View HTTP Headers in Chrome DevTools: Network Tab Guide

HTTP headers in Chrome Developer Tools are now located in the Network tab, not the Resources tab as they were in version 9.x. To access them, open the Developer Tools (Ctrl+Shift+I or F12), select the Network tab, then click on any request to view its detailed information including headers. This change occurred when Chrome updated its developer tools interface to better organize network-related functionality.

Contents

• Where to Find HTTP Headers in Modern Chrome Versions
• Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing HTTP Headers in DevTools
• Alternative Methods for Accessing Headers
• Tips and Recommendations for Working with Headers
• Sources
• Conclusion

Where to Find HTTP Headers in Modern Chrome Versions

Google Chrome has significantly updated its Developer Tools interface since version 9.x, moving HTTP headers from the Resources tab to the Network tab. This change reflects a broader industry trend toward more organized network inspection tools that separate resource loading from network request analysis.

The Network tab in Chrome DevTools provides comprehensive information about all HTTP requests made by your browser, including headers, timing data, payloads, and more. When you access this tab, you’ll see a chronological list of all network requests, and by clicking on any individual request, you can examine its full details including the HTTP headers.

This shift happened as part of Chrome’s evolution to better support modern web development practices. The Network tab offers more robust filtering, sorting, and analysis capabilities than the old Resources tab had, making it easier to debug complex web applications that make numerous simultaneous requests.

Why the Change?

The migration from Resources to Network was motivated by several factors:

1. Better Organization: Separating network requests from other browser resources improves workflow efficiency
2. Enhanced Features: The Network tab provides advanced filtering, timing analysis, and performance metrics
3. Industry Standards: Most modern browsers follow a similar pattern with dedicated network inspection tools
4. Performance Focus: Modern web development often requires detailed network performance analysis

What About the Resources Tab?

The Resources tab still exists but is now primarily focused on browser-specific resources like local storage, session storage, cookies, and other client-side storage mechanisms. It no longer contains HTTP header information.

Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing HTTP Headers in DevTools

Accessing HTTP headers in Chrome’s Developer Tools is straightforward once you know where to look. Here’s a detailed guide to help you navigate the interface:

Opening Developer Tools

First, you need to open Chrome’s Developer Tools. There are several ways to do this:

• Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+I (Mac)
• Menu option: Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner → More tools → Developer tools
• Right-click menu: Right-click anywhere on a webpage and select “Inspect”
• Address bar: Type chrome://inspect and select your device for remote debugging

Once the Developer Tools open, you’ll see multiple tabs at the top. The Network tab is usually located next to Elements, Console, and Sources.

Accessing the Network Tab

Click on the Network tab to reveal all network requests made by your browser. The Network panel shows:

1. Request list: A chronological list of all network requests
2. Headers section: Detailed information about the selected request
3. Timing data: Performance metrics for the request
4. Preview/Payload tabs: Response content and request bodies

Viewing HTTP Headers

To view HTTP headers for a specific request:

1. Ensure the Network tab is selected
2. If you’re only interested in a specific type of request, use the filter bar above the request list to narrow down results (you can filter by file type, domain, status code, etc.)
3. Click on any request in the list to expand it
4. The Headers section will appear below, organized into several subsections:

• General: Basic request information like method, status code, and timing
• Request Headers: HTTP headers sent from the browser to the server
• Response Headers: HTTP headers sent from the server to the browser
• Query String Parameters: URL parameters for GET requests
• Request Payload: Data sent with POST/PUT/PATCH requests

Each subsection contains formatted information that’s easy to read and understand. For headers, you’ll see key-value pairs representing the HTTP headers.

Understanding Header Organization

The headers are organized into logical groups that make it easier to find specific information:

• General Information: Includes request method, protocol, status code, and timing data
• Request Headers: Headers like User-Agent, Accept, Authorization, etc. that the browser sends
• Response Headers: Headers like Content-Type, Cache-Control, Server, etc. that the server returns
• Early Hints Headers (HTTP/3 only): Information about early hints for connection optimization

Practical Example

Let’s walk through a practical example:

1. Open Developer Tools and go to the Network tab
2. Navigate to a website (like google.com)
3. Click on one of the requests, likely the main HTML document
4. In the Headers section, you’ll see:

• General: “GET” method, “200” status code, protocol used
• Request Headers: “User-Agent”, “Accept”, “Accept-Language”, etc.
• Response Headers: “Content-Type”, “Content-Length”, “Server”, etc.

