Looking to learn more about an email? Eager to trace a message’s path? Getting full headers is not always obvious, but it is possible. Find out here how to view full email header lines on an iPhone (using web-based email and apps).
First, Just Long Enough
The first railway tunnel in Austria was built purely for practice, maybe, or to protect a precious vineyard.
To the locals steeped in 19th century hush-hush morals, of course, legend has it the tunnel quickly revealed its true purpose: the 10 seconds it took to pass it provided enough darkness for a quick hidden kiss.
So, the tunnel is known to this day as the Busserltunnel (“a peck’s tunnel”).
Now—with that in mind—, are you curious what could be hiding in that short space between an email’s sender and subject and its body?
How to View Full Email Header Lines on iPhone
iCloud Mail
Time needed: 2 minutes
To access all email header lines for a message in iCloud Mail on an iPhone (using iCloud.com):
- Open iCloud Mail at iCloud.com in Safari or another browser on the iPhone.
Here’s how: You can open iCloud.com/mail to go there directly.
- Now open the message whose header you want to access in full.
- Tap the reply menu Botton on top or bottom right of the message.
- Select Show All Headers.
- View the complete email header lines beneath the usual set and up to the beginning of the email body.
- Tap Hide to return to regular display.
Fastmail
To view all email header lines (plus the raw source of the message) in Fastmail:
- Open the message in the Fastmail app or the Fastmail web interface.
- Tap the three dots menu button in the message’s heading area.
- Select Show raw message from the menu.
- Find the email headers at the top.
Gmail
To get email headers in Gmail on an iPhone:
- Open Gmail’s desktop version in Safari or another browser.
- Open headers in Gmail for the desired message.
Other Email Services
For any email account you can access using POP or IMAP, you can use Airmail for iOS:
- Open the message for which you would like to view the header in Airmail.
- Tap the three dots menu button.
- Select View Source from the (long) menu that has appeared.
From the list: You can also get to View Source from the message’s three dots menu in the message lis. - Find the header lines starting from the top until the first empty line.
How to View Full Email Header Lines on iPhone: FAQ
Can I view headers in Apple Mail for iOS itself?
No.
Like just about all email programs for iOS, iPhone Mail will not let you access email headers in full.
(How to view full email header lines on iPhone tested with iOS 16–17, Fastmail 4 and Airmail 5.6; updated February 2024)