Email Forward Header Removal

Delete forwarding headers on emails to save time and resources.

It's considered good etiquette, especially in the business world, to remove the header on a forwarded email before you send it to someone else, according to Netmanners.com. The header is the top part of the message that identifies who originally sent the email, the original recipient(s), the date and the time it was sent, and the subject. Removing the header merely entails highlighting the data with the cursor and deleting it. Not removing forwarded email headers can cause problems for yourself, the new recipient(s) of the email and previous recipients.

Business Use

In the business world email communications must maintain a professional appearance, whether the message is passed among colleagues or sent outside of the office. Not deleting the header on an email that's been forwarded to several people looks unprofessional: It gives the impression that instead of taking the time to write a personal message, you simply clicked the "Forward" option. Also, not deleting these headers wastes paper, printer toner and energy if you print an email that's been forwarded often and to many people.

Confidentiality

Removing email forward headers is necessary to maintain confidentiality. When a joke is circulated among a long list of people, their names and email addresses are exposed to strangers. This makes everyone more vulnerable to receiving spam or computer viruses. You can accidentally expose professional or personal secrets -- if someone sends you a forwarded email from a source that's supposed to be confidential, he will reveal who gave him the information if the header isn't deleted.

Confusion

Leaving multiple forward headers on an email causes confusion. If 30 people have been copied on a message whenever it was forwarded and the message was forwarded four times, the recipient(s) have to scroll through a large block of text to find the start of the message itself. This can waste time and cause annoyance. Also, being included in a long email thread leads people to wonder if the email is spam since junk mail often contains multiple email addresses in the body of the text.

Exceptions

There are times when you must keep the original header on an email when you forward it. This holds true when, for instance, your supervisor asks you to forward a message to show a request is coming directly from him -- or you might need the header to prove who sent you conflicting information about returning a product if you are having a dispute with a company. Headers are a date and time stamp for when you communicated with someone, so you might have to forward an email with an original header to verify when you communicated certain information to someone.

References

• Hoax-Slayer: How to Remove Previous Email Addresses in Email Forwards
• Microsoft Office: Hide or Remove E-mail Message Headers
• Net Manners: 5 Rules for Forwarding Email