What Happens to Your Email When You Die?

Like most things in life that we use on a daily basis, email is constantly present but rarely considered by us after it has been set up unless there is a problem.

Which providers allow access?

Similar to other digital assets, your email is accessed with a unique username and password. It may come as a surprise to you that for the most popular email providers, there is no way to access your deceased loved one’s email account after they have passed away without their email credentials.

In the United States, the most common free email addresses are from Gmail and Yahoo (even in 2022). Both of these companies have webpages dedicated to addressing the issue of access to a deceased person’s account without knowing the password, and both have the same answer. Without proof of their death (death certificate) and proof that you are the executor or administrator of their estate, the companies will not help you. Even if you do meet the criteria above, all they will do is disable the account and delete the content. You will not gain access to any of the information contained in the account.

Outlook is another popular email provider, and while the process of how to access the records is not on their website, it appears that you can initiate some sort of process by emailing their custodian of records.

How to avoid this problem:

The best and easiest way to avoid running into this issue is to use a password keeper such as LastPass or Strongbox to store your current passwords. These are accessed with a master password, that can be given to either your trustee, executor, or just written in your estate planning documents and stored in a place that is easily accessible.

Another practical solution is to store your valuable information somewhere else that is not solely in your email account. Many people have forgotten that your email account is not guaranteed to stick around forever, and is not a good place to store important documents.

Digital Asset Protection Beyond Email

If you are interested in learning about how to protect your digital assets beyond your email account, schedule a free consultation with me here!

I would love to assist you by covering your ass(ets) in case of an emergency!