Last updated: June 13, 2023
When you receive an email, the content of the message is not the only information sent by the sender. Indeed, each email has a header, or 'header', containing essential data, such as the geographical origin of the email, determined by the IP address, and potentially the identity of the sender.
For locate an email address, you just have to identify the IP address hidden in the email code.
In this article, I guide you through the finding the sender's IP address, using major email providers
How to locate an email address for free with Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail
To locate an email address, it is crucial to focus on the header of the email. It is in this header, also called "header", that you can find the sender's IP address, often surrounded by square brackets as in this example: [128.130.1.1].
Here are the steps to locate an email address with Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail:
Header display
- First, sign in to your Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail account using your username and password.
- Next, open the email whose address you want to locate.
- Look for the inverted triangle or down arrow next to the "Reply".
- Click on it and select "Show original".
Code analysis and localization
- A page containing code will open. To locate an email address, this code must be analyzed in order to find the geographical location associated with the IP address.
- Do not panic ! No special computer skills are required. You just need to use an online application, such as https://www.whatismyip.com/email-header-analyzer/. This application will parse the email header, extract the IP address and locate the IP address for you.
- Copy the code that we obtained earlier and paste it in the dedicated field on the site, then click on "Analyze".
- In a few seconds, you will get the IP address and the geographical location of the sender of the email.
Note that you have to follow the same procedure to locate an email with Yahoo or Hotmail.
How to locate the sender of an email using Facebook
With billions of active users around the world, Facebook has become a potentially valuable tool for tracking the sender of an email. It is indeed likely that the individual who sent you an email also has a profile on this social network.
Here's how you can use Facebook to try to locate the sender of an email:
- Start by copying the sender's email address.
- Log into your Facebook account.
- Paste the previously copied email address into the Facebook search bar.
- If a Facebook profile is associated with this email address, it will appear in search results.
- You can potentially determine the location of the person by reviewing their profile information.
It is important to note that this method does not guarantee to locate the sender of the email, particularly if this one uses a different email address for his Facebook account, or if his privacy settings limit access to his information. profile. It is, however, an additional means of seeking to locate the sender of an email."
