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Free guide ยท five companies, dated

What happens to your online accounts when you die

Each company decides for itself, and most will not simply hand your family a login. Here is what five big companies say today, and what you can set up now so your family is not left guessing.

Companies covered
Google, Apple, Microsoft, PayPal, Dropbox
Checked on
2026-10-02
Source
Each company's own help page
Paid tool
Legacy Map, $29 once

Make a folder for your family: Legacy Map, $29

The short answer

It depends on the company, and on whether you left instructions. Some companies let you name a person ahead of time. Others only deal with a court order, or with the executor of your estate, and a few will close an account by themselves after it sits unused.

None of the five below will give your family your password. If you do nothing, your family has to ask each company separately, with paperwork, and the company may still say no.

This page is not legal advice. The wording below is the companies' own, summarised, and it was checked on 2026-10-02 against copies we saved on 2026-10-01.

What each company says

Google (Gmail, Drive, YouTube and more)

Google has a free tool called Inactive Account Manager. You choose how long your account can sit unused, and who should be told or given your data after that. You can pick up to 10 people, and you can share all your data or only some types. Google says some information cannot be shared.

If you did not set it up, Google says it can work with immediate family members and representatives to close the account where appropriate, and in certain cases may provide content. It says it cannot provide passwords or other login details, and every decision follows a careful review.

Saved copy: Google, as copied 2026-10-01. Original: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546 and https://support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590

Apple (iCloud, photos, messages)

Apple has a free setting called Legacy Contact. You choose someone, and Apple gives you an access key to hand to them. After you die, that person needs the key and your death certificate to ask for access. They do not need an Apple device.

Apple says a Legacy Contact cannot get things like purchased movies, music, books, or what is stored in iCloud Keychain, which holds saved passwords and passkeys. Apple also says that if you name more than one, any one of them can decide what happens to your data, including deleting it.

Saved copy: Apple, as copied 2026-10-01. Original: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102631

Microsoft (Outlook.com, OneDrive)

Microsoft says it is generally unable to give information to anyone but the account holder, and it does not need to be told that someone has died. If a family member knows the login, they can close the account, and Microsoft keeps the data for 60 days in case of a change of mind before deleting it for good.

If the family does not have access, Microsoft says it needs a valid subpoena or court order before it will even consider releasing content, and it says even that does not guarantee help. It also says Outlook.com and OneDrive accounts are frozen after 1 year, with email and files deleted soon after, and that accounts expire after two years of inactivity.

Saved copy: Microsoft, as copied 2026-10-01. Original: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/accessing-outlook-com-onedrive-and-other-microsoft-services-when-someone-has-died-ebbd2860-917e-4b39-9913-212362da6b2f

PayPal

PayPal says it only takes instructions from the executor or administrator of the estate. That person sends a list of documents, including a death certificate, a photo ID, and the will or other legal papers naming the executor. PayPal reviews them and, if approved, closes or locks the account.

Money left in the account is paid out by check in the name of the person who died, or moved to a linked bank account. PayPal says it does not change who owns the funds.

Saved copy: PayPal, as copied 2026-10-01. Original: https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/how-do-i-close-the-paypal-account-of-a-deceased-relative-help220

Dropbox

Dropbox tells families to look first in the Dropbox folder on the person's own computer, because many people have all their files there. If that is not possible, the family has to ask Dropbox through a support ticket.

Dropbox says that request needs proof of death, the requester's ID, and a valid court order, and that it cannot guarantee access. Its page was marked as updated on April 2, 2025.

Saved copy: Dropbox, as copied 2026-10-01. Original: https://help.dropbox.com/account-settings/access-account-of-someone-who-passed-away

The free ways to prepare

You do not need to pay anyone to do the most useful parts. Google's Inactive Account Manager and Apple's Legacy Contact are each the company's own free setting. Here is what a family can do now:

  1. Write down every account that matters: email, photo storage, money accounts, anything with files you would hate to lose.
  2. Switch on Google's Inactive Account Manager and name your people.
  3. On an Apple device, add a Legacy Contact and give them the access key.
  4. Tell your executor, or whoever will handle your affairs, that PayPal wants to hear from the executor, and that Microsoft and Dropbox ask for court papers.
  5. Keep the list on paper with your other important papers, and tell someone where it is.

A handwritten list kept with your papers is free, and it works. It just takes some effort to look up each company's steps and keep them current.

Where Legacy Map fits, and what it cannot do

Legacy Map is a $29 one-time download. You tick the accounts you use, add who should handle each one and where your sign-in details are kept, and it makes a printable folder for your family. For each company it quotes the published steps word for word, with the date we copied them and the link. It runs in your browser, works offline, and sends nothing to us.

No passwords go in it. The page refuses and clears anything that looks like a password or a card number. Steps are saved for 23 of the 51 services it lists; for the rest the folder carries a note to ask the company directly.

It is not a will and not legal advice. It does not confirm a death or contact any company for you, and no company has to release anything. Company pages change, so check the link before acting.

Sources