Find the Sent Timestamp on Gmail Messages

Gmail shows the time that has passed since a message was sent. This is helpful most of the time, but you may want to know the exact date and time, especially for older emails that only have a date. Here's how to reveal the timestamp of a Gmail message.

How to Tell When an Email Was Sent in Gmail

Below is a look at three different places you might be reading your Gmail messages and how to see the message's true date in each scenario.

From the Desktop Website

1. With the message open, hover your mouse over the date/time.

2. Wait for the exact date and time to display. For example, if the date shows as Jul 7, hovering over it reveals the specific time the email was sent, like Jul 7, 2019, 6:02 PM.

3. Another way to do this on the desktop website is to open the message and then click the three vertically stacked dots next to the reply button (called More).

4. Choose Show original.

5. Find the timestamp next to Created at.

From the Gmail Mobile App

To view when a message was sent in the Gmail app:

1. Open the message you want to see the date for.

2. Below the sender's name and next to the recipient's (usually, to: me) tap the down arrow to show more details.

3. These details include the sender's email address, your email address, and the full date the message was sent.

From Inbox by Gmail (on the Web)

1. Open the message in Inbox by Gmail.

2. Hover the mouse cursor over the date shown in the header area. The full date and time will appear.

3. To view the timestamp in the original message, click the three vertically stacked dots next to the date.

4. Select Show original.