message header
The part of an email that precedes the body or text of the message. A message’s full header includes detailed information about the mail servers and protocols used to route the message. Most email apps, including Mail, show an abbreviated version — typically, sender, recipients, date and subject.
You can move the pointer around the header area of messages you receive to make a sender a VIP and to reveal icons you can use to delete, answer and forward a message and manage attachments.
![A message header showing a star next to the sender’s name for making the sender a VIP and buttons for deleting, answering and forwarding a message and for managing attachments.](https://help.apple.com/assets/5A847D34094622C8133E94AF/5A847D36094622C8133E94B7/en_GB/b7ceefbd9e22e826250abbe0c0c7d55e.png)
When you send emails, you can add items to the header area, such as a Priority field. Click the Header Fields button in the new message window.