What happens to Xbox accounts when the owner dies
Microsoft Corporation has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies
Xbox Support
Microsoft deceased-account access (Xbox profiles ride the Microsoft account)
There is no Xbox-specific bereavement timeline; the Microsoft account timeline applies. Court-order or subpoena processing time is determined by Microsoft's legal review on a case-by-case basis. An Xbox Game Pass subscription continues to auto-renew and charge the payment method on file until it is cancelled. A Microsoft account expires after 2 years of inactivity, at which point the account, its gamertag, and the digital library it holds are lost; the email and OneDrive portions of the same account are frozen sooner, after 1 year of inactivity. Home Xbox sharing on the household console persists only while the Microsoft account remains active and any Game Pass subscription remains paid.
Access to a deceased person's Xbox profile is governed by Microsoft's deceased-account process, which Microsoft reviews case by case. In the United States, Microsoft requires a valid subpoena or court order formally served on its registered agent before it will consider releasing account content, and even then content is provided via data delivery rather than by granting account access or transferring the account. The Microsoft Services Agreement (Section 4.a.i) states "You cannot transfer your Microsoft account credentials to another user or entity," so the Xbox profile itself cannot pass to an heir. The gaming-specific assets are effectively forfeited at closure: under Section 14.a.vi you receive "a limited, personal, revocable, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to use the game currency and virtual goods in the Xbox Services only" and "no right or title in or to any such game currency or virtual goods," and under Section 14.j digital goods are "only for your personal, noncommercial entertainment use" and may not be transferred. Xbox Game Pass is a personal subscription tied to the account and is not transferable. Xbox wallet funds are Microsoft account balance, which the Microsoft gift cards terms state is "non-transferable to another person or Microsoft account" and, "Except as required by applicable law," cannot be "redeemed or exchanged for cash." A physical Xbox console and any disc-based games remain usable by anyone who has the hardware, but the digital library, Game Pass, and wallet balance do not survive closure of the account.
How to request a transfer
Here is the process for transferring Xbox accounts after the account holder dies:
- •Confirm the deceased person's console is set as their home Xbox so other accounts that sign in there can keep playing the owned digital games and Game Pass content.
- •Do not close the Microsoft account and do not let the Game Pass subscription lapse if you want that shared access to continue on the console.
- •Avoid setting a different console as the home Xbox, which removes the designation from the current one.
- •Download owned digital games to the home Xbox while the account is still active.
- •Cancel the Xbox Game Pass subscription to stop auto-renewal charges (subscriptions continue charging the payment method on file until cancelled).
- •Capture a record of the gamertag, friends list, and any achievements or game saves with sentimental value before the account is closed.
- •Consult a licensed attorney to obtain a valid subpoena or court order compelling Microsoft to release account content.
- •Serve the legal process on Microsoft's registered agent in your state. Microsoft's bereavement page states faxed or emailed legal requests cannot be accepted.
- •Microsoft determines whether it can lawfully release content; release is provided via data delivery, not account access, and is not guaranteed.
Required Documents
- Microsoft account sign-in (email) and gamertag — needed to identify the profile
- Valid subpoena or court order served on Microsoft's registered agent (United States) when Microsoft is asked to release account content
- Death certificate of the account holder
- Proof of relationship or authority to act for the estate (letters testamentary, court order, or power of attorney)
Timeline
There is no Xbox-specific bereavement timeline; the Microsoft account timeline applies. Court-order or subpoena processing time is determined by Microsoft's legal review on a case-by-case basis. An Xbox Game Pass subscription continues to auto-renew and charge the payment method on file until it is cancelled. A Microsoft account expires after 2 years of inactivity, at which point the account, its gamertag, and the digital library it holds are lost; the email and OneDrive portions of the same account are frozen sooner, after 1 year of inactivity. Home Xbox sharing on the household console persists only while the Microsoft account remains active and any Game Pass subscription remains paid.
Frequently asked questions
No. An Xbox profile is the same Microsoft account that holds the gamertag, and the Microsoft Services Agreement (Section 4.a.i) states "You cannot transfer your Microsoft account credentials to another user or entity." There is no Xbox-specific bereavement process; access runs through Microsoft's deceased-account process, which in the United States requires a valid subpoena or court order served on Microsoft's registered agent and releases content via data delivery rather than by granting account access. The most practical path is for the executor to have the account credentials.
Digital games and in-game content are licensed to the Microsoft account, not owned. Section 14.a.vi of the Microsoft Services Agreement grants only a "limited, personal, revocable, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license," and Section 14.j restricts digital goods to personal, noncommercial use with no transfer. The digital library cannot be inherited and is lost when the account is closed. Physical disc-based games are the exception: they remain usable on any compatible console.
No. Xbox Game Pass is a personal subscription tied to the Microsoft account and cannot be transferred to another person. It continues to auto-renew and charge the payment method on file until it is cancelled, so an executor should cancel it to stop the charges. Other people can play Game Pass content on a console set as the deceased person's home Xbox only while the account stays active and the subscription stays paid.
Xbox wallet funds are Microsoft account balance. The Microsoft gift cards terms state the balance is "non-transferable to another person or Microsoft account" and, "Except as required by applicable law," cannot be "redeemed or exchanged for cash" and is not reloadable. The balance cannot be moved to an heir's account and is effectively lost when the account is closed. Some U.S. states treat unredeemed stored-value balances as unclaimed property, so a personal representative can raise the question with Microsoft, but Microsoft publishes no guaranteed refund process.
Yes, while the account remains open. If the deceased person's console is set as their home Xbox, other people who sign in on that console can play the owned digital games and use Game Pass content without the original account being signed in. This shared access depends on the Microsoft account staying active and any Game Pass subscription staying paid; it ends if the account is closed or the subscription lapses.
They are the same account. An Xbox profile signs in with the Microsoft account that also holds Outlook.com email, OneDrive files, Microsoft 365, and Windows device licenses, so there is no separate Xbox bereavement channel. The deceased-account rules, the documentation, and the inactivity deadlines are Microsoft's. The difference this page covers is what those rules mean for the gaming-specific assets — the gamertag, digital library, Game Pass, and wallet. For email, files, and the rest, see the [Microsoft account estate guide](/digital-assets/microsoft/).
The recipient can use transferred accounts under the program's normal terms. Keeping the deceased account holder's account number and contact details on file simplifies this process for the executor or surviving family.
Sources
Data sourced from Microsoft Corporation primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
Xbox Support
Microsoft deceased-account access (Xbox profiles ride the Microsoft account)
There is no Xbox-specific bereavement timeline; the Microsoft account timeline applies. Court-order or subpoena processing time is determined by Microsoft's legal review on a case-by-case basis. An Xbox Game Pass subscription continues to auto-renew and charge the payment method on file until it is cancelled. A Microsoft account expires after 2 years of inactivity, at which point the account, its gamertag, and the digital library it holds are lost; the email and OneDrive portions of the same account are frozen sooner, after 1 year of inactivity. Home Xbox sharing on the household console persists only while the Microsoft account remains active and any Game Pass subscription remains paid.
