How Do I Get the Email Headers from Outlook on a Mac?
Quick Answer
In Outlook, find the original email in your Inbox or folder.
Right-click the email → View Source
The full message source will open in your Mac's text editor. Copy the header information, create a new email and paste it into the message.
Microsoft confirms that Outlook for Mac includes a View Source option for received messages.
If you have received a suspicious email, your IT or cybersecurity provider may ask you to send them theemail headers.
Email headers contain technical information about how the message was sent and which mail servers it passed through.
Important: Please collect the email headers from the original email you received, not from a forwarded copy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Open Microsoft Outlook on your Mac.
Find the original email you need to check.
Right-click the email in the message list.
If you do not have a right mouse button, Control-click it instead.
Click View Source.
The email source will open in your Mac’s text editor, usually TextEdit.
The email headers are at the top of the document.
Select the header information from the top down to the first blank line before the email body begins.
Press Command + C to copy the headers.
Close the source window.
Return to Outlook and create a new email.
Enter the email address of the person who requested the headers.
Click inside the message and press Command + V to paste the headers.
Send the email.
On a Mac, Command + C and Command + V are used instead of Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V on Windows. Current guidance for Outlook for Mac uses right-click → View Source to access the full message information.
Why Might We Ask for Email Headers?
Email headers can help us investigate:
Where the email actually came from
Whether the sender may have been spoofed
Which mail servers handled the message
Email authentication results
Delivery problems
Phishing and suspicious emails
