Want to know the email headers of all your emails in the MBOX file? But if you don’t know, then this article will provide different possible ways to view MBOX file email headers.

Firstly, email headers mean a section where all your essential email information, like sender and recipient addresses and subject, is contained. The purpose behind this is to provide information about who sent the email and what it is about. Preventing your email from phishing attacks and tracking your email route This is very helpful, as it provides evidence of the said email.

Now, the MBOX file contains many emails, and if you want to read the email headers of all the emails, then how can you do it?

Methods to View MBOX File Email Headers

The MBOX file runs on both Mac and Windows systems. So, whether you use Mac or Windows, you can equally read MBOX email headers. On the Mac system, you can use Apple Mail, as it uses this file format to save, import, or export the data. For Windows users, Thunderbird is a good option to view your file. Apart from that, there is a software method where you can directly view the email headers of the file. So there are three ways available for the process.

  • On the Mac system, we use Apple Mail to view the file.
  • Use Thunderbird on Windows to see the email headers.
  • Software that directly helps you read the information.

Read MBOX Email Headers in Apple Mail

In Apple Mail, there is an option called Raw Source. With this option, you can easily view the email headers of the file. But before that, you have to first open the file in the program so you can see it.

  1. Open the Apple Mail program and go to the File option.
  2. Select the Import Mailboxes option. After that, click on Files in mbox format and the Continue option.
  3. Now, locate the place where your MBOX file is saved, and then choose it.
  4. After that, Apple Mail shows you where your file is, and you click the Done option.
  5. To see MBOX file email headers, select the email messages that you have imported.
  6. Click on View and then the Message option. Under the message option, click on the raw source option.

By following these steps, you can now view all the information clearly.

View MBOX File Email Headers with Thunderbird

Those who use the Windows system can use Thunderbird to see their files. In this program, the property to view the email headers is hidden, but you can unhide the option and read the information. Similarly, in the above method, you have to first import the files using the Import/Export Tools NG addon. Install the addon at https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/.

  1. Open the program on your system. Click on Tools.
  2. Then install the Import/Export Tools addon. Click on the Import Mailboxes option.
  3. Select Import directly one or more mbox files, and then OK.
  4. Browse the MBOX file location and open it.
  5. To read MBOX email headers, select the email and go to the View option.
  6. After that, choose Message Source to open the header information.

Limitations of Manual Methods

The methods we used in the above are all free to use and manual; however, there are some drawbacks to them that make them not ideal.

  • In both methods, we have to first open the file, and then you can see the email headers of the file.
  • After importing them, we have to check the email headers one by one.
  • You need to install email programs for this purpose.
  • There can be missing data or data loss during importing the file.

View MBOX Email Headers using Software

If you do not have an email program to read the file, then use FreeViewer MBOX File Viewer Tool. This software is one of the programs in which you can directly read the article without opening it in any other program. It is very good for analyzing email headers, as it has options like From, To, Sent, Receive, etc. to easily view the information you need. Also, there are other features of this software as well.

Features of Software

  • The software allows users to read contacts, calendars, events, and other data easily.
  • It can view the MBOX file of any email program, such as Thunderbird, Entourage, Eudora, and Apple Mail.
  • You can view corrupt, damaged, or orphan MBOX files in the software.
  • If you want, you can either view single or multiple files at the same time.
  • Provide preview modes like HEX, normal mail view, properties, attachments, etc.

Steps to View MBOX File Email Headers in Software

  1. Download and launch the software.
  2. Go to the Add File option and click on the MBOX file option from the email application list.
  3. Click on select from file(s)/folder from the system, and then click the Next button.
  4. Press the Browse button and navigate to the location where your file is. Click on the Process button.
  5. If you have a folder with multiple MBOX files, click on Folder Mode and Maintain Folder Hierarchy.
  6. Then browse the folder and click on Process.
  7. After that, all the emails are displayed on the screen. Click on the From, Sent, Receive, etc. option to view email headers.
  8. If you want, preview your files by clicking the preview mode at the bottom of the list of emails.

Conclusion

Whenever you analyze your MBOX file, you first read the email headers. So here, we describe methods to view MBOX file email headers. In this, we explained ways to use different operating systems. On Mac, you can use Apple Mail, and on Windows, you can use Thunderbird. Both methods are good, but if you want to do in-depth analysis, the software method is the best option.