What happens to GitHub accounts when the owner dies

GitHub, Inc. (Microsoft) has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies

GitHub, Inc. (Microsoft)

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GitHub Deceased User Policy

Timeline

Successor Settings activation: 7 days after submitting a death certificate, 21 days after submitting an obituary. GitHub does not publish a specific turnaround time for general Deceased User Policy requests routed through Support; requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.

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Verified Jul 2026

GitHub has a formal Deceased User Policy published at docs.github.com. An authorized individual -- next of kin, a pre-designated successor, or another authorized person such as a collaborator or business partner -- can contact GitHub Support through the support portal and request action on the deceased user's account. GitHub may request a copy of photo identification, a death certificate, and documentation confirming the requestor is authorized to act in relation to the account. GitHub reviews each request individually; privacy obligations and legal requirements may limit what actions GitHub will take. Separately, GitHub offers a Successor Settings feature (Settings > Account > Successor settings) that allows a user to pre-designate another GitHub user as their successor. An appointed successor can archive public repositories and transfer public repositories to their own account or to an organization where they can create repositories. Successors cannot log into the deceased user's account and cannot access private repositories.

How to request a transfer

To request a transfer of GitHub accounts after an account holder's death, follow these steps:

Contact GitHub Support through the support portal at https://support.github.com/ and click Contact us. Identify the request as a deceased user matter. Provide your name and contact information, the deceased user's name and GitHub username, your relationship to the deceased (including successor status if applicable), your own GitHub username if you are a designated successor, and the specific action you are requesting (examples include transferring public repositories, cancelling billing, or closing the account).

Submit required documentation when GitHub requests it:

•Copy of photo identification for the requestor
•Copy of the death certificate (an obituary may substitute in the successor-activation path)
•Documentation confirming authority to act in relation to the account (for example, letters testamentary, letters of administration, or other proof of next-of-kin status)

If the deceased used Successor Settings to pre-designate a successor, the successor contacts GitHub with either a death certificate (7-day waiting period before access is activated) or an obituary (21-day waiting period). Once activated, the successor can archive public repositories, transfer them to the successor's own user-owned account, or transfer them to an organization where the successor can create repositories. See https://docs.github.com/en/account-and-profile/concepts/personal-repository-access-and-collaboration for the exact scope of successor permissions.

Private repositories are not accessible to designated successors. The estate must work directly with GitHub Support through the Deceased User Policy. GitHub handles private-repository access on a case-by-case basis based on privacy obligations and legal requirements.

For Organizations (https://docs.github.com/en/organizations/): if the deceased was the sole owner, contact GitHub Support through the Deceased User Policy. If other owners exist, they retain full administrative control. GitHub recommends every organization maintain at least two owners at all times so a single death does not leave the organization without an administrator.

Act quickly on Codespaces. Inactive Codespaces auto-delete after 30 days by default. Any uncommitted or unpushed work in a Codespace is permanently lost once the Codespace is deleted and cannot be recovered. See https://docs.github.com/en/codespaces/about-codespaces/understanding-the-codespace-lifecycle.

For public repositories, remember that anyone can clone or fork a public repo at any time, even without account access. Existing forks survive account deletion -- GitHub retires the owner/repo name and the oldest active public fork becomes the new upstream repository for community-retirable repos (those with 100+ clones or Actions uses).

For GitHub Sponsors: there is no automated succession for accrued but unpaid earnings. The estate must work with GitHub Support to resolve any outstanding payouts, which may require the documentation above plus Stripe payout information.

Required Documents

Copy of the death certificate (or an obituary, for successor activation)
Government-issued photo identification of the requestor
Documentation confirming authority to act in relation to the account (for example, letters testamentary, letters of administration, or proof of next-of-kin status)
Description of the specific action being requested and the deceased user's GitHub username

Timeline

Download instructions for the whole estate

Frequently asked questions

Yes. GitHub publishes a formal Deceased User Policy. An authorized person -- next of kin, a pre-designated successor, or another authorized individual such as a collaborator or business partner -- contacts GitHub Support at https://support.github.com/ and provides a death certificate, photo ID, and documentation of their authority. GitHub reviews each request case-by-case. GitHub also offers Successor Settings, a feature that lets a user pre-designate another GitHub user to archive or transfer their public repositories after death.

A designated successor can archive the deceased user's public repositories, transfer public repositories to the successor's own user-owned account, or transfer public repositories to an organization where the successor can create repositories. Successors cannot log into the deceased's account and cannot access private repositories. Activation requires presenting a death certificate (7-day waiting period) or an obituary (21-day waiting period) to GitHub Support.

Designated successors cannot access private repositories. The estate must work directly with GitHub Support through the Deceased User Policy. Whether GitHub will grant access is handled case-by-case based on privacy obligations and legal requirements. If the account is ultimately deleted, all private repositories and any forks of them are permanently deleted.

The organization can become effectively orphaned with no one able to administer it. The estate must contact GitHub Support through the Deceased User Policy to request action. GitHub recommends every organization maintain at least two owners at all times to prevent this scenario. Billing continues against the stored payment method until the method fails.

Codespaces automatically delete after 30 days of inactivity by default. Any uncommitted or unpushed work is permanently lost once a Codespace is deleted and cannot be recovered. If a user loses access to a Codespace, GitHub retains it for 7 days before permanent deletion.

GitHub does not publish a policy of automatically deleting personal accounts for inactivity. Accounts persist unless someone requests deletion through the Deceased User Policy or the account holder deletes the account themselves. When an account is deleted, the username becomes available for re-registration 90 days later unless retired under the popular-repo rule.

After the transfer is complete, the recipient can use the accounts according to the program's standard terms. Document the deceased account holder's details to make this process easier for your executor or family.