How to Trace an Originating IP

1. Locate the header information in the email you wish to trace. This will look like a confusing mass of undecipherable text, easily distinguishable from the easy-to-read body of the email, but will end with something like 'Content-transfer-encoding ...' You will probably have to enable viewing this information, but the procedure for this differs between programs and services.For example, in Gmail, you click the arrow by 'reply' and select 'show original.' In Yahoo, you click 'actions' and then 'few full headers.' In Outlook, you click 'internet headers' in the 'message options' window.
2. Copy the headers by selecting the text and pressing CTRL C. If you select too much, that is alright; most look-up tools will ignore anything extra. In fact, you could press CTRL A to select everything and then CTRL C to copy it all, and it will still work in most trace tools.

3. Visit a trace tool site such as Find-IP-Address, What Is My IP Address or IP Address Location.
4. Paste the copied header information into the rectangular box on the tool page. You may also need to enter the 'captcha' security text to verify you are a real person. Press enter or submit. The tool will display the textual and/or visual location of the originator's IP.