How to view e-mail message headers
This article describes how to view the raw e-mail message headers using various client applications. You can use the information in message headers to help troubleshoot some types of e-mail problems.
Table of Contents
- About e-mail message headers
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Outlook Express
- Apple (Mac) Mail
- Roundcube webmail
About e-mail message headers
E-mail headers provide low-level details about a message, such as:
- Who sent the message and from what server.
- The path the message took to arrive at its destination.
- Anti-spam testing results.
If you experience e-mail issues and open a support ticket with our Guru Crew, they may ask you to provide header data for one or more of your messages. To do this, follow the appropriate procedure below for your own e-mail client application.
Mozilla Thunderbird
To view a message’s e-mail headers in Mozilla Thunderbird, follow these steps:
- Open the message in Thunderbird.
- On the
- You can view the complete message, including headers and content, in a separate window suitable for copy-and-paste or saving to a file. To do this, on the menu, click .
- To save the message as an EML file, on the Save Message As dialog box, in the Name text box, type a name for the file, and then click . menu, click , and then click . In the
menu, click , and then click .
Microsoft Outlook
To view a message’s e-mail headers in Outlook, follow these steps:
- Open the message in Outlook.
- On the File menu, click Info, click Properties, and then look under Internet headers.
To save the message as a MSG file, on the Save As dialog box, in the File name text box, type a name for the file. In the Save as type list box, select Outlook Message Format (*.msg), and then click .menu, click . In the
Microsoft Outlook Express
To view a message’s e-mail headers in Outlook Express or Windows Mail, follow these steps:
- Open the message in Outlook Express.
- On the menu, click .
- Click the Details tab.
- You can view the complete message, including headers and content, in a separate window suitable for copying and pasting. To do this, on the Details tab, click .
- To save the message as an EML file, on the Save Message As dialog box, in the File name text box, type a name for the file. In the Save as type list box, select Mail (*.eml), and then click . menu, click . In the
Apple (Mac) Mail
To view a message’s e-mail headers in Apple (Mac) Mail, follow these steps:
- Open the message in Mac Mail.
- On the
- You can also view the complete message, including headers and content, in a separate window suitable for copying and pasting. To do this, on the menu, click , and then click . To return to the normal message view, on the menu, click , and then click .
- To save the message as an EML file, on the Format list box, select Raw Message Source, and then click . menu, click . In the
menu, click , and then click .
Roundcube webmail
To view a message’s e-mail headers in Roundcube, follow these steps:
- Open the message in Roundcube.
- In the main toolbar, click More, and then click Show source.
To save the message as an EML file, in the main toolbar, click More, and then click Download (.eml). In the Save File dialog box, in the Name text box, type a name for the file, and then click .