Analyze a message trace

When it comes to troubleshooting issues with Microsoft 365 Messaging, analyzing a message trace can provide valuable insights. A message trace allows you to understand the path that an email took, from the sender to the recipient, and helps identify any potential problems along the way. In this article, we will explore how to analyze a message trace in Microsoft 365 Messaging by utilizing the available tools and techniques.

Prerequisites

To start analyzing a message trace, you need to have appropriate permissions in your Microsoft 365 admin center. With the required privileges, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center https://admin.microsoft.com.
2. Go to the Exchange admin center by clicking on “Admin centers” and then selecting “Exchange.”

Analyzing Message Trace:

Once you are in the Exchange admin center, follow the steps below to analyze a message trace:

1. From the left-hand menu, select “Mail flow” and then click on “Message trace.” This will open the message trace interface.
2. In the message trace interface, you will see various filtering options to narrow down your search. You can filter by dates, sender, recipient, subject, or any other relevant criteria. Enter the required information to define your search.
3. After specifying the filters, click on the “Search” button. The system will start analyzing the message trace and provide you with the results.
4. The message trace results will display a list of messages that match your search criteria. Each entry includes details such as Sender, Recipient, Subject, Status, and Message ID. The status field informs you whether the message was delivered, rejected, or failed.
5. Clicking on an individual message in the list will provide you with more detailed information. This includes the message’s delivery status, time stamps of message events, and the path it took through the mail system.
6. If you encounter any issues with message delivery, you can use the message trace results to pinpoint the problem. Look for any error messages, rejections, or delays in the delivery timeline. Identifying the specific stage where the issue occurred helps in troubleshooting.

In addition to the steps mentioned above, Microsoft provides PowerShell commands to perform message trace analysis programmatically. This can be useful if you need to automate the process or perform in-depth investigations. Here’s an example script snippet to get you started:

# Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell
$UserCredential = Get-Credential
$Session = New-PSSession -ConfigurationName Microsoft.Exchange -ConnectionUri https://outlook.office365.com/powershell-liveid/ -Credential $UserCredential -Authentication Basic -AllowRedirection
Import-PSSession $Session -DisableNameChecking

# Disconnect from Exchange Online PowerShell
Remove-PSSession $Session

By utilizing PowerShell, you can automate message trace analysis, perform more advanced filtering, and gather data for further analysis.

Analyzing a message trace in Microsoft 365 Messaging provides valuable insights into email delivery issues. With the Exchange admin center’s message trace interface or PowerShell commands, you can identify and troubleshoot problems effectively. Understanding the path that messages take helps in resolving issues promptly and ensuring smooth email communication within your organization.