Microsoft must first be formally served with a valid subpoena or court order to consider whether it is able to lawfully release a deceased or incapacitated user’s information regarding a personal email account (this includes email accounts with addresses that end in Outlook.com, Live.com, Hotmail.com, and MSN.com), OneDrive storage, or any other aspect of their Microsoft account. Microsoft will only respond to non-criminal subpoenas and court orders served on Microsoft’s registered agent in the requesting party’s state or region and is unable to respond to faxed or emailed requests for such matters.
Any decision to provide the contents of a personal email or cloud storage account will be made only after careful review and consideration of applicable laws. Please understand that Microsoft may be unable to provide the account content, and sending a request or providing a subpoena or court order does not guarantee that we will be able to assist you.
For regional variations, see Accessing Outlook.com, OneDrive and other Microsoft services when someone has died.
