About message headers
After you compose a message and send it, the message is processed by the e-mail server at your Internet service provider (ISP). If the message is for someone who does not have a mailbox on your e-mail server, the server forwards the message to another e-mail server. The message is forwarded from server to server. It may go through several e-mail servers until it reaches the e-mail server on which the recipient of the message has a mailbox.
From the time when the message is first created, information about it is added to a hidden section of the message known as the Internet header. The information includes technical details, such as who created the message, the software used to compose it, and the e-mail servers it passed through on its way to the recipient. You can use these details to identify problems with the e-mail message or help discover the sources of unsolicited commercial e-mail messages.
View message headers
- Open a message.
- On the Message tab, in the Options group, click the Dialog Box Laucher .
In the Message Options dialog box, the headers appear in the Internet headers box.
Example Contents of e-mail headers
Consider an e-mail exchange between two people, Anton Kirilov and Kelly J. Weadock. Anton’s e-mail address is anton@proseware.com and Kelly’s address is kelly@litwareinc.com. Kelly uses Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. The Internet header associated with Kelly’s message to Anton looks as follows:
Microsoft Mail Internet Headers Version 2.0
Received: from mail.litwareinc.com ([10.54.108.101]) by mail.proseware.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.0);
Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:39:22 -0800
Received: from mail ([10.54.108.23] RDNS failed) by mail.litware.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.0);
Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:38:49 -0800
From: "Kelly J. Weadock" <kelly@litware.com>
To: <anton@proseware.com>
Cc: <tim@cpandl.com>
Subject: Review of staff assignments
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:38:31 -0800
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook, Build 12.0.4210
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165
Thread-Index: AcON3CInEwkfLOQsQGeK8VCv3M+ipA==
Return-Path: kelly@litware.com
Message-ID: <MAILbbnewS5TqCRL00000013@mail.litware.com>
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 12 Dec 2007 21:38:50.0145 (UTC) Note The sample header might not contain all items found in your e-mail headers. These are the most common entries.