What happens to a Dropbox account when someone dies
Dropbox publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Dropbox's support ticket system.
Dropbox decides what happens to a Dropbox account after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Dropbox publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: How to access the Dropbox account of someone who has passed away; a written request goes in through Dropbox's support ticket system. The request takes 6 documents.
How to request a transfer
- •The deceased person's full name and the email address on the Dropbox account.
- •The requester's name, mailing address, email address, relationship to the deceased, and a photocopy of government-issued ID.
- •Documentation of the death, such as a death certificate.
- •The court order.
Required Documents
- Full name of the deceased person
- Email address associated with the deceased person's Dropbox account
- Requester's name, mailing address, email address and relationship to the deceased person
- Photocopy of the requester's government-issued ID
- Documentation that the person is deceased: For example, a death certificate.
- Valid court order: Establishing the deceased person's intent that the requester have access to the files, and that Dropbox is compelled by law to provide them.
What Dropbox, Inc.'s terms say at death
- The terms
“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.”1
What Dropbox, Inc. says happens10
- How requests are reviewed
Dropbox reviews a request for access to a deceased person's account through a support ticket, states that the request can take some time, and states that it may not be able to provide access.1
- Court orders and legal process
Release of the files rests on the court order; a death certificate and a will's digital-assets clause do not, by themselves, meet what Dropbox's deceased-user article asks for.1
- Verifying the requester
The requester provides documentation that the person is deceased and that the requester has a legal right to access the person's files under all applicable laws.1
- Disclosure of account content
Dropbox directs a survivor to look in the Dropbox folder on the deceased person's computer first, because synced files are often available there and do not go through Dropbox at all.1
- Deletion and data retention
Files in shared folders remain accessible to the other members of those folders after an account is deleted.2
Deleted files and previous versions are recoverable for 30 days on Basic, Plus and Family; 180 days on Professional, Standard, Essentials and team accounts; and 365 days on Advanced, Enterprise, Education and team Plus.4
After the recovery period the files are marked for permanent deletion and cannot be restored; extended version history add-ons lengthen the window.4
Deleting a Dropbox Sign account permanently deletes the account and all documents related to it, and Dropbox states that Sign accounts cannot be deleted on a user's behalf.6
- Closing the account
Dropbox documents self-service deletion by the account holder and admin deletion of a team member; deleting an account deletes the account and file data, which cannot be restored.2
- Inactive accounts and expiry
Dropbox may close and delete a Dropbox Basic account with no log-ins and no file activity anywhere on Dropbox in the past 12 months, after emailing the owner and sending multiple reminders naming the deletion date; files are deleted within 90 days.3
Activity on Dropbox Sign or DocSend does not count; inactivity closures affect only Dropbox Basic, not paid plans, and Dropbox does not reopen an account closed for inactivity.3
- What carries over to a new account
An admin's transfer of a deleted team member's files brings over existing and deleted files, ownership of shared folders the member owned, Paper docs they created, a copy of the "Apps" folder, Sign documents and templates, and shared links.5
Groups, Dropbox Backup content and access to Paper docs the member did not own do not come across in the transfer.5
- Subscriptions and billing
Canceling a Dropbox Sign subscription without deleting the account leaves the signed documents in place.6
- Passwords and login
Dropbox Passwords was discontinued on October 28, 2025, when saved usernames, passwords and payment information were permanently deleted from Dropbox servers.7
Not in Dropbox's published guidance9
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A form for estate requests
- A dedicated estate portal
- A closure path for survivors
- A procedure to hold an account while the estate acts
- A catalogue-disclosure procedure
- A death clause in the Terms of Service
- Who manages a Family plan after its manager dies
Sources7
- 1.How to access the Dropbox account of someone who has passed away
- 2.Delete a Dropbox account
- 3.Inactive account policy
- 4.File recovery periods (data retention policy)
- 5.Transfer a deleted team member's files (Business file transfer)
- 6.Cancel or delete a Dropbox Sign account
- 7.Dropbox Passwords discontinuation
A written request to Dropbox can ask it to disclose a record of the account’s communications, preserve the account while the estate is opened and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Dropbox drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Dropbox, Inc. primary sources (12 pages reviewed). How we research.
Dropbox estate claims
Deceased Account Access (support ticket)
Website
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
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