How to set Outlook to download only E-mail headers

Outlook 2016
Once in a while, you may not want to download an entire e-mail from your mail server, such as when you have a slow Internet connection or want to start looking through many email messages for a particular one as soon as possible. Outlook offers the capability to download only the email header, which includes the sender and the subject of the email, and display these onscreen before downloading the message itself:
Download only headers in Outlook 365

This enables you to browse through your emails without actually having to download all the emails and their attachments, which can often be a lengthy task.

To work with email headers, you need:

Note: This works only for Outlook accounts and accounts connected via POP3, but not IMAP protocol...

Customize an account to download email headers

Outlook accounts

To customize an Outlook account to download only email headers, select any folder of the account for which you need to download only headers. Then do one of the following:

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab, click the Download Preferences dropdown list (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons), then select Download Headers:
    Download Headers in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Preferences group, click the Download Preferences button, then select Download Headers:
    Download Headers in Classic ribbon Outlook 365

Once the Download Headers option is selected, the status bar displays the appropriate status:

Connected to: Microsoft Exchange (Headers):

Status bar for Download only headers in Outlook 365

This customization change will not affect emails already downloaded in full. In the future, all new emails will be downloaded with header information only (the special icon Message Header icon in Outlook 365 indicates such messages):

Download only headers icon in Outlook 365

Accounts connected via the POP3 protocol

To configure Outlook to download only the e-mail headers, do the following:

   1.   Do one of the following:

  • On the File tab, click Options:
    Options in Outlook 365

    In the Outlook Options dialog box, select the Advanced tab.

    Note: You can easily open the Advanced tab in the Outlook Options dialog box by right-clicking the More Apps icon in the Navigation bar and choosing Options in the popup menu (see more about customizing the Navigation bar in Outlook):

    Advanced Options in new Navigation bar Outlook 365

    In the Outlook Options dialog box, on the Advanced tab, under Send and receive, click the Send/Receive... button:

    Send and Receive button in Outlook 365 Options
  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab, click the Send/Receive Groups dropdown list (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons), then choose Define Send/Receive Groups:
    Define Send and Receive Groups in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Send & Receive group, click the Send/Receive Groups button, then choose Define Send/Receive Groups:
    Define Send and Receive Groups in Classic ribbon Outlook 365
  • Press Ctrl+Alt+S.

   2.   On the Send/Receive Groups dialog box, select a group to modify and click the Edit... button (see more about working with Send/Receive Groups in Outlook):

Edit in Send/Receive Groups dialog box Outlook 365

   3.   In the Send/Receive Settings dialog box:

  • From the Accounts list on the left side of the dialog box, select the mail account for which you want to modify the settings.

    Note: This option works only for accounts connected via POP3, not IMAP protocol... See more about downloading message headers for Outlook accounts.

  • Make sure that the Include the selected account in this group checkbox is selected to see all the options:
    Send/Receive Settings dialog box Outlook 365
  • Select a folder from the list of folders if applicable in the Folder Options section and then choose the Download headers only option.

After receiving messages, you will see only headers in the POP3 account:

Download only headers for POP3 account in Outlook 365

Start download message headers for Outlook and POP3 accounts

To download the message headers, do the following:

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab:
    • Select the Download Headers command (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons):
      Download Headers in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
    • Click the Send/Receive Groups dropdown list, then under an account you use, click the Download Indox Headers command:
      Download Inbox Headers in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab:
    • In the Server group, click the Download Headers button:
      Download Headers in Classic ribbon Outlook 365
    • In the Send & Receive group, click the Send/Receive Groups dropdown list, then under an account you use, click the Download Indox Headers command:
      Download Inbox Headers in Classic ribbon Outlook 365

Mark email headers for downloading, removing, etc.

You can mark the email header to do some action that will take effect:

Mark to download the message

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab, click the Mark to Download command (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons):
    Mark to Download in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Server group, click the Mark to Download button:
    Mark to Download in Classic ribbon Outlook 365
  • Right-click the header and choose Mark to Download from the popup menu:
    Mark to Download in popup menu Outlook 365

Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Download icon (Message Download icon in Outlook 365):

Download message mark in Outlook 365

Mark to download this message and leave a copy on the server

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab, from the Mark to Download list, select Mark to Download Message Copy (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons):
    Mark to Download Message Copy in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Server group, from the Mark to Download list, select Mark to Download Message Copy:
    Mark to Download Message Copy in Classic ribbon Outlook 365

Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Download Copy icon (Download Message Copy icon in Outlook 365):

Download Copy message mark in Outlook 365

Unmark to download this message

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab, click the Unmark to Download command (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons):
    Unmark to Download in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab, in the Server group, click the Unmark to Download button:
    Unmark to Download in Classic ribbon Outlook 365
  • Right-click the header and choose Unmark to Download from the popup menu:
    Unmark to Download in popup menu Outlook 365

Outlook changes any icon to the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365):

Unmark message in Outlook 365

Mark to delete the message from the server

Right-click the email header and select Delete from the popup menu:

Delete in popup menu Outlook 365

Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Remove icon (Remove Message icon in Outlook 365):

Remove message mark in Outlook 365

Notes:

  • To highlight multiple messages, press and hold Ctrl while selecting them.
  • For an Outlook account, you also can:
    • Click the Download the rest of this message now button in the Reading pane:
      Download only headers in Outlook 365
    • Double-click the message, then click Yes in the Outlook warning message to mark to download the message:
    Message in Outlook 365
  • For non-Outlook accounts, you can also open the message - for example, by double-clicking. Outlook displays the warning message where you can choose one of the following actions:
    Remote Item Header dialog box in Outlook 365
    • Unmark this header item,
    • Mark to download this message - Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Download icon (Message Download icon in Outlook 365).
    • Mark to download this message and leave a copy on the server - Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Download Copy icon (Download Message Copy icon in Outlook 365).
    • Mark to delete this message from the server - Outlook changes the Header icon (Message Header icon in Outlook 365) to the Remove icon (Remove Message icon in Outlook 365).

    Select the action you prefer, then click OK.

Start processing marked headers

To start the process for marked headers, run the following command:

  • If you use the Simplified ribbon (see more about customizing ribbons), on the Send / Receive tab:
    • Click the Process Marked Headers command (if you don't see it on the ribbon, click the More commands button - three points to the very right of the ribbon buttons):
      Process Marked Headers in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
    • Click the Send/Receive Groups button, then under an account you use, click the Process Marked Headers command:
      Process Marked Headers for account in Simplified ribbon Outlook 365
  • If you use the Classic ribbon, on the Send / Receive tab:
    • In the Server group, click the Process Marked Headers button:
      Process Marked Headers in Classic ribbon Outlook 365
    • In the Send & Receive button, click the Send/Receive Groups button, then under an account you use, click the Process Marked Headers command:
      Process Marked Headers for account in Classic ribbon Outlook 365

Note: There are no appropriate options for accounts connected via IMAP protocol:

Send/Receive Settings for IMAP account in Outlook 365

So, if you need to work with IMAP account message headers, you need to switch to a POP3 account. Maybe the best solution will be to create a new profile with the same account connected via POP3 instead of IMAP protocol.

See also this tip in French: Comment configurer Outlook pour télécharger uniquement les en-têtes de messagerie.

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