Email Header Analyzer Tool

With the PowerDMARC email header analyzer tool you can send an empty email to an auto-generated address to get a detailed email header analysis including DMARC, DKIM, SPF, MTA-STS, and BIMI compliances! This tool instantly parses email headers according to RFC 822 to make them human-readable.

What is MailAuth Analyzer

What are Email Headers?

Email headers are like the hidden backstage of an email. They contain important information about the email’s sender, recipient, subject, date, email authentication validation status for your emails, deliverability and alignment issues, etc. Although you usually can’t see them in your email client, they play a crucial role in how emails are delivered. 

While the raw file for your email headers can be difficult to read, our Email Header Analyzer tool parses your email headers in a human-readable format that helps you easily read and understand this information.

Why do you need Email Header Analyzer?

Our online email header analyzer helps you detect, analyze and investigate your email headers for compliance with authentication protocols. This header analysis tool helps you troubleshoot email issues faster and without any hassle, through a quick and accurate examination of your email headers.

Email Header Analyzer Tool

How does an Email Header Analyzer work?

PowerDMARC’s email header analyzer tool examines the header section of an email to extract and analyze various details about the message. The header section of an email contains valuable information about the message’s origin, routing, and other metadata.

Here’s a general overview of how our email header analyzer works:

  • Header Extraction

    The email header analyzer starts by extracting the header section from the email. This section is typically hidden from the recipient and contains a series of fields with specific information.

  • Parsing and Decoding

    The email header analyzer parses the header content, decoding any encoded or formatted data, such as base64 or MIME encoding. This step is necessary to make the header information readable and understandable.

  • Field Analysis

    Each field in the header is examined individually to gather relevant information. Some common fields that are typically analyzed include the sender’s email address, name, subject, date the email was sent and received, etc.

  • IP Address Extraction

    The analyzer identifies and extracts IP addresses mentioned in the header. These IP addresses can help determine the source of the email, although they can be easily spoofed or hidden using various techniques.

  • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Analysis

    Our email header analyzer checks for Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) records. These authentication mechanisms help validate the email’s origin and ensure it hasn’t been tampered with during transit.

  • Output and Analysis

    Finally, the analyzer presents the gathered information in a readable format, making it easier for users to interpret and understand the email’s origin, potential authenticity, and other relevant details.

Read and Analyze Email Headers

You can follow the steps below to analyze email headers for your message:

Step 1: Sign-up for free on the PowerDMARC portal

Access your PowerDMARC portal by signing up. On the left-hand side menu bar, navigate to and click on “MailAuth Analyzer”.

Step 2: Copy the auto-generated email address

On the MailAuth Analyzer page, you will find an auto-generated email address, click on the copy button to copy this address to your clipboard.

Step 3: Send an empty test mail

Open your mail account to send a test mail from the domain whose email authentication records you want to analyze. In the “Mail To:” section, paste the auto-generated email address. You can keep the contents of this test mail empty. Press send.

Send a test email

Step 4: Refresh the email header analyzer page

Now head back to the MailAuth analyzer tool on your PowerDMARC portal, and click on the “refresh” button. You will now find instant results generated for your sending domain including your email address, the source IP, DMARC compliance for the email you sent, the Creation date, and additional actions.

How to check your email header analysis results?

To check your email header analysis results, click on the “view” icon under “Actions” to view your detailed instant aggregate report.

How-to-check-your-email-header-analysis-results

Moreover, you can scroll down to the bottom of this page to view your email headers both in the raw format as well as in a parsed human-readable format.

Email Header Analyzer Features

PowerDMARC’s email and message header analyzer does more than a simple message header analysis, it is your comprehensive inspection tool for compliance and email security:

  • Instant reporting

  • No domain registrations needed

  • Full analysis of your email authentication protocols

  • View original email headers in a human-readable format

Google Email Header Analyzer

Our email header analyzer tool can be used to analyze Google mail headers! Just send an empty test mail from your Google account to the auto-generated email address and view your results instantly on the MailAuth email header analyzer dashboard!

Microsoft Email Header Analyzer

If you use Microsoft as your email-sending source, you can send your test mail from your Outlook account to the auto-generated email address to view a detailed report of your implemented authentication protocols on the MailAuth email header analyzer dashboard!

Email Header Analyzer FAQs

We allow 15 days of free trial to visitors to perform email header analysis along with access to various other email authentication protocols, email security analysis, and reporting tools.

To view the email header in Outlook, open the email message, click on the “File” menu, select “Properties,” and then look for the “Internet headers” section. The email header information will be displayed there.

To find the email header, open the email message, and depending on the email client, look for an option like “View Headers,” “Show Original,” or “Message Options.” This will display the email header containing metadata about the message.

The email header is automatically generated by the email server and doesn’t require manual filling. It includes essential fields like “From,” “To,” “Date,” “Subject,” “Received,” “Message-ID,” and others, which are automatically populated during the email transmission process.

An email header typically appears as a series of lines containing key-value pairs. Each line represents a specific piece of information, such as the sender’s address, recipient’s address, date, and server details. It might look like this:

To identify a spoofed email from the header, look for discrepancies in the “From” and “Return-Path” fields. Check for mismatched domain names or IP addresses in the “Received” lines, which indicate unusual routing paths. Additionally, scrutinize the “Reply-To” and “Return-Path” fields for inconsistencies. If in doubt, verify the sender’s email address independently.

The email header provides valuable information about the email’s origin, route, and transmission details. It includes the sender’s and recipient’s email addresses, the date and time the message was sent, information about the mail servers involved in the message delivery, and message IDs. This data can help in troubleshooting email issues, tracking email sources, and detecting potential spam or phishing attempts.

blue icon secured email powerdmarc

Ready to Analyze Email Message Headers instantly for your domain? Use our Email Header Analyzer Tool now!