Displaying Email Headers

How to Display Email Headers

LavaNet technical support staff often find email headers very useful in processing support requests.
If you have been asked to send us an email with the full header section included, you may have some questions as to how to do this.
Each email program has a different header-display procedure.
Find your email program on the list below for more information.

Contents 1 How to Display Email Headers 1.1 What is a full header and why is it useful? 1.2 What does a full header look like? 1.3 What does a full header NOT look like? 2 How to display the full headers in various email programs: 2.1 Netscape 6.1 for PC/Mac: 2.2 Netscape 4.x for PC / MAC: 2.3 Netscape 3.x for PC / MAC: 2.4 Microsoft Outlook 97/98 for PC: 2.5 Microsoft Outlook Express for PC 2.6 Microsoft Outlook Express for MAC: 2.7 Eudora Light 3.x/5.1/Pro for MAC: 2.8 Pegasus Mail 2.x for MAC: 2.9 Pine:

What is a full header and why is it useful?

Email headers allow one to track where on the Internet an email originated. Because it is easy to forge an email address, it is important to use headers to determine the "true" point of origination of an email.

What does a full header look like?

-----------------Example Header-----------------

Return-path: <MagiMail@net1plus.com>
Envelope-to: spam.recipient@adelphi.ucc.hull.ac.uk
Delivery-date: Fri, 23 May 1997 20:55:53 +0100

Received: from puccini.ucc.hull.ac.uk [150.237.196.2] by adelphi.ucc.hull.ac.uk
        with esmtp (Exim 1.60 #1)
        id 0wV0RN-0006W3-00; Fri, 23 May 1997 20:55:53 +0100
Received: from mail.net1plus.com (actually host MAIL.CMSCOMMUNICATION.COM)
        by puccini.ucc.hull.ac.uk with ESMTP; Fri, 23 May 1997 20:55:47 +0100
Received: from [207.77.56.12] ([207.147.153.227]) by mail.net1plus.com
        (Post.Office MTA v3.0 release
        0122 ID# 0-34465U2500L250S0) with SMTP id ADL167; Fri, 23 May 1997
        12:23:39 -0400
Received: from candyman@vapornet.com by candyman@vapornet.com (8.8.5/8.6.5)
        with SMTP id RAA09362 for <candyman@vapornet.com>; Fri, 23 May 1997 08:53:48
        -0600 (EST)
To: candyman@vapornet.com
Message-ID: <candyman@vapornet.com>
Date: Fri, 23 May 97 08:53:48 EST
From: MagiMail@hull.ac.uk
Subject: NEW! 600K Hot List... No AOL
Reply-To: candyman@vapornet.com
Comments: Authenticated sender is <candyman@vapornet.com>
---------------End Example Header---------------

What does a full header NOT look like?

------------Example Incomplete Header------------
Date: Fri, 23 May 97 08:53:48 EST
From: MagiMail@hull.ac.uk
Subject: NEW! 600K Hot List... No AOL
Reply-To: candyman@vapornet.com
----------End Example Incomplete Header----------

How to display the full headers in various email programs:

Netscape 6.1 for PC/Mac:

1. Select the message in question.

2. Click on the view option on the main toolbar, then select "Header,", and then "All".

Netscape 4.x for PC / MAC:

1. Select the message in question.

2. Double-click on the mail message to open it.

3. Click on the "View" option on the main toolbar, then select "Header," and then "All."

Netscape 3.x for PC / MAC:

1. Select the message in question.

2. Click on the "Options" option in the main toolbar, then select "Show Headers," and then the "All."

Microsoft Outlook 97/98 for PC:

Shortcut Key: CTRL-F3

If you are using the Message Preview option for the Inbox and want to view the header info, you:

1. Right-click on the window border between the "Message Listing" pane and the "Preview" pane.

2. Left-click on the "Header Information" option.

If you are using the Full-View feature (you double-clicked on the message in the "Message Listing" pane, you:

1. Left-click on "View" on the main toolbar.

2. Left-click on the "Message Header" option.

Microsoft Outlook Express for PC

1. Right click on the message in question then select "Properties".

2. Click on "Details" tab.

Microsoft Outlook Express for MAC:

1. Select the message in question.

2. Double-click on the mail message to open it.

3. Click on the "Edit" option on the main toolbar.

4. Select "Preferences".

5. Check the "Show Internet Headers" checkbox.

Eudora Light 3.x/5.1/Pro for MAC:

1. Select the message in question.

2. Double-click on the message to open it.

3. Find the message button bar. This is not the main toolbar, but the button bar immediately above the message text pane of the message viewer.

4. Click on the "Blah Blah Blah" button on this toolbar.

Pegasus Mail 2.x for MAC:

1. Click on "File" on the main toolbar.

2. Select "Preferences," and the suboption "General Settings"."

3. Click on the checkbox "Show all headers when reading messages."

Pine:

1. Enable the full header command. (NOTE: This step only needs to be done once. The change is permanent.)

1. 1. Go to the main menu
2. 2. Type 's' for Setup
3. 3. Type 'c' for Config.
4. 4. Scroll down the list of features until you find enable-full-header-cmd, and type 'x' until you see an 'X' in the checkbox.
5. 5. Type 'e' to Exit.
6. 6. Answer with yes (by hitting 'y') when it asks you to replace settings.

2. Select the message in question.

3. Press the [Enter] key to view it.

4. Press 'h' to display the full header.