Reading email headers
Every email carries hidden headers: a record of where it came from, which servers handled it, and whether it passed security checks. They help you trace delays, find out why a message went to spam, and spot fake (spoofed) emails. Our support team may ask you for them.
How to view headers
Section titled “How to view headers”| App | Steps |
|---|---|
| Roundcube (cPanel webmail) | Open the message, click More (⋯) → View source |
| Business Email webmail | Open the message, open its menu → View message source |
| Gmail | Open the message, click the three dots → Show original |
| Outlook (Windows) | Double-click the message to open it, then File → Properties. Headers are in Internet headers |
| Outlook on the web | Open the message, click the three dots → View → View message source |
| Apple Mail | Open the message, then View → Message → All Headers |
To send headers to support, copy the whole block and paste it into your ticket.
What to look for
Section titled “What to look for”- Authentication-Results: shows
spf=,dkim=anddmarc=with pass or fail. Failures often explain why a message went to spam. See Fixing Gmail’s “couldn’t verify” warning. - Received: each server that handled the message adds a line. Read them from the bottom up to follow the message’s path, with times, so you can see where a delay happened.
- Return-Path and From: if they belong to completely different domains, and the authentication checks fail, the message may be spoofed. See Email spoofing.
- X-Spam-Status / X-Spam-Score: on our servers, shows SpamAssassin’s verdict and score.
Free tools such as Google’s Messageheader turn the raw headers into an easy-to-read summary.