What Dropbox publishes
How to access the Dropbox account of someone who has passed away
Updated Apr 02, 2025
In this article
The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users, unless otherwise stated.
If someone close to you has passed away, we're sorry for your loss.
To access the files of someone who has passed away, first look in the Dropbox folder on the person’s computer if you can. Many Dropbox users have all of the files from their account available in this folder, which syncs to their account online.
If you aren’t able to access their Dropbox folder on their computer, you’ll need to request access from Dropbox directly.
Dropbox respects the security and privacy of our customers above all else. For this reason, requesting access to the account of someone who has passed away can take some time. Please also note that we can’t guarantee that we'll be able to provide access. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
To request access to the account of someone who has passed away, you'll need to provide documentation that:
The person is in fact deceased
You have a legal right to access the person's files under all applicable laws
To do that, please create a support ticket and include the following information in your message:
The full name of the deceased person
The email address associated with that person's Dropbox account
Your name, mailing address, email address, and your relationship to the deceased person
A photocopy of your government-issued ID
A valid court order establishing that it was the deceased person's intent that you have access to the files in their account after the person passed away, and that Dropbox is compelled by law to provide the deceased person's files to you
We'll review the information you provide and let you know whether we can move forward with your request.
We wish you the best during this difficult time.
Was this article helpful?
Yes, thanks!
Not really
Thanks for your feedback!
Related Articles
Accessibility support
Age requirements for using Dropbox
Dropbox Customer Council Agreement
Dropbox Services Partners
Community answers
How to take over an account of a deceased family member?
Posted by: Jeconti
50 days ago
100
5
Someone accessed my Dropbox account and I can't get help
Posted by: phla
375 days ago
723
12
Can we stop someone with access to a shared link from sharing it with other people?
Posted by: Lennard1
375 days ago
263
6
Is there a way to recover files from a link created by someone who has passed away?
Posted by: MotherOfTheGroom
806 days ago
723
5
Dropbox Basic: Work Outside the Box
Posted by: ljackman
1539 days ago
2459
0
Other ways to get help
Contact support
Community
Social media support
As published on 2026-10-18, https://help.dropbox.com/account-settings/access-account-of-someone-who-passed-away
Why the date matters
Help pages are rewritten in place, and the old wording is gone. This page shows the wording as we copied it on 2026-10-18. Check the source link before you act.
Doing this for your own accounts
Legacy Map turns a list of your accounts into a printable folder for your family, with each company's published steps, the date we copied them, and your own notes. No passwords go in it.
This page is not legal advice and does not promise that Dropbox will do anything. Dropbox decides.