Email glossary · Practical guide
Header From: the message's visible author identity
The From header identifies the author address presented in the message. Its domain is central to DMARC evaluation, but the display name beside it is a separate piece of text.
Reviewed · Examples are illustrative
Who this helps: Readers checking a term before making an outreach or mailbox decision.
Meaning and common confusion
A recognizable display name does not authenticate the address. Likewise, setting a preferred From value in an editor does not prove the connected provider permits that sending identity. Check the delivered message and authorized mailbox relationship together.
Worked example
This is a synthetic illustration, not a customer result or a live configuration to copy.
Display name: Alex at Brand
From address: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Review: truthful name, authorized From identity and intended reply destination
Do not treat a matching display name as authentication evidence.Checks to make
- Verify the address after a controlled send.
- Confirm any alias is authorized by the provider and supported by the app.
- Compare the author domain with authentication results.
Next step and limits
Use sender-address troubleshooting when the provider rejects or rewrites the identity. A display-name edit is not a mailbox delegation or alias authorization mechanism. Keep identity claims consistent with the actual person and organization sending.
Source references
Worked examples are illustrative. Editorial procedures are suggested methods, not measured performance claims or promises of additional product features.
Related guides
- Microsoft sender address mismatch: verify the authenticated and visible identities →
- Gmail alias sending identity: verify authorization and the received From →