How to access Full Email Headers

Below is a straightforward, step-by-step guide for viewing full email headers in various popular email clients and webmail services. Having access to these headers is critical when diagnosing issues such as delivery delays, spam filtering, or to verify the authenticity of a message.

Once the full headers are in view you can copy and paste them for your own reference or in an e-mail to our support department when requesting assistance.

What Are Email Headers? #

An email header is the hidden set of data attached to every email you receive. It shows the path the email took from the sender to your inbox, including details like:

• Sender and recipient information
• Date and time stamps
• Email servers involved in the message’s journey
• Security protocols and authentication results

By examining the headers, you (or support teams) can troubleshoot issues such as why an email ended up in spam, figure out potential spoofing attempts, or pinpoint delays in delivery.

Why Are Full Email Headers Important? #

1. Troubleshooting Delivery Issues
   If you’re missing emails, or they arrive late or marked as spam, full headers can help identify where along the route an issue occurred.
2. Verifying Legitimacy
   Spammers often forge information in emails. Checking the headers can confirm if the sender’s information is genuine or faked.
3. Security Checks
   Many security tools rely on header information to detect phishing or tampering attempts.

How to View Full Email Headers #

Below are instructions for a few popular email clients and services.

1. Gmail (Webmail) #

1. Open Gmail and log in to your account.
2. Open the email whose headers you want to view.
3. Click on the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner of the email.
4. Select “Show original”.
5. A new page will open, displaying the full message headers and the email’s raw content.

Tip: You can copy the entire header from this page and share it with support if needed.

2. Microsoft Outlook (Desktop) #

1. Open Outlook and find the email you want to investigate.
2. Double-click the email to open it in a separate window.
3. Click File > Properties (in newer versions, you may find this under the “File” tab, then “Info” and “Properties”).
4. Look for the Internet headers box at the bottom of the pop-up window.
5. Select all the text in the “Internet headers” box and copy it if you need to share it.

3. Outlook Web App (Office 365) #

1. Sign in to your Office 365 Outlook Web App.
2. Open the email in question.
3. Click on the three dots (More actions) at the top-right of the message.
4. Select “View message details” or “View source” (depending on the version).
5. A new window with the full email header will appear. Copy it if needed.

4. Apple Mail (macOS) #

1. Open Apple Mail.
2. Select the email you want to examine. (No need to double-click; just highlight it in the inbox.)
3. Click on View in the top menu.
4. Hover over Message and then select All Headers or Raw Source (the exact wording can vary by version).
5. A panel or new window will appear showing the entire header information.

5. Mozilla Thunderbird #

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Select the email you want to view.
3. Click on View at the top of the screen.
4. Go to Headers and choose “All”.
   • Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + U (Windows) or Command + U (macOS) to open the email source in a new window.
5. Copy the information if you need to share it with support.

6. Yahoo! Mail #

1. Sign in to your Yahoo! Mail account.
2. Open the email you want to investigate.
3. Click on the More (three dots) icon, usually near the top of the email.
4. Select “View Raw Message”.
5. A new tab or window will open with the full header and the message’s raw content.

How to Use Email Headers for Troubleshooting #

Once you have the full headers, look for specific clues:

• Received: Each “Received” line shows a mail server that the message passed through, including dates and times.
• Authentication Results (SPF/DKIM/DMARC): Indicates if the email passed or failed authentication checks.
• Message-ID: A unique identifier for the email. Useful if you need to reference the exact message when contacting support.

Sharing Email Headers with Support #

When contacting AEserver (or any other support team) regarding email delivery issues:

1. Copy the entire email header from the relevant section.
2. Paste it into your support ticket or email reply.
3. Include a brief description of the problem (e.g., “Emails are delayed by several hours,” or “My message is going to the recipient’s spam folder”).

This information helps the support team pinpoint the exact cause and provide faster, more accurate solutions.

Final Tips #

• Always remove any sensitive personal information (like passwords or authentication tokens) from the headers before sharing if you spot them (though typically these are not included in standard headers).
• Headers can appear daunting, but you don’t need to understand every line. The key lines for most issues are Received, Authentication-Results, and From.
• Keep a copy of your full headers when reporting phishing or suspicious emails to security teams or authorities.

We hope this guide helps you quickly locate and share your email headers. Remember, providing these details to our AEserver Support team (or any email provider’s support) is one of the most effective ways to diagnose and solve email-related problems. If you need any more assistance or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!