Email Header Analyzer
Trace email sender location and IP by analyzing email headers
Your Privacy is Protected
✓ No Storage: Email headers are processed temporarily and never stored
✓ No Logging: We don't keep any logs of your email data
✓ Client-Side First: Processing happens securely without retention
✓ GDPR Compliant: Full compliance with privacy regulations
What is Email Header Analysis?
Email header analysis is the process of examining the technical metadata embedded in every email message. While you normally see only the subject, sender, and message body, every email contains hidden headers that record its journey through the internet. These headers are like a postal stamp trail, showing every mail server the email passed through from sender to recipient.
Email headers contain crucial information including IP addresses of mail servers, timestamps showing when the email passed through each server, authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), the email client or service used, and routing information. This data is essential for verifying email authenticity, investigating spam or phishing attempts, and troubleshooting delivery issues.
The most important part of email headers are the "Received:" lines. Each mail server that handles an email adds a "Received:" line at the top, creating a chronological record of the email's path. By reading these lines from bottom to top, you can trace the email back to its origin, including the sender's mail server IP address and location.
Our email header analyzer extracts IP addresses from these headers and provides geographic location information for each server in the email's path. This helps you understand where an email really came from, which is especially useful since the "From" address can be easily spoofed. The actual IP addresses in the headers are much harder to fake and provide reliable information about the email's true origin.
How Does Email Header Analysis Work?
When you send an email, it doesn't go directly to the recipient. Instead, it travels through multiple mail servers, and each server adds a "Received:" header line documenting its handling of the message. Our tool parses these headers to extract the IP addresses of each server in the chain, then performs geolocation lookups to identify where each server is located.
The analysis starts by identifying all "Received:" lines in the email header. These lines are read from bottom to top (oldest to newest) to trace the email's path. For each server, we extract the IP address, perform a reverse DNS lookup to get the hostname, identify the ISP or hosting provider, and determine the geographic location (country, city, coordinates). This creates a complete map of the email's journey.
The tool also examines authentication headers like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) to verify if the email passed security checks. Failed authentication is a strong indicator of spoofing or phishing attempts. Combined with IP location data, this provides a comprehensive picture of the email's legitimacy.
Security & Privacy
Your privacy is our top priority. Email headers are processed in real-time and never stored on our servers. We don't log the data you submit, maintain any records of your analysis, or track your usage. The tool is fully GDPR compliant and designed for maximum privacy protection. You can safely analyze sensitive email headers knowing your data remains completely private. Learn more about our privacy policy.
Why Analyze Email Headers?
Email header analysis is your first line of defense against phishing and email fraud. Scammers can easily fake the "From" address to make an email appear legitimate, but they can't fake the IP addresses in the email headers. By tracing the actual origin of an email, you can verify whether it really came from your bank, a colleague, or a trusted service—or if it's a scam attempt from another country.
IT professionals and email administrators use header analysis to troubleshoot delivery problems. When emails aren't arriving, are delayed, or are being marked as spam, examining the headers reveals exactly where in the delivery chain the problem occurred. You can see which mail servers handled the email, how long it spent at each server, and whether authentication checks passed or failed.
Security teams rely on email header analysis for incident investigation and threat intelligence. When investigating suspicious emails, security analysts examine headers to identify the infrastructure used by attackers, track campaigns across multiple emails, and gather evidence for reporting abuse to ISPs or law enforcement. The IP addresses and routing information in headers provide valuable clues about the attacker's methods and location.
Privacy-conscious users analyze headers to understand how their emails are being routed and which companies handle their messages. This transparency helps you make informed decisions about email services and understand the path your sensitive communications take through the internet.
Common Use Cases
🎣 Phishing Detection
Verify if emails claiming to be from banks or services are legitimate by checking their true origin.
🔍 Spam Investigation
Identify the source of spam emails and report abuse to the appropriate ISP or authorities.
🔧 Delivery Troubleshooting
Diagnose why emails are delayed, bouncing, or being marked as spam by examining the delivery path.
⚖️ Legal Evidence
Gather evidence from threatening or harassing emails for legal proceedings or law enforcement.
🛡️ Security Audits
Verify email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and ensure proper security configurations.
📧 Email Forensics
Investigate email-based incidents and track the infrastructure used in email campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is email header analysis?
Email header analysis is the process of examining the technical information embedded in every email message. Email headers contain routing information showing the path an email took from sender to recipient, including IP addresses of mail servers, timestamps, and authentication details. This metadata is invisible in normal email viewing but provides valuable information about the email's origin and journey through the internet.
How can I find my email header?
In Gmail, open the email, click the three dots menu, and select 'Show original'. In Outlook, right-click the email and choose 'View message source' or 'View message details'. In Apple Mail, select the email and go to View → Message → All Headers. In Yahoo Mail, click the three dots and select 'View raw message'. The header contains all the 'Received:' lines showing the email's path.
Is it safe to paste my email header here?
Yes, it's completely safe. We take privacy seriously: your email headers are processed temporarily and never stored on our servers, we don't maintain any logs of the data you submit, the analysis happens in real-time without retention, and we're fully GDPR compliant. The tool only extracts IP addresses and location information—no email content is stored or logged. You can verify this by checking our open-source code.
What information can I get from email headers?
Email headers reveal the sender's mail server IP address and location, the path the email took through various mail servers, timestamps showing when the email passed through each server, the ISP or hosting provider used by the sender, authentication results (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and the email client or service used to send the message. This information is useful for verifying email authenticity, investigating spam or phishing, and troubleshooting delivery issues.
Why would I need to trace an email?
Email tracing is useful for several purposes: verifying if an email is legitimate or a phishing attempt, investigating spam or threatening emails, troubleshooting email delivery problems, confirming the actual sender of an email (not just the 'From' address which can be spoofed), gathering evidence for reporting abuse or fraud, and understanding why emails are being marked as spam. It's a valuable tool for both personal security and professional email administration.
Can email headers be faked or manipulated?
While the 'From' address and some header fields can be easily spoofed, the 'Received:' headers added by mail servers are very difficult to fake. Each legitimate mail server in the delivery chain adds its own 'Received:' header with timestamp and IP address. These headers are added by the infrastructure, not the sender, making them reliable for tracing. However, the very first 'Received:' header (closest to the sender) is the most trustworthy for identifying origin.
What's the difference between email trace and IP lookup?
Email trace specifically analyzes email headers to extract and locate IP addresses of mail servers involved in email delivery, while IP lookup tools work with any IP address you provide. Email trace is specialized for understanding email routing and authentication, extracting multiple IPs from the email's path, and identifying phishing attempts. For general IP address investigation, use our dedicated IP Location tool.