What Is the Difference Between an Email Header and Email Body?
When you think of traditional mail, the two parts are easy to see.
With email, it’s similar.
Kolonko / iStock / Getty Images
There are also two distinct parts that make up a single email message.
It also includes several necessary authentication details.
The header always precedes the body of an email.
Only a portion of the header appears in an email message.
The rest of the header is hidden.
The portions of the header that normally display include the date, sender and recipient information, and subject.
Consider how you read a letter you receive in the postal mail.
You pop pop the envelope and unfold the paper to view the contents of the message.
Similarly, once a recipient opens an email message, the email body section displays in its entirety.
However, email servers have limits on how big a message they accept.
Common maximum sizes for email bodies, including attachments, are 10 MB to 25 MB.
