---
title: "Email Header Analyzer: SPF, DKIM, Hops | Uptrack"
description: "Free email header analyzer: paste raw headers to see each server hop and its delay, the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results, and problems such as a bad HELO name."
url: https://uptrack.app/tools/email-header-analyzer
---

# Email Header Analyzer

Use this email header analyzer to read the raw headers of a message. It lists every server the message passed through with the delay of each hop, shows the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results, and points out problems such as a HELO name that is not a full domain name.

The analysis runs in your browser. The headers you paste are not sent to Uptrack and are not stored.

## Email header analyzer: how to get the headers

Gmail

Open the message, choose the three-dot menu and then Show original. Copy the header block at the top.

Outlook

Open the message, then File, Properties. The Internet headers box holds the headers.

Apple Mail

Open the message, then View, Message, All Headers (or Raw Source).

Paste only the headers

Copy from the first line down to the first blank line. The tool stops reading there.

## Reading the Received headers of an email

Each server that handles a message adds a Received header on top. The tool turns them around so the first server comes first. For every hop it shows the name the server gave itself (HELO), its IP address, the reverse DNS name, the server that received the message and the time.

The delay of a hop is the time between its Received date and the one before it. A long delay points to a queue, a greylist or a scan at that server. A HELO name without a dot, such as a bare host name, is not a full domain name, and receivers count it against the sender.

## SPF, DKIM and DMARC results in email headers

Added by the receiver

The Authentication-Results header is written by the server that received the message, so paste the headers from the inbox that got it.

SPF

Did the sending server have the right to send for the envelope domain?

DKIM

Is the signature valid, and for which domain and selector?

DMARC

Did SPF or DKIM pass and line up with the visible From domain?

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I read email headers?

Paste the full header block into the tool above and press Analyze headers. It shows the path of the message, the delays and the SPF, DKIM and DMARC results in plain English.

### Where do I find the full headers of an email?

In Gmail, open the message and choose Show original from the three-dot menu. In Outlook, use File, Properties. In Apple Mail, use View, Message, All Headers.

### Are the headers I paste stored or sent anywhere?

No. The analysis runs in your browser and nothing you paste is sent to Uptrack. Headers can hold addresses and IP addresses, so it is still good practice to clear the box when you finish.

### Why does the headers result show no SPF, DKIM or DMARC?

These results are added by the receiving server. If you copied the headers from a sent message or from a forwarded copy, they may be missing. Copy the headers from the inbox that received the message.

### What does a delay between two Received headers mean?

It is the time one server held the message before it passed it on. A few seconds is normal. A minute or more usually means a queue, a greylist, a virus scan or a clock that is wrong on one of the servers.

## More free tools

[SPF CheckerRead an SPF record, follow every include and count its DNS lookups against the limit of 10.](https://uptrack.app/tools/spf-checker) [DMARC CheckerRead the DMARC policy of a domain and see what it does with mail that fails SPF and DKIM.](https://uptrack.app/tools/dmarc-checker) [DKIM CheckerRead a DKIM key by selector: key type, size and whether it is revoked or in test mode.](https://uptrack.app/tools/dkim-checker)

[Is this website down?](https://uptrack.app/tools/is-website-down) and [all free tools](https://uptrack.app/tools)

## Monitor this email DNS record every minute

Uptrack checks your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records on a schedule and alerts you when one changes or stops resolving.

Plans from $3/mo, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

[See plans](https://uptrack.app/pricing) [How DNS monitoring works](https://uptrack.app/features/dns-monitoring)