How to Track an Email Sender's IP Address

A comprehensive guide to verify email authenticity and enhance security

Why Bother Tracking an Email IP?

Knowing the sender's IP address can help you:

  • Verify authenticity — Confirm a recruiter's job offer isn't coming from a scam hotspot.
  • Spot phishing — See whether a "bank alert" really originates in your country.
  • Geo-tailor replies — Respond in a convenient time zone or language.

While most email providers hide IPs in headers for privacy, you can still capture a sender's IP—ethically and legally—by inviting them to click an invisible tracking link.

Quick disclaimer: Public IPs are not "personal data" under most laws, but always tell recipients when logging any information and comply with local regulations.

Works With All Email Providers

This method works with all major email providers including:

Gmail
Yahoo
Outlook
Any Provider

1 Generate a Stealth Tracking Link

  1. Open iplogger.icu and paste a harmless URL—e.g., your LinkedIn page.
  2. Select "Invisible Pixel" to create a 1×1 px image: perfect for emails and nearly impossible to spot.
  3. Copy the "Image Code" (it looks like https://iplogger.icu/1aB2c).
Pro tip: Rename the alt-text to something neutral, e.g. "profile-photo" to avoid arousing suspicion.
IP Logger interface showing the invisible pixel option

2 Embed the Pixel in Your Email Reply

  1. Click "Reply" in your email client.
  2. Switch to HTML mode (most email clients support this).
  3. Insert the pixel by typing:
<img src="https://iplogger.icu/1aB2c" width="1" height="1" style="display:none;">
HTML Mode in Popular Email Clients:
Gmail: Click the three dots menu (⋮) → "< > Plain text" → toggle off
Outlook: In the Format Text tab → click HTML
Apple Mail: Format menu → Make Rich Text
Yahoo Mail: Click the "<>" button in the compose toolbar

Write your normal message and hit Send.

When the recipient opens the email—even in preview—the invisible image calls iplogger.icu and records their IP, country, browser, and timestamp.

Email compose window showing HTML mode toggle

3 View the Logged IP Details

  1. Open your iplogger.icu dashboard.
  2. Locate the link ID (e.g., 1aB2c) and click "View Logs."
  3. Read the report:
IP Address 203.0.113.14
Location Tokyo, Japan
Device Windows 11 · Chrome 124
Time 2025-05-04 11:42 JST

You can export a CSV or delete logs at any time.

IP Logger dashboard showing tracking results

Frequently Asked Questions

Question Short Answer
Is it legal to track an IP? Yes, IPs are publicly broadcast; just avoid deceptive use and obey GDPR/CCPA notices.
Will email providers block the pixel? Most email clients display remote images by default. If users disable images, the pixel won't fire.
Can I automate reports? iplogger.icu offers free API access—pull JSON logs into Slack or a spreadsheet.
Does this work on mobile devices? Yes, this tracking method works on all devices including mobile phones and tablets.

Best Practices for Ethical IP Tracking

Get Consent

Add "Images in this email are tracked for security" when possible.

Respect Privacy

Use once, then delete logs after you've verified what you need.

Verify Further

Combine with header analysis (Show original) for extra verification.

Wrap-Up & Next Steps

Tracking an email sender's IP is as easy as Generate → Embed → View. With iplogger.icu, you get:

  • Invisible pixels & short links in one click.
  • Real-time dashboard—no signup fees or ads.
  • API & export tools for advanced workflows.

Ready to try?

Generate Your Free IP-Tracking Link Now

Stay safe, stay transparent, and make smarter decisions with reliable IP insights.