What happens to a Discord account when someone dies
Discord publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Discord's support ticket system.
Under Discord's terms, a Discord account closes when the holder dies and nothing in it passes to anyone.
Discord publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Discord Deceased or Incapacitated Users; a written request goes in through Discord's support ticket system. The request takes 6 documents.
What to do
- •The email address associated with the account and the Discord username.
- •A death certificate or coroner's report.
- •Proof of relationship: a marriage license, birth certificate, last will and testament, estate letter, or power of attorney.
- •A valid photo ID or passport, sent as photocopies or scans; birthdays and addresses may be blocked out so long as names remain visible.
- •Cancel and ask for a refund of an iOS App Store or Google Play subscription through that store.
- •Otherwise, send the billing support form the transaction date and amount, purchase and payment method, payment identifier, and a statement screenshot of the charge.
- •Ask for a Nitro or Server Boost refund within 5 days of the purchase; one refund is allowed per purchase category.
- •Discord offers no access, no data, no memorialization and no transfer.
- •A server with 100 members whose owner has not accessed the account for at least a month.
- •A requester active in the last 30 days, with administrator or moderator permissions, on a server that is not monetized.
- •The server name and ID and both users' usernames and user IDs, one server per ticket. Discord proceeds if the inactive owner does not respond within 7 days.
Required Documents
- The deceased user's account details: If the request comes from a different account or email address. The email address associated with the account and the Discord username.
- Proof of the account holder's death: If the request comes from a different account or email address. A death certificate or coroner's report.
- Proof of relationship to the deceased: If the request comes from a different account or email address. A marriage license, birth certificate, last will and testament, estate letter, or power of attorney.
- Verification of the requester's identity: If the request comes from a different account or email address. A valid photo ID or passport.
- An explicit written confirmation of the action requested: Written as "I request to have the account associated with [email and/or username] deleted."
- Billing details of the charge: For a subscription refund request. The transaction date and amount, purchase and payment method, payment identifier, and a screenshot of the charge on the bank or PayPal statement.
What Discord Inc.'s terms say at death
- 4
“You agree not to license, sell, lend, or transfer your account, Discord username, vanity URL, or other unique identifier without our prior written approval.”1
What Discord Inc. says happens10
- Deletion and data retention
Account deletion is the action Discord's deceased-user article offers, and deletion is permanent.2
- Memorialization
Discord states: "We do not currently have a feature to memorialize or transfer accounts." It directs anyone wanting one to its feedback site.2
- Disclosure of account content
Discord states it is unable to share data tied to an account. Its data request runs only from inside the logged-in account and is cancelled if the account is disabled or deleted before the download link arrives.2, 3
- Verifying the requester
Discord asks for documents as photocopies or scans, and personal details such as birthdays and addresses may be blocked out so long as names remain visible.2
- How requests are reviewed
Discord's deceased-user article describes an initial support request followed by any follow-up questions from the support team.2
- Subscriptions and billing
Subscription billing continues until the subscription is cancelled or the account is deleted, and a subscription is cancelled on the same device type where it was purchased.4
A subscription purchased through the iOS App Store or Google Play is cancelled and refunded through that store, not through Discord.4
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Billing questions on a deceased user's account go to Discord's billing support form, and Discord documents a route there for a refund of a subscription renewal on an account the requester cannot access.2, 5
Discord reviews refund requests case by case and determines eligibility at its sole discretion. Its policy allows one refund per purchase category and asks for Nitro and Server Boost requests within 5 days of the purchase.6
- Inactive accounts and expiry
Discord may terminate an account that has been inactive for more than two years, and an account unused for two years or more may be scheduled for deletion, with a warning sent to the associated email address or phone number first.1, 2
- Continuing a shop, channel or listing
Server ownership can move to an active administrator or moderator where the server has 100 members and the owner has not accessed the account for at least a month. The new owner files the ticket; Discord does not act on a request made on behalf of another user.7
Discord contacts an inactive owner who is not banned for consent and allows 7 days; it proceeds if they approve or do not respond. A server under 100 members has no ownership transfer route and continues without an owner.7
Only the current owner of a developer product can request an ownership transfer, and team members cannot initiate one on the owner's behalf. A bot already held by a Developer Team with other members stays under that team.8
- Court orders and legal process
Discord's law enforcement page describes disclosure to government requesters under the Stored Communications Act.9
Not in Discord's published guidance4
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A court-order requirement for account content
- An exception granting an estate access or data
Sources9
- 1.Discord Terms of Service, effective September 29, 2025
- 2.Deceased or Incapacitated Users
- 3.Requesting a Copy of your Data
- 4.How to Cancel your Nitro Subscription
- 5.How to Request a Refund for a Subscription Renewal on a Discord Account You Can't Access
- 6.Refund Policy
- 7.Requesting a Transfer of Server Ownership
- 8.How to Transfer Ownership of a Developer Team
- 9.Working with Law Enforcement
A written request to Discord can ask it to preserve the account while the estate is opened, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory and close the account.
Nothing in the account survives the holder, and Discord allows no lifetime transfer of it either.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Discord drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Discord Inc. primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Discord estate claims
Discord Support (deceased or incapacitated users)
Website
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