How to Read Email Headers
Expand and view the email headers., Determine who sent the email by reading the "Received from" tags starting at the bottom., Confirm that you are the correct recipient., Learn if there was a server lag., Find the email address from which the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Expand and view the email headers.
This information is not typically revealed automatically, because of the amount of space it can require.
Most email programs or websites (such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail) allow you to view email headers by clicking on a box or link near the sender's address on the email viewing pane or window. -
Step 2: Determine who sent the email by reading the "Received from" tags starting at the bottom.
Because email headers are listed in reverse chronological order, the bottom header will provide you with information about the original sender.
You can learn the sender's email address, the date and time that the message was sent, as well as server and domain information, including the Internet Server Provider (ISP) address. , This can be helpful if it seems you received an email in error.
By examining the "Deliver to" tag, you can verify that your email address matches what was entered. , The "Received" tag will tell you when your email server received the message.
If this happened a long time before you saw the message arrive in your inbox, there may be an issue with your server.
Contact your Internet Service Provider or network administrator if this happens frequently. , The "Return-Path" tag can provide this information. , The "Received-from" and "Message ID" tags reference information about the senders email provider, such as the server, date, time and method. , Information entered by the sender may be found at the bottom of the email headers.
This information includes tags such as "Subject," "From" and "To." The date and time are entered by the system and represent when the message was submitted by the sender to the provider. -
Step 3: Confirm that you are the correct recipient.
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Step 4: Learn if there was a server lag.
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Step 5: Find the email address from which the message was sent.
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Step 6: Determine information about the sender's email provider.
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Step 7: Read user-specified details.
Detailed Guide
This information is not typically revealed automatically, because of the amount of space it can require.
Most email programs or websites (such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail) allow you to view email headers by clicking on a box or link near the sender's address on the email viewing pane or window.
Because email headers are listed in reverse chronological order, the bottom header will provide you with information about the original sender.
You can learn the sender's email address, the date and time that the message was sent, as well as server and domain information, including the Internet Server Provider (ISP) address. , This can be helpful if it seems you received an email in error.
By examining the "Deliver to" tag, you can verify that your email address matches what was entered. , The "Received" tag will tell you when your email server received the message.
If this happened a long time before you saw the message arrive in your inbox, there may be an issue with your server.
Contact your Internet Service Provider or network administrator if this happens frequently. , The "Return-Path" tag can provide this information. , The "Received-from" and "Message ID" tags reference information about the senders email provider, such as the server, date, time and method. , Information entered by the sender may be found at the bottom of the email headers.
This information includes tags such as "Subject," "From" and "To." The date and time are entered by the system and represent when the message was submitted by the sender to the provider.
About the Author
Marilyn Clark
Marilyn Clark is an experienced writer with over 8 years of expertise in non profit. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Marilyn creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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