---
title: "Get a received email's raw content"
method: GET
path: "/v1/email/inbound-messages/{inbound_message_id}/raw"
tags: ["email-inbound-messages"]
---

# Get a received email's raw content

`GET /v1/email/inbound-messages/{inbound_message_id}/raw`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://us1.platform.bird.com`
- URL: `https://us1.platform.bird.com/v1/email/inbound-messages/{inbound_message_id}/raw`
- Auth: one of:
  - HTTP bearer
  - API key in cookie `bird_session`

Returns the original message exactly as received, in RFC 5322 (MIME) format, as a `message/rfc822` download. Use it when you need the exact bytes:

- Full headers.
- Signatures.
- Your own MIME parsing.

For parsed fields use [Get a received email](/docs/api/reference/get-inbound-message) and [Get a received email's body](/docs/api/reference/get-inbound-message-body).

Returns `404` when the message is unknown or its stored content has expired (received emails are retained for 30 days). A received message, including its attachments, cannot exceed 20 MB.

## Headers

- `X-Workspace-Id` string
- `X-Organization-Id` string

## Response `200`

The original message in RFC 5322 (MIME) format.

## Other responses

- `400`: Bad request
- `401`: Authentication required
- `403`: Insufficient permissions
- `404`: Resource not found
- `422`: The request has invalid field values, violates a business rule, or carries a query parameter the endpoint does not declare. Field validation errors use `type: validation_error` and include the affected fields in `details`. Business-rule errors identify the failed rule in `type`.
- `429`: Rate limit exceeded
- `500`: Internal server error

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api/revisions/3e2a50466454?raw)