How to get an email header: Gathering data from email clients

How to get an email header: Introduction to the basics

Before answering, “How to get an email header?”, the essentials need to be explained. Every email contains a code snippet called the email header – a block of metadata that reveals who sent the message, how it traveled across the internet, and whether it passed authentication checks. This information helps verify authenticity, identify malicious activity, and diagnose delivery issues.

Definition and key components

An email header is made up of multiple fields, each serving a specific purpose:

• From: Shows the sender’s email address and display name. Although visible to recipients, this field is easy to spoof – making authentication protocols critical.
• To: Provides the recipient of the email.
• Subject: Displays the subject line of the email.
• Date: Indicates when the message was sent, including the time zone.
• Return-Path: Identifies the address used for bounces or delivery failures.
• Received: Lists every server that handled the message, showing the full route the email took. This field is key to tracing its journey.
• Authentication-Results: Summarizes the results of key authentication checks – SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Other fields: Headers such as Message-ID, MIME-Version, Content-Type, and In-Reply-To also provide valuable context for message tracking.

Each of these fields helps determine an email’s authenticity, origin, and integrity.

Why learning how to get an email header is important

For email security professionals, headers are a rich source of data. They reveal how a message traveled, whether it was authenticated, and if anything looks suspicious. By analyzing email headers, teams can verify legitimacy, detect fraud, and strengthen defenses against phishing, spoofing, and Business Email Compromise (BEC).

How headers support security analysis

Email headers empower security teams to:

• Trace delivery paths: Review the Received fields to see every server that handled the message and identify any unusual or unauthorized hops.
• Investigate anomalies: Detect unfamiliar email servers or unexpected routing patterns that may suggest malicious activity.
• Validate authentication: Check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results to confirm the sender’s identity and content integrity.

Regular header analysis helps strengthen domain protection, streamline incident response, and improve email deliverability by identifying and resolving configuration or authentication gaps before they become risks.

How to get an email header in different providers

Every email client provides a way to access the raw header data, where you can view routing paths, authentication results, and delivery timestamps. Below is a quick overview of fetching headers from a few common email platforms.

How to get an email header in Gmail

Step-by-step guide:

1. Open Gmail in your browser.
2. Open the email you want to analyze.
3. Click the three vertical dots (More) next to the Reply button.
4. Select Show original from the dropdown.
5. A new tab will open showing the full raw email header.

How to get an email header in Outlook

Step-by-step guide:

1. Open the email message.
2. Click File in the top left corner.
3. Choose Properties, listed at the bottom.
4. The Internet headers section will display the full header.

How to get an email header in Yahoo Mail

Step-by-step guide:

1. Log in to Yahoo Mail.
2. Open the email message.
3. Click More and select View Raw Message.
4. The full header will be shown.

How to get an email header in Apple Mail

Step-by-step guide:

1. Open Apple Mail.
2. Select the email message.
3. In the menu bar, select View > Message > All Headers to see the header information.

How to get an email header in AOL Mail

Step-by-step guide:

1. Log in to AOL Mail.
2. Open the message.
3. Select More and then choose the View Raw Message option.
4. The raw email header will appear.

How to get an email header in Zoho Mail

Step-by-step guide:

1. Log in to Zoho Mail.
2. Open the email message you want to inspect.
3. Click More Actions in the top-right corner of the message pane.
4. Select Show original from the menu.
5. A new window will open showing the full raw email header.

When you receive the header, copy it, then paste it into Sendmarc’s email header analyzer to get a clear view of the authentication results, routing paths, and sender legitimacy.

How to get an email header: Next steps

After locating your email header, you can quickly analyze it using free tools. Sendmarc’s email header analyzer turns complex header data into clear insights – making it easier to verify message authenticity and uncover security risks.

How to paste your header into the analyzer:

1. Copy the entire raw header text from your email client.
2. Go to Sendmarc’s email header analyzer tool.
3. Paste the header into the input box.
4. The tool will automatically generate your results.

Note: You can also upload your email file directly to the analyzer if you’ve saved it from your email client.

Understanding the detailed results

The analyzer quickly decodes your header and presents a clear report that includes:

• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results, showing whether the message passed authentication checks.
• Key delivery details such as sending and receiving domains, timestamps, and routing hops.

This automated interpretation helps security and IT teams identify threats faster and strengthen domain protection.