How to Show Full Headers in AOL Mail

To see the full headers of an email in AOL Mail, open the email, click the More icon in the menu above it, and select View Raw Message. The full header includes routing and delivery details, plus the true sender of the message, that the normal email view hides.

Older versions of this guide described an “Always show full headers” checkbox under Options > Mail settings. That option belonged to the older AOL Mail layout, and AOL’s current help pages don’t mention it. Instead, AOL documents viewing full headers one email at a time. The steps below follow AOL’s help articles on using full headers to find delivery delays or a forged address and identifying an email’s true sender.

What Email Headers Show

Every email carries a header with information about how it was routed and delivered. AOL’s normal message view shows only the basics, such as the sender, the recipients, and the date. The full header adds the technical records, including:

• Received lines, one for each computer that handled the message on its way to you.
• From and Mailfrom fields, which can reveal a sender who disguised their address.
• Timestamps that show when each server received the message.

When to Check an Email’s Full Headers

• You keep getting emails from an address you already blocked. AOL notes that a forged address can be the reason, and the header shows the real one.
• An email claims to come from someone you know, but something seems off.
• A message arrived hours or days after it was sent, and you want to see where it waited.

How to View Full Headers in AOL Mail

1. Sign in to your AOL Mail account in a web browser.
2. Click an email to open it.
3. Click the More icon.
4. Select View Raw Message.

Result: The raw message opens with the full header. A second AOL help article for AOL Mail labels this option View Message Source under the More drop-down in the top menu, so look for either name.

How to Find the True Sender of a Forged Email

AOL explains that a sender can forge information so an email looks like it came from a different address. The full header shows where it really came from.

1. View the full header using the steps above.
2. Compare the bottom From: address to the address in either the Received or Mailfrom field.
3. Confirm that the real sending address in the top-most Received line is the same as the one in Mailfrom.

Result: You have the true sending address. AOL suggests you can then block that address or set up a filter to send its messages straight to a folder such as Trash.

How to See Where an Email Was Delayed

If an email arrived much later than it was sent, the full header can show where it got held up. AOL says the delivery records list the first delivery at the bottom and the newest at the top.

1. View the full header.
2. Find the lines that say Received. These are the delivery records.
3. Look for a large time gap between two records. That gap shows which computer delayed the message before passing it on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make AOL Mail always show full headers?

AOL’s current help pages only describe viewing full headers for one email at a time. The older Always show full headers setting isn’t documented for current AOL Mail.

Will viewing headers change the email?

No. Viewing the raw message just shows you the information that came with the email.

Should I click links in an email I think is forged?

It’s safer not to. If the header shows a mismatch, block or filter the sender. You can also disable links from unknown senders in AOL Mail.

Related Guides

• AOL Mail sign in: how to access your inbox
• Can I BCC someone from my AOL account?
• How to open AOL Mail with Inbox instead of Today on AOL

Want more room for your message list? Here’s how to hide the reading pane in AOL Mail.