How to Trace an Email in Microsoft Outlook

Tracing an email can be very quick easy, and beneficial. Most emails we receive are either from known senders or spam, but sometimes we receive malicious emails that involve phishing or scams. When this occurs, knowing how to trace the origination of the email could save you from potential theft. Read on to learn how to trace an email in Microsoft Outlook.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Computer
• Internet access
• Microsoft Outlook with email accounts set-up

1. Open Microsoft Outlook and find a suspicious email that you would like to trace.

2. Highlight the email, right click on the email, and select “Options.”

3. At the bottom of the options box you will find a section marked “Internet Headers.” Scroll to the bottom of the section and then slowly scroll upwards until you find something that says “Received: from (sender’s IP address).” The IP address will be a series of numbers and dots, such as 68.172.145.12.

4. Highlight the IP address from this section and then select “Copy” or you can write down the address.

5. Open your internet browser and go to the ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) website. On the front page of the website there will be a box and a clickable button, labeled “Search WHOIS.”

6. Enter the IP address from the email into the box and click the “Search WHOIS” button. The website will run a search on the IP address that you have given them and give you the results of where the IP address originated from, who hosts the address and other registration information.

7. If you want more information on the IP address you can then try to contact the address host via the phone number listed.

Tips & Warnings

• The IP address will be a series of numbers and dots such as 68.172.145.12
• If the email was of malicious nature, which normally originates from foreign countries, you may not want to try to call the address host for further information.

Resources

• ARIN