- Obtain Email Headers in 5 Minutes: Step-by-Step (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) | Hosticko
- Table of Contents
- What are email headers?
- Before you share headers (privacy warning)
- Obtain email headers in Gmail (Web)
- Obtain email headers in Outlook (new Outlook / Outlook on the web)
- Obtain email headers in Apple Mail (Mac)
- Obtain email headers in Thunderbird
- What to send to Hosticko Support
- How to analyze email headers (optional)
- Related Hosticko guides
- FAQs
Obtain Email Headers in 5 Minutes: Step-by-Step (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) | Hosticko #
Obtain email headers when you need proof of delivery, want to trace delays, investigate spam/phishing, or troubleshoot sending/receiving issues.
Email headers contain the technical “route map” of a message (servers, timestamps, authentication results), and Hosticko Support may ask for them to diagnose problems quickly.
Need help? Submit headers securely via ticket:
https://client.hosticko.com/submitticket.php
What are email headers? #
Email headers are the technical details attached to every message that describe how the email traveled from sender to recipient.
They help identify delays, spam sources, and authentication checks (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
Common header lines you might see include:
- From / To / Subject / Date (basic message fields)
- Received: the hop-by-hop server path (most useful for troubleshooting)
- Message-ID: unique identifier for the email
- Authentication-Results: indicates SPF/DKIM/DMARC outcomes (often critical for deliverability investigations)
Before you share headers (privacy warning) #
Email headers can contain sensitive information (routing, internal IDs, IPs, user agents, and more). Share them only with people you trust
(like your IT team or Hosticko Support), and use a secure method (support ticket, not public chat/groups).
Do not post full headers publicly. If you must share in public, redact personal emails, names, and any internal identifiers first.
Obtain email headers in Gmail (Web) #
In Gmail, the easiest method is Show original, which opens the full header in a new page.
- Open Gmail in your browser and open the email you want to inspect.
- Click the More menu (three dots) near the Reply button.
- Select Show original.
- Copy the header details shown (Gmail typically provides a “Copy to clipboard” option).
Official Gmail help reference (useful if your interface looks different):
Trace an email with its full header (Gmail Help).
Obtain email headers in Outlook (new Outlook / Outlook on the web) #
In Microsoft’s new Outlook experience, headers are visible under View message details.
- Open the email message in Outlook.
- Click More actions (three dots) in the message window.
- Select View → View message details.
- Copy the header/source details from the message details panel.
Official Microsoft reference:
View internet message headers in Outlook (Microsoft Support).
Outlook interfaces vary (desktop vs web vs “new Outlook”). If you don’t see the same options, use the Microsoft help link above or tell Hosticko Support which Outlook version you’re using.
Obtain email headers in Apple Mail (Mac) #
Apple Mail on macOS can show full headers from the menu: View → Message → All Headers.
- Open the Mail app on your Mac and select the email.
- From the top menu, click View.
- Hover/select Message, then click All Headers.
- Copy the visible header details or open the raw source if your workflow requires the full header block.
Official Apple reference:
Show detailed headers in Mail on Mac (Apple Support).
Obtain email headers in Thunderbird #
Thunderbird can display full headers using the View menu options shown below.
- Open Thunderbird and select/open the message.
- Click View → Headers → All to show the full header lines.
- If you need the complete raw source, use View Source (some versions also support shortcuts like Ctrl+U / Cmd+U).
Reference guide (menu path can vary by Thunderbird version):
View Full Message Headers in Thunderbird.
What to send to Hosticko Support #
To speed up troubleshooting, include the following in your ticket:
- Full email headers (paste as plain text in the ticket)
- Sender address and recipient address
- Date/time the email was sent (and your timezone)
- Error/bounce message (if any)
- Where the email was sent from (Webmail, Outlook, WordPress form, app, etc.)
Submit your details here:
https://client.hosticko.com/submitticket.php
How to analyze email headers (optional) #
If you want to self-check delivery hops and authentication results, you can paste headers into a header analysis tool.
Google also provides guidance for analyzing headers in Gmail workflows.
- Gmail’s workflow often points to Google Admin Toolbox Messageheader for analysis:
Gmail header analysis steps. - You can also use third-party analyzers (helpful for “Received” hop timing):
MXToolbox Email Header Analyzer.
If you’re unsure what you’re looking at, don’t guess, just send the headers to Hosticko Support and we’ll interpret them safely.
FAQs #
Do I need “full headers” or just the visible header lines? #
For troubleshooting deliverability, full headers (including all “Received” lines and authentication results) are best.
In Gmail, “Show original” is usually enough.
Are email headers safe to share? #
They can contain sensitive routing and identity data. Share only with trusted recipients and use secure channels like a support ticket.
Why does Hosticko Support ask for headers? #
Headers show exactly where the message went, when it was accepted, and whether SPF/DKIM/DMARC checks passed, so we can pinpoint the issue faster.
