Are dead gamertags still freed up?

2021 would have been the earliest it would have been freed up based on that policy, but it wasn't a guarantee it would be freed up then. The policy is still in place that if a person doesn't sign into their Xbox account within 5 years, it will be freed up. There is also a policy that will close a Microsoft account if a person does not sign into their Microsoft account within 2 years which would also free up the tag. Unfortunately, waiting is all you can do.

Will All Gamertags eventually be Freed up? I wanted the Gamertag #Zoey# as its my name but its dead I think.. (Someone look at it and vertify this for me) I dunno how long it been like this. It has no score but has couple friends, all are dead but two.
I texted one asking if he knew if the person still plays or how long it been dead. But the person not been on yet to reply. Hopefully they will.

Will All Gamertags eventually be Freed up? I wanted the Gamertag #Zoey# as its my name but its dead I think.. (Someone look at it and vertify this for me) I dunno how long it been like this. It has no score but has couple friends, all are dead but two.
I texted one asking if he knew if the person still plays or how long it been dead. But the person not been on yet to reply. Hopefully they will.

With the recent update to the gamertag system, you can use the gamertag now. https://support.xbox.com/my-account/manage-gamertag-and-profile/gamertag-updates-faq

Otherwise, the original gamertag would only be freed up if the original owner changes it to something else or it gets freed up by Microsoft. There is no way to know exactly when it will be freed up.

When you change your gamertag it gets freed up in the system for anyone to use. It may not be instant, but it does get freed up.