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Email Management: How To Get An Email Header

What is an Email Header?

The header (web header) is the area of your email that incorporates data like the details from the sender and receiver, the subject, and the time and date when the email was sent. This includes Reply-To Field, email client, IP address, and Message ID. It also plays a fundamental part in recording an email’s course since each email has an email header.

For most of us, seeing a mail header is an extra step. It's just a fine collection of long strips of letters and numbers in no sensible arrangement that has no bearing on the message or the required answer. 

For instance, if somebody plans to hurt you through email, they will not likely utilize their real identification or sign the email. Instead, they may pretend to be somebody you know. This way, a thorough examination of the email header can help investigators verify whether the person whose identity was used to send the email hit "send" from their computer.

How to analyze an Email Header?

It is critical to understand that when reading an email header, every line can be forged, so only the Received: lines generated by your service or computer should be trusted.
 
From
This shows who sent the message; however, it is easily forged and is the least reliable.

Subject 
This is what the sender used as the subject of the email.

Date
This displays the date and time the email message was written.

To 
This indicates to whom the message was addressed, but it may or may not include the recipient's address.

Return-Path
The email address for receiving replies. This is equivalent to "Reply-To:".

Envelope-To
This header indicates that this email was sent to the mailbox of a subscriber with the email address user@example.com.

Delivery Date 
This displays the date and time that your (mt) service or email client received the email.

Received
The received part of the email header is the most important and usually the most reliable. They compile a list of all the servers/computers that the message passed through on its way to you. It is best to read the received lines from bottom to top. In other words, the first "Received:" line refers to your own system or mail server. The mail originated in the last "Received:" line. Each mail system has its own "Received:" line. A "Received:" line usually identifies the machine that received the mail as well as the machine from which it was received.

 Message-id
A one-of-a-kind string is assigned by the mail system when the message is created for the first time. These are easily forged.
 

How to Obtain an Email Header?

The process for viewing/obtaining an email header can vary from program to program. Please refer to the instructions below on how to get an email header for the program you use:

Roundcube Instructions

  1. Log in to Roundcube with your email address and email password. 
  2. Locate the message you want to retrieve the header for.
  3. Click on More and Show source.
    Show Source
  4. You can view the header information for troubleshooting mail issues as needed.
    Header Code

SquirrelMail Instructions

    1. Log in to SquirrelMail with your email address and email password.
    2. Locate the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Click on View Full Header.
    4. You can view the header information for troubleshooting mail issues as needed.
      Show Source
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    Webmail

    AOL

    1. Log in to your AOL account.
    2. Open the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Open the Action menu.
    4. Select View Message Source.

    Gmail

    1. Log in to your Gmail account.
    2. Open the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Click the down arrow next to Reply.
    4. Select Show Original.

    Excite Webmail

    1. Log in to your Excite account.
    2. Open the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Click View Full Headers (found on the right of the 'From:' line).

    Hotmail

    1. Log in to your Hotmail account.
    2. Right-click on the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Select View Message Source.

    Open-Xchange

    1. Log in to your Open-Xchange account.
    2. Right-click on the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Select Show Source.

    Yahoo! Mail

    1. Log in to your Yahoo! Mail account.
    2. Select the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Click on the Actions dropdown list.
    4. Select View Full Header.

    Email Clients

    Apple Mail

    1. Open Apple Mail.
    2. Select the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Go to View.
    4. Select Message.
    5. Select Long Headers.

    Mozilla Thunderbird

    1. Open Mozilla Thunderbird.
    2. Select the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Go to View.
    4. Select Message Source.

    Opera

    1. Open Opera.
    2. Select the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Click Display all headers (located across from the 'To:' field).

    Outlook

    1. Open Outlook.
    2. Open the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Select the File tab.
    4. Click Properties.

    Outlook (Older Versions)

    1. Open Outlook.
    2. Open the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Go to View.
    4. Select Options.

    Outlook Express

    1. Open Outlook Express.
    2. Right-click on the message you want to retrieve the header for.
    3. Select Properties.
    4. Open the Details tab.

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