How to Close Email Accounts After Someone Dies

Closing out accounts is one of the many tasks that one needs to take care of after a loved one dies. If you don't have access to the email account, this can become a little difficult as you'll likely need to get in touch with customer support to get help with closing the account. Keep reading to find out more about how to access a deceased person's email account and how to close or delete an account after someone passes away.

Why should I close or delete an email account after someone passes away?

Closing or deleting an email account after someone passes away is important for a few reasons. It can alert companies or others that the account no longer exists, which will prompt them to try and get in touch another way (especially if the email is important). Deleting or closing an email account can also help protect the decedent's identity and prevent bad actors from getting into emails they should otherwise not access.

Do I need access to the email account in order to close it?

In most cases, you do not need access to the email account in order to close it. However, you will likely need some documentation in order to close the account, which you'll want to gather before getting in touch with support.

How to access a deceased person's email account

If you know the password to the account, accessing it is as easy as logging in with the email and password combination. If you don't have the password, you can check a password manager or see if the decedent had their passwords written down anywhere. Many of these companies will not easily give you access to the account if you don't already have access. If you need to access the deceased person's email account, it's worth getting in touch with the company to see what forms and documentation they'd need in order to hand over control of the account. In most cases, you'll just be able to close or deactivate the account instead of accessing it directly.

What to do before contacting support

There are a few steps that you should take before you contact support to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

Locate the email addresses

This is quite easy if you know the email address by heart, but can be a little tricky if you're not sure of the emails that need to be closed. There are a few ways you can locate email addresses, including:

1. Checking your own inbox for emails from the decedent’s email address
2. Go into different accounts you already have access to, click on ‘Settings’ or ‘My Account’ and see what email address is listed there.
3. See if the email address is listed on any bills the decedent has.

Switch email addresses on any necessary accounts

If you have access to any billing accounts that you're still working on closing or still need access to, it's worth switching the email on the account to one that you aren't closing and that you have access to.

Gather documentation

The documentation needed to close the account can vary by company to company. In general, here's the kind of documentation you'll need:

• A copy of the death certificate
• The decedent's full name
• The email address listed on the account
• A copy of your identification, proving your relationship to the deceased (such as a license or photo ID)

It's a good idea to have this on hand before you get in touch with support so that the process can be as simple as possible.

Handle tasks with our checklist

How to close a deceased individual's email account

Once you've gathered the documentation and know the emails that have to be closed, it's time to contact support.

How to close a Gmail account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close a Gmail account:

1. Head to the ‘Data & Privacy’ section in your Google account.
2. Scroll down to ‘Your data & privacy options’.
3. Click ‘More Options’
4. Click ‘Delete your Google Account’
5. Follow the steps given on the account deletion page.

If you do not have access to the account, fill out all the fields on this form. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's country & zip code
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an Apple Mail account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Apple account:

1. Sign into Apple's ‘Data & Privacy’ page here.
2. Click 'Request to delete your account' under the Delete your account section.
3. Follow the instructions given by Apple in order to delete the account. If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact Apple support by phone at 1-800-275-2273. You'll need the following information:
4. The decedent's Apple ID
5. The decedent's email address
6. A copy of the death certificate

How to close an AOL account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close a AOL account:

1. Sign in to the account deletion page.
2. Follow the instructions on the page.

If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to get in touch with AOL customer support by phone at 1-800-827-6364. You'll likely need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an Outlook account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Outlook account:

1. Head to the 'Close your account' page.
2. Sign into the account that you're trying to delete.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to delete the account.
4. Select 'Mark account for closure'.

If you do not have access to the account, you have a few options. Outlook and OneDrive accounts are automatically frozen after 1 year. Microsoft accounts expire automatically after 2 years of inactivity. If you'd like to, you can wait and these accounts will automatically freeze or expire.

If you want to close the account and not have to wait, you'll want to contact Microsoft support at 1 (800) 642-7676 or by contacting them on their support page. You'll likely need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

Please note: If you are looking for how to delete Hotmail accounts, you'll follow these steps, as well, since Microsoft controls Hotmail accounts.

How to close a Yahoo account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Yahoo account: 1. Sign into the account closure page. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to delete your account. If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to get in touch with AOL customer support by phone at 1-800-827-6364. You'll need the following information: * A letter stating your request to close the account, that includes the Yahoo ID / email address * A copy of the document that appoints you as the personal representative, administrator, or executor * A copy of the death certificate Mail in this information to:

Concierge Executive Escalations
Yahoo 22000 AOL Way
Dulles, VA 20166

How to close an Mozilla Thunderbird account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Mozilla Thunderbird account:

1. Go to Account Actions.

2. Click the option to remove the account. If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact Mozilla Thunderbird's support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

3. Full name of the decedent

4. Email address of the decedent
5. Full name of relative/legal representative
6. Email address of relative/legal representative
7. Your relationship to the decedent
8. Decedent's date of death
9. A scan of your driver's license or ID
10. A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an Yandex account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Yandex account:

1. Log in to the account and click your name icon in the top right-hand corner.
2. Click Account settings.
3. Click 'Delete account' at the bottom of the page.
4. Review the information and follow the instructions to delete your account.

If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact Yandex support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an Zoho Mail account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an Zoho account:

1. Sign into the account.
2. Click Settings and scroll down to 'Close Account'.
3. Click Close Account.
4. Follow on-screen prompts and close the account.

If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact Zoho support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an ProtonMail account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an ProtonMail account:

1. Sign into the account.
2. Click Settings and 'Go to settings'.
3. Click Password & recovery.
4. Scroll down and click 'Delete your account'.
5. Follow on-screen prompts and close the account.

If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact ProtonMail support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an GMX Mail account after someone dies

If you have access to the account and can log in, here are the steps to close an GMX Mail account:

1. Log into the account.
2. Click Home and 'My Account'.
3. Click Delete Account.
4. Enter the password.
5. Click Save changes.

If you do not have access to the account, you'll need to contact GMX Mail support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

How to close an Trustifi account after someone dies

If you do not have access to the account (or even if you do), you'll need to contact Trustifi support at their support page. You'll need the following information:

• Full name of the decedent
• Email address of the decedent
• Full name of relative/legal representative
• Email address of relative/legal representative
• Your relationship to the decedent
• Decedent's date of death
• A scan of your driver's license or ID
• A scan of the decedent's death certificate

Closing email accounts after someone passes away is important as there may be important documents or information being sent to these emails that are essentially being sent into the void. It's also helpful to notify companies that the email address is no longer in use.

Handle tasks with our checklist