How to I obtain email headers for diagnostics? Print

Often when diagnosing email issues, particularly issues with spam filtering, the only way we can see exactly what is happening with the flow of the email is to read the headers that provide us with the most important diagnostic data we can get.

When you're lookng at the headers, what you see is the entire email in raw source format (much like viewing source on a web page). If the recipient of the message isn't you, you'll need to ask them to completed these steps to send you the raw text or headers. Unfortunately if they forward you the message then you look at the headers / raw text, it will not work because the original headers from the message that was sent to them are removed automatically during forwarding. The headers must come from the original recipient of the message.

Email hosted with Websavers?

If your email is hosted with Websavers, here is how to find the headers for a particular email:

1. Login to webmail at https://webmail.websavers.ca
2. Double click on the email for which you need diagnostic information
3. Choose the More button in the toolbar above the message, then select Show Source

Now that you have the headers, scroll down to the "What to send us and how" section to learn how best to send them to us.

If you're using Outlook.com (web version) / Hotmail:

Check out the guide here: http://email.about.com/od/windowslivehotmailtips/qt/How_to_See_Full_Email_Headers_in_Windows_Live_Hotmail.htm

Now that you have the headers, scroll down to the "What to send us and how" section to learn how best to send them to us.

If you're using Gmail.com:

• Check out the guide here: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/22454?hl=en
• Now that you have the headers, scroll down to the "What to send us and how" section to learn how best to send them to us.

If you're using Outlook for Windows:

• Check out the guide on support.office.com
• Now that you have the headers, scroll down to the "What to send us and how" section to learn how best to send them to us.

If you're using Outlook for Mac:

• Right-click (or ctrl-click) the message in your Inbox or other folder (do not open the message).
• From the menu that appears, select View Source. Your text editor (typically an application called TextEdit) will open, displaying all the headers for the message, followed by the message body.
• Choose File > Save and save it to your desktop with whatever filename you wish
• Attach that file to your ticket and send it to us.

What to send us and how

Whatever you do, do not take a screenshot. A screenshot will not be helpful. Here are the two ways to send it to us:

1. If you have the entire raw email text: Copy everything from the raw email contents and paste it into a text document using an app like TextEdit on Mac or Notepad on Windows and attach that file to your support ticket.
2. If you have just the email headers: Copy and paste the headers into your ticket response. Put three back-tick characters before the first line and three more after the last line, like this: ```

Then submit the ticket reply.

Troubleshooting when the destination is a Microsoft Mail server

Examples: outlook.com, hotmail.com, or Office 365 user

• Microsoft provides a mail header analyzer tool, however it's not always that helpful. Try it out; maybe it'll improve over time.
• They have a description of some mail header codes here, but sadly it doesn't apply to all of them.
• If there are no obvious reasons (SPF, DKIM) for the failure, try requesting delisting here.