Email Header Analyser
Parse raw email headers and surface SPF/DKIM/DMARC and spoof hints.
The Email Header Analyser is your essential tool for dissecting the complex metadata embedded within every email. Ever wondered why an important message landed in spam, or if a suspicious email is genuinely from the sender it claims to be? This analyser provides the answers by taking raw email headers and transforming them into easily digestible insights.
An IT administrator might use it to troubleshoot tricky email delivery failures, tracing each 'Received' hop to pinpoint where a message got delayed or dropped. A cybersecurity professional could input headers from a suspected phishing email to quickly verify SPF, DKIM, DMARC alignment, and identify discrepancies in the sender's actual origin versus the displayed 'From' address, uncovering potential spoofing attempts. Even marketers can leverage it to confirm their legitimate emails are passing critical authentication checks, ensuring better deliverability.
Simply paste the full raw email headers into the input field. The tool will then meticulously parse each line, highlighting critical information such as the mail server route, timestamps, message IDs, and crucially, the results of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. The output clearly marks pass/fail statuses for these security protocols, indicating potential red flags or confirming legitimacy. A key tip for users: while the tool surfaces a lot of data, pay close attention to the Authentication-Results header and the sequence of Received headers to understand both security posture and message routing. It's important to remember this tool focuses solely on the header information; it does not analyse the email's body content or attachments.
How to use Email Header Analyser
Retrieve Email Headers
Open the email you wish to analyze in your email client and locate the option to view "Show Original," "View Raw Message," or "View Headers."
Copy Header Content
Select and copy the entire raw header block, typically starting with "Received:" or "Delivered-To:". Ensure no content is missed.
Paste into Analyser
Paste the copied raw email headers into the designated input text area on the Email Header Analyser page.
Initiate Analysis
Click the "Analyze Headers" or similar submission button to process the pasted content and generate the results.
Review Results
Examine the structured output, paying attention to highlighted SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results, server hops, and sender information to diagnose the email.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of email headers can I analyze?
You can analyze raw email headers from virtually any email client or service (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.). The tool expects the full, unformatted header block copied directly from the original message source.
What do SPF, DKIM, and DMARC mean in the results?
These are email authentication protocols. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) verifies the sender's IP. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) uses cryptographic signatures. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) leverages both to prevent spoofing and defines policy for unauthenticated messages. The tool shows their pass/fail status.
Can this tool tell me why my email went to spam?
While it can't definitively provide a single reason, it offers crucial clues. If SPF, DKIM, or DMARC fail, or if there are suspicious routing hops, these are strong indicators of deliverability issues that could lead to spam folder placement.
Is there a limit to the length of headers I can paste?
Generally, the tool can handle very long header blocks, typical for emails with many hops or extensive security checks. However, extremely large headers (e.g., several megabytes) might take slightly longer to process or could hit browser-specific limits.
How is this different from simply reading the raw headers myself?
While you could read them yourself, the Email Header Analyser parses, organizes, and highlights key information like authentication results, timestamps, and server hops. This makes complex data much faster and easier to interpret than sifting through raw text manually.
Does the Email Header Analyser store my email headers?
No, the Email Header Analyser processes your headers entirely in real-time within your browser. The tool does not store, log, or transmit your header data to any server, ensuring your privacy is maintained.