How to Find the Source of an Email

If you do not recognize the name of a sender in the "From" field on an email message, you can choose to see additional details, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which the email was sent, that by default are not displayed.

Instructions

Find the Source on Outlook Express

1. Double-click on the email for which you want to find the source on the Outlook Express window.

2. Click on the "File" menu and then click on "Properties."

3. Click on the "Details" tab on the dialog box that opens and then click on "Message Source." You will be shown all the details of the email, including the IP address from which it was sent.

Find the Source on Gmail/Yahoo Mail

1. Log in to your Gmail/Yahoo Mail account.

2. Click to open the email for which you want to find the source.

3. Click on the downward-pointing arrow next to the "Reply" button. Then for Gmail, click on "Show original." For Yahoo Mail, click on the downward-pointing arrow next to the "Action" button and then click on "Full Header." You will be shown the details of the email.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also view the details of an email on AOL Mail and Hotmail. For additional guidance, refer to their "Help" sections.

References

• Basic & Respectful E-mailing Using Outlook Express; Stephanie Keller; 2004

Resources

• Yahoo.com: What are headers, and how can I display "all" versus "brief" headers?