A message’s full headers contain delivery and authentication details that are hidden in Gmail’s normal reading view. They can help an administrator investigate delay or impersonation. They can also reveal private addresses and routing information, so collect them for a specific purpose and share them selectively.
Open the original for the correct message
- Use Gmail in a web browser and open the conversation.
- Expand the particular message you want to examine. A later reply has its own headers.
- Beside that message’s Reply button, open More and choose Show original.
- Use Copy to clipboard if you need to provide the original to trusted support.
This menu belongs to the individual message. Copying the sender’s display name, taking a screenshot of the subject, or forwarding the message normally does not provide the same evidence.
Identify the useful fields
For delivery investigations, support may need the Message-ID, recipient, delivery timestamps, and Received entries. For authentication, the relevant receiving service’s Authentication-Results can help. Gmail’s original view also summarizes certain checks and delivery timing.
Do not interpret every header as independently verified. Senders can supply some fields themselves, and a sender’s Date value is not conclusive proof of when Gmail received the message. Keep the original intact if an administrator needs to trace it.
Share evidence without publishing private mail
Ask support exactly what they need and use the organization’s approved upload or ticket channel. Before posting an example publicly, remove personal addresses, message identifiers, internal hostnames, and any body content or tokens. Clearly label it as a redacted example because removing fields can prevent a complete diagnosis.
Google documents its Admin Toolbox header analyzer, but submitting headers to any tool still discloses those headers to that service. Follow your organization’s privacy policy before doing so. Do not paste a confidential message’s complete raw source into a public forum or a random analyzer, and do not open a suspicious attachment merely to obtain its headers.
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References
Reviewed against the linked product guidance, standards, and identified vendor or public-authority guidance on October 29, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.