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What are email headers?

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Last Updated: January 13, 2015 6:31 PM

Every email message includes a block of text at the top that is referred to as the header. The header contains details about the message, including the sender's information, the recipient's information, the servers that handled the message as it traveled from the sender to the recipient, etc. However, many email clients don't display the header information by default.

To view the full header information using different email clients:

Outlook 2010

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the File menu, select Info.
  3. Click Properties.

Outlook 2007 or older

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the View menu, select Options.

In the Message Options window, the headers display in the Internet Headers field.

Outlook Express

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the File menu, select Properties.
  3. In the Message Properties window, go to the Details tab.

The headers display in the Internet Headers for this Message field.

Outlook Web Access

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the Text Icon (More actions) menu, select View message details.

Header info will display in the Message details window that appears.

Windows Live Hotmail

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. Click the "..." on the menu bar and select View Message Source.
  3. Copy and paste the entire content to Notepad and save as a TXT file.

Eudora

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. In the Message Toolbar, click the Header icon to display the header information.

The headers display at the top of the email message.

Netscape

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the View menu, select Message Source.

The headers display at the top of the email message.

Web-Based Email

  1. Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the More Action drop down list, select View Full Header, and then click Apply.

This will automatically send the email as an .EML attachment.

Apple Mail

  1. Select the message for which you want to view the header information.
  2. From the View menu, select Messages, and then select Long Headers.

The headers display at the top of the email message.