How to View Full Email Headers to Troubleshoot Email Issues

Efe K 13 Jul, 2026 Email

Email headers contain detailed routing and authentication information that can help diagnose delivery delays, spam classification, spoofing attempts, and other mail flow problems. They include information such as:

• Sender and recipient servers
• Authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Message ID and unique identifiers
• Spam‑filtering results

Why Email Headers Matter

Viewing full headers can help you:

• Identify where a message was delayed
• Confirm whether the sender’s domain passed SPF/DKIM/DMARC checks
• Detect forged or suspicious messages
• Understand why a message was flagged as spam
• Trace the path an email took across mail servers

How to View Full Email Headers

Roundcube Webmail

1. Open the email you want to inspect.
2. Click More (usually found above the message).
3. Select Show Source or Show Full Headers.
4. A new window will display the raw message, including headers and body.
5. Copy the header section (everything above the message body) when sending to support.

Microsoft Outlook (Desktop App)

1. Open the email.
2. Click File in the top-left corner.
3. Select Properties.
4. The Internet headers box at the bottom contains the full header.
5. Copy the contents as needed.

Gmail

1. Open the email.
2. Click the three dots next to the Reply button.
3. Select Show original.
4. A new tab opens with full headers and authentication results.

Apple Mail (macOS)

1. Open the email.
2. In the menu bar, select View.
3. Choose Message > All Headers or Raw Source.
4. The full header will appear above the message.

Tips for Reading Email Headers

If you want to interpret the headers yourself:

• Look for “Received:” lines to trace the message path.
• Check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results for authentication failures.
• Review X‑Spam‑Status or similar fields for spam‑filtering decisions.
• Compare timestamps to identify delays.