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Forum Discussion
Access deceased family account
Hi there, I hope you are well. I would like to access my deceased fathers account, as he has so many pictures that mean a lot to me and my Mum. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Man...
No unfortunately I was not. I kept pressing and explaining and finally a lawyer responded and bottom line is that without prior approval from the deceased they will not allow it. It's frustrating because the pictures are just sitting there on a server. Good luck.
Hi, oh that's really disappointing. Thanks for coming back to me though, much appreciated.
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hi Walter
Thanks for your message
I did receive this process and previously asked the questions on what these mean?
A photocopy of your government-issued ID
(Would this be passport?)
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 (how do I obtain this?)
Many thanks- Rich
Super User II
sezza28 wrote:
A photocopy of your government-issued ID
(Would this be passport?)Passport, drivers license, etc. Some form of photo ID that was issued by your local, state or federal government.
A valid court order ... (how do I obtain this?)Basically, Dropbox can't just give someone access to another person's account, regardless of whether or not they're a family member. It would be a major security violation if they did. So the only way that can happen is if there is proof to show that you're legally allowed to access the account, in which case Dropbox would be compelled to provide you with access.
I'm not a lawyer (and I don't work for Dropbox) but I imagine you would be able to gain access if the account was willed to you, in which there would be a legal document stating as such, or if you went through a court system and it was determined that you're entitled to access the account, at which point the court would order (i.e. a court order) Dropbox to allow you to access the account.
Otherwise, if someone dies and didn't leave behind their credentials for signing in to the account, there's usually no way other than some legal means (i.e. a will, a court order, etc.) for someone else to access the account.
The easiest option would be to gain access to the email address that they used for Dropbox and attempt to reset the password on their Dropbox account.
