How to find the email headers of a message

Questions

  • How do I find the email headers of a message in Outlook?
  • IT asked me to send them the email headers — where do I find them?
  • How do I view message details or internet headers in Outlook Online?
  • How do I get the full headers from an email in Outlook for Windows?
  • Where are the email headers in Outlook on the web?
  • How do I copy email headers to send to the Service Desk?

Environment

This article applies to all current Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff who need to retrieve email headers from a message and send them to the Bowdoin IT Service Desk for troubleshooting.

  • Covered: Outlook Online (browser) and Outlook for Windows
  • Not covered: Outlook for Mac — if you need Mac instructions, contact the Service Desk for assistance
What are email headers? Email headers contain technical details about a message, including the sender, recipient, timestamps, routing path through mail servers, and spam scores. The Service Desk uses them to diagnose problems such as undelivered email, suspicious messages, or spam that bypassed filters.

Resolution

Find email headers in Outlook Online

  1. Log in to Outlook Online at outlook.office.com using your full Bowdoin email address.
  2. Find the message you need headers from and double-click it to open it in a new window.
  3. Click the ellipsis (…) icon in the upper-right corner of the message window.
  4. In the drop-down menu, scroll down and click View message details.

Email interface showing the menu opened from the three-dot icon with 'View message details' highlighted.

  1. In the Message Details window that opens, select all of the content using Ctrl + A (Windows) or Command + A (Mac).
  2. Copy the selected content using Ctrl + C or Command + C.
  3. Paste the headers into a new email to servicedesk@bowdoin.edu using Ctrl + V or Command + V, and send.

Outlook message details window showing email headers including received from servers, authentication, and SPF results.

Find email headers in Outlook for Windows

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook on your Windows PC.
  2. Find the message and double-click it to open it in a separate window.
  3. In the upper-left corner of the open message, click File.
  4. On the File menu, click the Properties tile.
  5. At the bottom of the Properties dialog, locate the Internet headers box.
  6. Click inside the box, select all content using Ctrl + A, then copy using Ctrl + C.
  7. Paste the headers into a new email to servicedesk@bowdoin.edu and send.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
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