
Getting email headers can be a bit tricky, but it's a crucial step in tracking down spam or phishing emails.
In Outlook, you can view email headers by going to the "View" tab and selecting "Message Header" from the Tools group.
To get email headers in other email clients, you'll need to check their specific settings. For example, in Gmail, you can view email headers by clicking on the three dots at the top right of the email and selecting "Show original".
Viewing email headers can help you identify the sender's IP address, which can be useful for reporting spam or phishing emails to your email provider.
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Viewing Email Headers
Viewing email headers can be a bit tricky, but don't worry, it's easier than you think.
In Outlook for Microsoft 365, you can view message headers by double-clicking an email message to open it outside of the Reading Pane, then clicking File > Properties. This will display the Internet headers in the Internet headers box.
To view message headers in classic Outlook, you'll need to follow a slightly different process. First, double-click an email message to open it outside of the Reading Pane. Then, click File > Properties, and the header information will appear in the Internet headers box.
If you want to copy the entire header, you can highlight the information in the box, press Ctrl+C to copy, and paste it into Notepad or Word.
If you're using Outlook on the web or Outlook.com, you can view message headers by selecting More actions at the top of the message window, then selecting View > View message details.
Alternatively, if you're using the new Outlook, you can select More actions at the top of the message window, then select View > View message details.
To summarize, here are the steps to view message headers in different versions of Outlook:
Interpreting Email Headers
Email headers can seem like a mystery, but they're actually a treasure trove of information. They contain details about the sender, recipient, and email servers involved in the message's journey.

The date and time that an email message was sent can be found in the header, based on the computer clock on the sender's computer. This information is often displayed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format.
A common entry in email headers is the "MIME-Version" parameter, which specifies the version of the MIME protocol used by the sender. This helps ensure that the email is formatted correctly and can be read by the recipient's email client.
The "Content-Type" header specifies the type of content in the email, such as text, HTML, or attachments. In the case of Microsoft Office Outlook, this header may also include the build version of the software used to send the email.
Some email headers may include additional information, such as the email software used by the sender or the version of the MIME protocol. For example, the "X-MimeOLE" header indicates that the email was sent using Microsoft MimeOLE software.
Here are some common entries you might find in an email header:
Keep in mind that not all email headers will contain all of these entries. However, by analyzing the information in the header, you can gain a better understanding of how the email was sent and received.
Email Clients

Email clients like Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird can help you access email headers, which are crucial for getting the information you need.
To access email headers in Outlook, you can click on the "Properties" or "Details" button, which is usually found in the top menu bar or by right-clicking on the email.
Email clients like Gmail and Yahoo Mail often have a "Show original" or "View source" option that allows you to view the raw email headers.
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View in Classic
To view message headers in classic Outlook, you need to double-click an email message to open it outside of the Reading Pane. This will give you access to the File menu, where you can click on Properties to view the header information.
The Internet header associated with an email message shows the path the message took to reach its destination. It lists the servers that handled the message and the time stamps when each server processed it.
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To view the entire header at once, you can highlight the information in the Internet headers box, press Ctrl+C to copy, and paste it into Notepad or Word.
Here are the steps to view message headers in classic Outlook:
- Double-click an email message to open it outside of the Reading Pane in classic Outlook for Windows.
- Click File > Properties.
- Header information appears in the Internet headers box.
The Internet header is a crucial tool for troubleshooting email issues, as it provides a detailed record of the message's journey from the sender's email server to the recipient's email server.
View Message on Web or Outlook.com
Viewing messages on web or Outlook.com is straightforward. Simply select the message you want to view and click on the "More actions" button at the top of the message window.
To view message headers, you can follow these steps:
- Select More actions at the top of the message window.
- Select View > View message details.
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a popular email client that makes it easy to view and forward email headers. To view the headers in Mozilla Thunderbird, select the email message and go to the View menu.
Select Message Source from the menu, and the message headers will appear in a new window. You can copy the headers to the Clipboard by pressing Ctrl + C.
To forward the email with the headers, click the Forward icon. In the "Forward Message" window, select Include Headers in Quote.
This will ensure that the headers are included in the forwarded email. Click the Forward button to send the email with the headers.
Microsoft Office 2010–2013

To view email headers in Microsoft Office Outlook 2010-2013, you'll need to follow these steps. Double-click the email message you want to view the headers for, so it opens in its own window.
Select the File tab to access more options. Click the Properties button to view the header information. To the right of Internet headers, the header information will be listed. Select all the headers by clicking and dragging the cursor from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the header text.
Copy the headers to the Clipboard by pressing Ctrl + C. Click the “Close” button at the bottom of the window to exit the Properties window. You can then select “Forward” on the email message from which you just copied the headers.
Click into the message window and paste the headers by pressing Ctrl + V. The headers will now be included in the forwarded message.
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Microsoft Office

If you're using Microsoft Office Outlook 2010, 2013, or 2012, you can view email headers by double-clicking the email message you want to view.
First, select the File tab and click the Properties button. This will open a new window with the header information listed to the right of Internet headers. You can select all the headers by clicking and dragging the cursor from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the header text.
To copy the headers, press Ctrl + C, and then click the "Close" button at the bottom of the window. Next, select "Forward" on the email message from which you just copied the headers, and then click into the message window and paste the headers by pressing Ctrl + V.
Alternatively, if you're using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, you can view email headers by double-clicking the email message you want to view, just like in the previous versions.
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In the Options group, click the dialog box launcher (small square with an arrow) to open the Properties window. To the right of Internet headers, the header information will be listed. You can select all the headers by clicking and dragging the cursor from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the header text.
To copy the headers, press Ctrl + C, and then click the "Close" button at the bottom of the window. Next, select "Forward" on the email message from which you just copied the headers, and then click into the message window and paste the headers by pressing Ctrl + V.
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