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RFC 5322 Protocol Trace • 100% Private

Email Header Analyzer & Route Tracer.

Paste raw email headers from Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail to uncover hop-by-hop server latency, verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication, and trace spam filter scores.

Press Ctrl + Enter to analyze

🔒 100% Private: Analyzed entirely in your browser. Zero email data leaves your device.
Diagnostic SpecimenRFC 5322 Route Trace

What this header analyzer inspects:

Email headers contain the complete chain of custody for every message sent over SMTP. Sortwell parses this technical log into actionable insights:

✓Hop-by-Hop Latency: Measures transit delays between MTAs to detect network bottlenecks.
✓Authentication Validation: Confirms whether SPF, DKIM, and DMARC evaluated to pass.
✓Spam Filter Flags: Identifies SpamAssassin scores and Microsoft Forefront SCL ratings.
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Knowledge & RFC Standards

Email Header Analysis FAQs.

Everything you need to know about extracting, reading, and troubleshooting email transit headers.

How do I find email headers in Gmail?

Open the email in Gmail, click the three vertical dots (More options) in the top-right corner next to the reply button, and select "Show original". Copy the text in the top box and paste it here.

How do I find email headers in Microsoft Outlook?

In Outlook Desktop, double-click the email to open it in a new window, go to File → Properties, and locate the "Internet headers" box at the bottom. In Outlook Web, click the three dots → View → View message details.

Why do Received headers appear in reverse order?

Under RFC 5322, every mail server that handles a message prepends its own Received: header to the very top. This means the topmost header is the final receiving server, and the bottommost header is the first sending server. Sortwell automatically reverses them so you can follow the path chronologically.

What does a hop delay anomaly mean?

If an email takes more than 60 seconds between any two servers, it usually indicates greylisting, a temporary connection timeout, or an overloaded anti-spam queue on the receiving mail server.

Clean your entire email list with zero bounces.

Sortwell checks addresses the way a mail server would — live SMTP handshake, syntax, MX verification, and spamtrap detection.