Need to access father's email who passed away

For a personal Outlook.com/Microsoft email account that belongs to someone who has died, Microsoft does not allow password bypass or standard account recovery by relatives, even with documents like an obituary or proof of relationship.

The options are:

1. If the account credentials are known
   • If the email address and password are already known, the account can be signed into and then closed following the steps in How to close your Microsoft account. After closure, the data is retained for 60 days and then permanently deleted.
2. If the account credentials are not known
   • For privacy and legal reasons, Microsoft is generally unable to provide information or access to non-account holders.
   • The account will follow the normal lifecycle:
     • Outlook.com and OneDrive accounts are frozen after 1 year of inactivity and data is deleted shortly after.
     • The Microsoft account itself expires after 2 years of inactivity and is then permanently deleted.
3. If access to the deceased person’s account content is required
   • Legal guidance is required. Microsoft must be formally served with a valid subpoena or court order before it can even consider whether it may lawfully release any content from a deceased user’s personal email, OneDrive, or other Microsoft account data.
   • Only non-criminal subpoenas or court orders served on Microsoft’s registered agent in the relevant state/region are considered.
   • Even with a subpoena or court order, Microsoft may still be unable to provide the account content after reviewing applicable laws.

There is no supported way to bypass the password or gain access using only proof of identity or relationship (such as an obituary) without going through the legal process described above.

References:

• Accessing Outlook.com, OneDrive and other Microsoft services when someone has died
• Preserve your digital legacy with OneDrive