Is Message Header Analyzer (MHA) Not Working? Here's What You Need to Know
If you're an Outlook user who relies on the Message Header Analyzer (MHA) to dissect email headers and glean valuable insights, you might have recently noticed something amiss. Reports are surfacing that MHA is no longer displaying valid details, rendering it essentially blank. This can be frustrating, especially when you need to troubleshoot email delivery issues, identify spam sources, or simply understand the path an email took to reach your inbox.
What's Happening with Message Header Analyzer?
As reported in late March 2024, users have observed that MHA within Outlook, both the desktop and web versions, is failing to properly parse email headers. Instead of presenting a detailed breakdown, the tool primarily shows blank fields. This issue prevents users from:
- Analyzing email routing: Examining the hops an email takes through different servers.
- Identifying spam origins: Tracing the source of unwanted emails.
- Troubleshooting delivery problems: Pinpointing where an email might have encountered issues along its path.
- Verifying email authentication: Checking SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Why is MHA Important?
Understanding email headers is crucial for several reasons:
- Security: Email headers can help you identify phishing attempts and other malicious emails by revealing discrepancies in the sender's information.
- Troubleshooting: When emails fail to deliver, headers provide clues about where the problem occurred, such as a server rejection or filtering issue.
- Compliance: In some industries, analyzing email headers is necessary to comply with data retention and security regulations.
- Email Marketing: Understanding mail flow and identifying potential deliverability issues is key to running successful email campaigns. Check out this article on email marketing best practices for more information.
Potential Causes and Troubleshooting Steps (While We Await a Fix)
While the exact reason for MHA's malfunction remains unclear, some potential causes could include:
- Changes to Outlook's internal structure: Microsoft might have updated Outlook in a way that interferes with MHA's ability to read headers.
- Updates to email header formats: Although less likely, changes in how email headers are formatted could confuse the analyzer.
- A bug in the MHA tool itself: The Message Header Analyzer might contain a bug introduced by a recent update.
Unfortunately, with the tool displaying blank information, regular troubleshooting is impossible.
Alternative Email Header Analyzers
While we hope for a swift resolution to the MHA issue, several alternative email header analyzers are available:
These alternatives can provide the insights you need while MHA is out of commission. To get the headers needed for these websites from outlook you can do the following:
- Open the email message whose header you want to view.
- Click the File tab.
- Click Info.
- Click Properties.
- The full headers will be in the Internet headers box.
Staying Informed
Keep an eye on Microsoft's support forums and community pages for updates on the MHA issue. You can also check back on this page as we will provide updates as new information arises. In the meantime, exploring alternative header analysis tools will ensure you can continue to effectively manage and understand your email communications. You might also want to check out this article on common email security threats to stay ahead of potential risks.
