Can you find an IP address from an email?

It’s a troubling thought. An IP address can reveal all sorts of information about you and your location—country, city, neighborhood, maybe your ISP. But could someone really get an IP address from an email you’ve sent them? The short answer is yes. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you might think. 

How can you get an IP address from an email?

What do you look at first when you receive an email? The email title, who the sender is, and maybe when they sent it? But there’s plenty more information stored in the email header metadata, including the IP address the email came from. And you don’t even need any hacking skills to find it.

How to get an IP address from email in 3 steps (in Gmail)

1. Open the email and click on the three dots icon
2. Select “Show original”
   
3. Search the plain text for “Received” to find the IP address

We tested it out and found this IP address in an email we had received.

If you’re not sure how to find the IP address yourself, you can use an analyzer like this one from WhatIsMyIP.com—just paste all the plain text into the search field. Once you have the IP address, you can search it and find out the sender’s location. We searched the IP address from the above email, and here’s what we discovered.

Alarming? Well, here’s the thing—that IP address belongs to Google. If someone sends an email using Gmail, you’ll see one of their IP addresses, not the sender’s actual IP address. The same thing goes for basically every other browser-based email service; they don’t reveal the sender’s IP address. So yes, it’s easy to get an email service’s IP address from an email header, but not someone’s personal IP address.

Why would someone want my IP address?

There are many reasons why someone might want to discover an IP address, ranging from mildly annoying to downright nefarious. For example, someone could use your IP address to send you personalized spam, or a game administrator might block you from joining a game. More sinister motivations might be stalking, DDoS attacks, or selling your IP address on the dark web.

How to prevent someone tracing your IP address

It’s always wise to take precautions to protect your digital privacy, especially when it could transcend from online to your physical location. But the likelihood of someone figuring out your personal IP address from an email you sent is very low.

However, your ISP and your email provider do have your IP address and, depending on laws and privacy policies, may reveal it if compelled.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself:

1. Make sure your email service hides your IP address

Email headers can contain metadata, including your IP address, which could reveal your location. Many modern email services, like Gmail, automatically block this information. Still, it’s a good idea to double-check your provider’s settings or privacy policy to be sure.

1. Use a strong and secure password

A strong password protects your email from hackers. Create one using a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using anything easy to guess, like names or birthdays. For added security, use a password manager like ExpressVPN’s Keys to generate and store strong passwords. This ensures you don’t have to remember complex passwords while keeping your accounts safe. Regularly updating passwords and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) also adds extra layers of security.

1. Use a VPN to hide your IP address online

A VPN like ExpressVPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your real IP address, helping keep your online activity private. This prevents email providers, websites, and malicious actors from tracking your movements or targeting you based on your IP address. It’s especially useful when accessing your email on public Wi-Fi or in restrictive regions.

1. Block email trackers 

Marketers often use hidden pixels to see when and where you open an email. To stop this tracking, disable automatic image loading in your email settings. Browser extensions that block email trackers can add even more protection.

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