Viewing the source code of an email is important for several reasons. First, it allows you to view email header information and the HTML code that controls how the message is displayed. This means you can see when the message was received, the server that sent it, and much more. In addition, email headers and source code are key to helping our team troubleshoot delivery and content issues on your behalf. They also provide you with more detailed information related to the process of transmitting and viewing your email.
In short, viewing the source code of an email can help you troubleshoot technical issues and better understand how email works. This article explains how to view the source of a message that leads to Gmail email service provider.
View Gmail message source code
The email source code displays the email header information and often the HTML code that controls how the message is displayed. This means you can see when the message was received, the server that sent it, and much more. To see the source of a Gmail message, follow these steps:
- Open the message you want to see. In this case I opened a message that is in the spam folder.
- Click the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the message.
- Select “Show Original” from the drop-down menu.
4. A new window will open with the source code of the message.
5. Email messages contain information that servers use to ensure that the message arrives in the right place. You can use the browser’s search function to find the beginning of the actual message. Because the message is HTML, it must start with an HTML tag you need to open the search with Ctrl+F.
6. The option to DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL is also very useful. For some legal processes it is necessary to obtain the data from emails and this is a good way, by downloading the file in .eml format that can be used to print an email or send it attached to add that information.
