Guides / How to find a will after someone dies
How to find a will after someone dies
There's no national list of wills. You look in the places people keep them, then ask the people and offices who might have one.
Start at home, then widen the search. Write down everywhere you looked, because a court may ask.
Where to look first
- Fire safes, file drawers and folders marked with words like estate or important papers.
- Bibles, desk drawers, under mattresses and in freezers. Yes, really.
- Their email and any cloud storage you can reach, for a copy or a lawyer's name.
- Old bank statements and checkbooks, for a payment to a lawyer or a box rental fee.
Who to ask
Ask family members, close friends, their financial adviser and their accountant. Anyone named as executor may hold a copy. If you find the name of a lawyer who helped them, write to that office and ask for a will search. Our letters include one for this.
What a court can and can't do
A will is generally filed with the probate court in the county where the person lived after they die. Whether the clerk will search for you depends on the court. New York's court system says plainly that it can't find a will for you. Santa Clara County in California can check records if you give the full name and year of death. Minnesota courts search for wills deposited for safekeeping, and they need proof of death first.
Check your state's page for the court and what it does.
Will registries
Most states don't run one. New Jersey does. Its registry is voluntary and costs $10 to search. Only an executor or fiduciary gets the will's location. Private registries exist too. They hold only what someone chose to register.
Check the safe deposit box
The rules for opening a box differ by state. See how to open a safe deposit box.
If you find one
Keep the original exactly as it is. Don't remove staples or write on it. Make a copy, and take the original to the court or executor as your state directs. Many states set a deadline for this, and it's on your state's page when we could verify it.
If you find only a copy
Courts generally presume that a person canceled a will if the original can't be found. Someone who wants to use a copy has to overcome that presumption. Talk to a probate lawyer before you rely on a copy. Texas courts, for example, ask what search was done for the original, so keep your notes.
Where this comes from
- New York courts, finding a will
- Santa Clara Superior Court, probate FAQs
- Minnesota courts, searching for wills
- New Jersey will registry
- Texas court checklist, lost wills
Checked November 6, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. See how we check facts or report a mistake.