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<seo title="What is mail header" metakeywords="what is mail header,email header,read header,e-mail header,send mail" metadescription="What is mail header" />

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<div align=justify>All of us regularly send mails. We just enter the text and click 'Send'. But do you know that emails consist not only of the text? Each email consists of 2 parts:

* ''email body;''
* ''email header''

Email body is the message itself, i.e. the text you enter into the body field.
Email header contains fields that identify particular routing information of the message, including the sender, recipient, date and subject.

'''Note:''' many email clients don't display the header information by default.
You can use the following tips to view the headers in Outlook (e.g.):

* Open the message for which you want to view the header information.
*  Select '''''Options''''' from the '''''View''''' menu

In the '''''Message Options''''' window, the headers are displayed in the Internet Headers field.

You may ask: when I send mails I do not add any header. What is mail header? Where do they come from? How can I read headers to understand what is written there?

Here's an example of a message header for an email sent from ''MrBrown@myidealhost.com'' to ''MrBlack@myidealhost.com''. We'll let you know how to read headers:

 Delivered-To: MrBlack@myidealhost.com
 Received: by 10.36.81.3 with SMTP1 id e3cs239nzb; 
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)
 Return-Path:
 Received: from mail.myidealhost.com 
 (mail.myidealhost.com [111.111.11.111]) 
 by mx.myidealhost.com with SMTP 
 id h19si826631rnb.2005.03.29.15.11.46; 
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)
 Message-ID: <20050329231145.62086.mail@mail.myidealhost.com>
 Received: from [11.11.111.111] by mail.myidealhost.com via HTTP; 

 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 PST
 Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 -0800 (PST)
 From: Mr Jones
 Subject: Hello
 To: Mr Smith

In the example, headers are added to the message three times:

''When Mr. Brown composes the email''

 Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 -0800 (PST)
 From: Mr Brown
 Subject: Hello
 To: Mr Black

''Mr. Brown sends email through his email provider, mail.myidealhost.com''

 Message-ID: <20050329231145.62086.mail@mail.myidealhost.com>
 Received: from [11.11.111.111] by mail.myidealhost.com via HTTP; 
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 PST

''When the message transfers from Mr. Brown's email provider to Mr. Black's example address''

 Delivered-To: MrBlack@myidealhost.com
 Received: by 10.36.81.3 with SMTP id e3cs239nzb;
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)
 Return-Path: MrBrown@myidealhost.com
 Received: from mail.myidealhost.com (mail.myidealhost.com 
 ([111.111.11.111]) 
 by mx.myidealhost.com with SMTP id h19si826631rnb; 
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)


Below is a description of each section of the email header:

 Delivered-To: MrBlack@myidealhost.com

''The email address the message will be delivered to.''

 Received: by 10.36.81.3 with SMTP id e3cs239nzb;
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)

''The time the message reached example's servers.''

 Return-Path:

''The address from which the message was sent.''

 Received: from mail.myidealhost.com
 (mail.myidealhost.com [111.111.11.111])
 by mx.myidealhost.com with SMTP 
 id h19si826631rnb.2005.03.29.15.11.46;
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:47 -0800 (PST)

''The message was received from mail.myidealhost.com, by a example server on March 29, 2005 at approximately 3 pm.''

 Message-ID: 20050329231145.62086.mail@mail.myidealhost.com

''A unique number assigned by mail.myidealhost.com to identify the message.''

 Received: from [11.11.111.111] by mail.myidealhost.com via HTTP;
 Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 PST

''Mr. Brown used an email composition program to write and send the mail message, and it was then received by the email servers of mail.myidealhost.com.''

   Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 15:11:45 -0800 (PST)
   From: Mr Brown
   Subject: Hello
   To: Mr Black

''The date, sender, subject, and destination -- Mr. Brown entered this information (except for the date) when he composed the email.''</div>
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