# Does anyone know of any way to access a deceased person's e-mail account? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137 "2010-08-04T13:20:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/1 "2010-08-04T13:20:26Z")
I have written both Yahoo! and Google, and Google at least seems to have some backdoor password thing in case you totally forget everything. Of course it requires information I don’t have (my grandfather’s middle name) but I’m working on that. Is there anything else I ened to/must do? Will Yahoo! even give me access, considering I am only the daughter? I mean, my dad can prove he’s the husband but I am not entirely positive my dad knows how to turn the computer on, let alone get onto e-mail and somehow access it. Eventually I want to just get in there and maintain both e-mail addys for my dad. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/2 "2010-08-04T13:33:21Z")
Google have a process - more info here… [http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=14300](http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=14300) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/3 "2010-08-04T13:35:24Z")
Oh, thank you! I was searching through their help database but when I put the terms into google I just got a lot of gobbledygook. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/4 "2010-08-04T22:27:52Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, thank you! I was searching through their help database but when I put the terms into google I just got a lot of gobbledygook. However, note item 5 - you need to prove that you are the lawful representative. Wouldn’t that be your dad? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/5 "2010-08-04T22:51:48Z")
Generally, you just have to contact the ISP with proof that you are the legal executor of the estate of the deceased person. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-any-way-to-access-a-deceased-persons-e-mail-account/549137/6 "2010-08-04T23:33:54Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > > [@Anaamika](#): > > > > Oh, thank you! I was searching through their help database but when I put the terms into google I just got a lot of gobbledygook. > > However, note item 5 - you need to prove that you are the lawful representative. Wouldn’t that be your dad? Depending on where and a few other things, her dad can give her the legal right and can limit it however he wants – probably. When my BiL died, his parents made my wife and I executors of the estate and since he had never married that gave us some pretty good authority in PA. We got access to his e-mail accounts through the courts on the basis that estate assets could be reflected in current or past e-mails.