Is Microsoft 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 delve into the technical details of email headers, you might have noticed something amiss recently. Reports surfaced in late March 2024 indicating that MHA was no longer functioning as expected, displaying mostly blank information. This article explores this issue, potential causes, and alternatives you can use to analyze email headers effectively.
What is Microsoft Message Header Analyzer (MHA)?
The Message Header Analyzer is a valuable tool for understanding the journey of an email. It allows you to examine the raw header information, providing insights into:
- Sender authentication: Spotting potential phishing attempts by verifying the sender's legitimacy.
- Email routing: Tracing the path an email took from sender to recipient, identifying each server it passed through.
- Spam filtering details: Understanding why an email was flagged as spam or made it to your inbox.
- Troubleshooting delivery issues: Pinpointing problems that may have caused delays or failures in email delivery.
The Reported Issue: Blank or Incomplete Headers
According to user reports in the Microsoft community forums, the MHA tool started exhibiting problems in late March 2024. Users reported that when analyzing message headers, the output was largely blank or missing crucial details that were previously available. This issue was observed in both the web version of Outlook and the desktop application.
Possible Causes for MHA Malfunction
While the exact cause for the MHA malfunction wasn't explicitly stated by Microsoft at the time of this writing, potential reasons could include:
- Server-side issues: A temporary glitch or ongoing maintenance on Microsoft's servers responsible for processing header information.
- Software updates: A recent update to Outlook or related services could have inadvertently introduced a bug affecting MHA's functionality.
- Changes in header formatting: Email providers might have altered their header formats, rendering MHA unable to properly parse the information.
Alternatives to Microsoft Message Header Analyzer
If MHA isn't working for you, don't worry! Several excellent alternatives can help you analyze email headers:
- GMail Message Header: If you have configured your email to forward to a Gmail account you can then use the built in functionality. Open the message in Gmail, click the three dots and select "Show Original"
- MXToolbox Email Header Analyzer: A comprehensive online tool offering detailed header analysis, spam filtering checks, and more.
- Google Admin Toolbox Messageheader: A tool used to analyze message headers.
- Online Header Analyzers: A quick search will reveal numerous websites offering free email header analysis. Be cautious about entering sensitive information on unknown sites.
Tips for Analyzing Email Headers Manually
Even without a dedicated tool, you can still glean valuable information from email headers by understanding key fields:
- Received: Shows each server the email passed through, in reverse order.
- From: Indicates the claimed sender of the email. Verify this against the
Return-Path to check for spoofing.
- Return-Path: The actual address where bounce messages are sent.
- Authentication-Results: Displays the results of authentication checks like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which help verify the sender's identity.
- Message-ID: A unique identifier for the email.
Conclusion
While the temporary malfunction of Microsoft's Message Header Analyzer can be frustrating, understanding the potential causes and exploring alternative tools ensures you can continue analyzing email headers effectively. By using the recommended alternatives, you can continue validating senders, troubleshooting email delivery issues and protecting yourself from potential threats.
