How to Find Out When a Message Was Sent Exactly in Gmail

Time is a relative matter — generally and in Gmail particularly. The date a message was sent, for example, is displayed relative to now with the time (if the message is from today) or date (if it is older) thrown in.

I like this way of dating a lot. It is easy to grasp the short statements, and they are less monotonous than the all too predictable sequence of numbers in a "normal" date.

Yet, there are occasions when I want to find out when a message was sent precisely and in full. Fortunately, this is easy in Gmail as well.

Find Out When a Message Was Sent Exactly in Gmail

To identify a message's exact sending date and time in Gmail:

• Position the mouse cursor over the relative time or date displayed in Gmail.
• Wait for the exact date and time to display.

This works for any date in Gmail, in a message list or while viewing a conversation.