down.
- Includes the $49 Digital Estate Kit
- Generates your finished inventory, ready to print
- Encrypted on your device with your own passphrase — we never see your answers
- Sign in with your email and a one-time code · 12 months’ access
This guide is general information only, not legal, financial or tax advice. Providers change their processes, so always confirm the current steps on the linked official page. For advice on a specific estate, speak with a solicitor, accountant or licensed financial adviser.