What happens to a ChatGPT account when someone dies

“You may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms and any attempt to do so will be void.”¹

The Terms of Use prohibit sharing account credentials or making an account available to anyone else, and OpenAI does not provide account credentials.¹

A paid plan auto-renews each billing period until it is cancelled. Cancelling at least 24 hours before the next billing date avoids the next period's charge; it stops renewals and does not refund previous charges.²

A plan billed directly by ChatGPT can be cancelled without the account by contacting OpenAI Support with the email on the account, the payment card's last four digits and the latest subscription payment date.²

Deleting the account cancels subscriptions billed directly by ChatGPT, but "Deleting your ChatGPT account does not cancel an Apple App Store subscription"; OpenAI directs the holder to cancel any Apple or Google Play subscription first.³

Deleted chats and the data of a deleted account are removed from the account immediately and permanently deleted from OpenAI systems within 30 days, except where already de-identified or retained for security or legal obligations.⁴

Temporary Chats are deleted within 30 days on their own, and Library files are managed separately from chats. Files uploaded to a custom GPT or project are kept until the GPT or project is deleted, then removed within 30 days.⁴

An export cannot restore chats that were already deleted, and it must be downloaded while signed in to the same account that requested it.⁵

Removing a member from a workspace revokes their access immediately. In a Business workspace, chats, files and canvas documents are retained indefinitely and restored if the member is re-added; conversations follow the workspace's retention policy.⁶

A deleted account cannot be reactivated. The email address can be used to register again after 30 days, and the phone number is removed from OpenAI's system after 30 days.³

Without signing in, deletion is requested through the Privacy Portal under Delete my ChatGPT account, which requires verifying the email address or phone number already linked to the account.^{3, 7}

Deleting an OpenAI account whose email also reaches an OpenAI Ads account may prevent access to that Ads account, while active campaigns could continue serving and accruing charges.³

The US Privacy Policy lets an authorized agent submit a rights request; the agent must present authority to act, such as signed written permission, and the account holder may also be required to verify their identity.⁸

OpenAI's personal-data-removal article states that requests "may also be made by a legally authorised representative acting on someone else's behalf," and that OpenAI may ask for documentation confirming that authority.⁹

The Privacy Portal and the authorized-agent route are privacy-rights channels written for living data subjects, so anything either does for an estate is at OpenAI's discretion.^{8, 9}

Service Credits are not redeemable, refundable or exchangeable for money except where required by law, and "do not constitute or confer upon you any personal property right"; an unused balance has no estate recovery mechanism.¹⁰

An exported conversation file can be uploaded into a conversation in another personal account for ChatGPT to reference. This does not merge accounts, recreate the conversations as separate chats, or move subscriptions, settings, memories, GPTs, files or workspace access.¹¹

A member can keep using GPTs they previously created, and editing depends on the plan and permissions, but GPT ownership does not move between personal accounts and "New GPT creation is unavailable on personal ChatGPT accounts, regardless of subscription."¹²

OpenAI's legal-process pages address civil litigants and government requesters, not executors.¹³

Cancelling a ChatGPT subscription bought through the App Store³

Cancelling a ChatGPT subscription bought through Google Play²