Hotmail Death Policy: How to Access or Delete Hotmail Accounts
Like Google, Microsoft has a policy for requesting data from a deceased person’s account. Like Google, unless you have the username and password, the process is paper heavy and snail mail based. Here’s what you can do to gain access or delete a deceased person’s Hotmail account. Note: If you follow the delete procedure, you will delete the entire Live account, not just Hotmail. There is no way to just delete Hotmail and keep the rest of the Windows live account.
How To Gain Access to a Hotmail Account
With username and password
1. Go to Hotmail and login to the account
Without username and password
Microsoft offers “preservation” of accounts, but not transfers.
1. Contact Microsoft by emailing msrecord@microsoft.com. In the email include the email address, person’s name and that the person has passed away. Microsoft will create an “account snapshot” of all of the data in the account.
If you follow this procedure, “this account data will be maintained for a period of six months. This account snapshot will ensure that the current account data remains available while the below authentication process is completed. If we do not receive any response within a six month period, the preserved data will be deleted from our systems.
2. Mail the following documents to Microsoft
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION:
1) A photocopy of the death certificate for the user
2) Paperwork stating that you are the benefactor or executor to the deceased’s estate and/or that you have Power of Attorney and are next-of-kin.
3) A photocopy of your driver’s license or a government issued identification.
4) A document with answers to the following questions about the account, for verification purposes:
A) Account name
B) First and Last name on the account
C) Date of Birth
D) City, state and zip code
E) Approximate date of account creation
F) Approximate last date of sign in
5) A physical mailing addressAll documentation should be faxed to 425-708-0096. Please include the requested email address on ALL materials faxed to this number.
If you do not have access to a fax machine, you may send the information via postal mail to:
Microsoft Corp.
Attn: Online Services Custodian of Records
1065 La Avenida, Building 4
Mountain View, CA, 94043
3. Include a physical mailing address so that Microsoft can send you a physical CD-ROM of the contents of the email account.
“For security reasons” Microsoft will not allow you direct access to the email account or transfer ownership of the email account. Additionally, the verification process may take at least 30 days and the Microsoft site does not say how long it will take for them to mail out the account information.
How To Delete a Hotmail Account
With username and password
1. Login to the Hotmail account
2. Click Options
3. Click More Options
4. Click “view and edit your personal information”
5. Click “Close Account”
Without username and password
1. Use the same procedure as How to gain access to a Hotmail account without username and password above, except request that the account be deleted. “Upon authentication” Microsoft will “close the account.”