This view gives you complete insight into the HTTP conversation between your browser and the server.

Alternative Methods for Accessing Headers

While the Network tab is the primary method for viewing HTTP headers in Chrome, there are several alternative approaches that might be useful in different scenarios:

Right-Click Menu Method

For quick access to headers without opening the full Developer Tools:

1. Right-click anywhere on a webpage
2. Select “Inspect” to open Developer Tools
3. The Network tab should automatically populate with requests from that page
4. Click on the request of interest to view headers

This method is particularly useful when you need to inspect headers quickly without navigating through menus.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Chrome DevTools has several keyboard shortcuts that can expedite header inspection:

• Ctrl+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+R (Mac): Refresh the page while capturing network requests
• Ctrl+E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+E (Mac): Clear the Network panel
• Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+E (Mac): Preserve log while clearing
• Ctrl+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+P (Mac): Filter resources by type

These shortcuts can significantly speed up your workflow when analyzing headers.

Browser Extensions

Several Chrome extensions provide alternative ways to view and analyze HTTP headers:

1. Developer Toolbar: Adds a toolbar directly in the browser for quick access to developer tools
2. Header Spy: Displays HTTP headers in a popup window
3. Web Developer: A comprehensive toolbar with network inspection capabilities
4. JSON Formatter: Helps format JSON responses which often contain header information

These extensions can be particularly useful if you frequently need to access header information without opening the full DevTools interface.

Command Line Tools

For advanced users, command line tools can provide header information:

1. curl: curl -I https://example.com returns headers only
2. wget: wget --server-response https://example.com shows headers
3. httpie: https example.com displays formatted headers

While these tools don’t integrate directly with Chrome, they can be useful for comparing headers or automating header inspection.

Bookmarklet Method

For a quick, one-time header inspection:

1. Create a bookmarklet with the following JavaScript code:

javascript:(function(){window.open('data:text/html,<html><head><title>HTTP Headers</title></head><body><pre>'+JSON.stringify(document.location, null, 2)+'</pre></body></html>');})();

2. Save this as a bookmark
3. Click the bookmark while on any page to open a new window with page information

While this doesn’t show full HTTP headers, it provides quick access to URL and location information.

Tips and Recommendations for Working with Headers

When working with HTTP headers in Chrome DevTools, several tips and recommendations can help you work more efficiently and gain deeper insights:

Filtering and Searching

The Network tab provides powerful filtering capabilities to help you focus on relevant headers:

1. Filter bar: Use the filter bar to narrow down requests by domain, file type, or keyword
2. Filter buttons: Click on filter buttons like CSS, JS, XHR, Doc, Font, etc. to show only specific request types
3. Search within headers: Use Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search for specific headers within the selected request

These features are especially useful when dealing with complex web applications that make numerous requests.

Analyzing Header Performance

HTTP headers can significantly impact website performance. Here’s how to analyze them:

1. Look at timing data: The Network tab shows when headers were received and when the request completed
2. Check caching headers: Look for Cache-Control, ETag, and Last-Modified headers to understand caching behavior
3. Compression headers: Check for Content-Encoding to see if responses are compressed

This analysis can help identify performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.

Security Considerations

HTTP headers play a crucial role in web security. Key headers to examine include:

1. Security headers: Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, Strict-Transport-Security
2. Authentication headers: Authorization, WWW-Authenticate, Set-Cookie
3. Privacy headers: DNT (Do Not Track), Referrer-Policy

Regularly reviewing these headers can help ensure your web applications are secure.

Copying Headers

Chrome DevTools makes it easy to copy headers for external use:

1. Right-click on any header value and select “Copy” to copy individual headers
2. Right-click in the headers section and select “Copy all as cURL” to get a cURL command with all headers
3. Right-click and select “Copy all as fetch” to get a JavaScript fetch command with all headers

These options are invaluable for sharing header information or reproducing requests in other contexts.

Working with Different HTTP Versions

Chrome DevTools handles different HTTP versions appropriately:

1. HTTP/1.1: Traditional headers with line-by-line formatting
2. HTTP/2: Header compression and multiplexing
3. HTTP/3: Early hints headers and improved performance

Understanding how headers differ between HTTP versions can help you optimize your web applications.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

When inspecting headers, you might encounter common issues:

1. Headers not showing: Ensure the Network tab is capturing requests (click the red circle to start capturing)
2. Headers cut off: Hover over truncated header values to see the full content
3. Large responses: Use the Preview or Response tabs to view large responses without overwhelming the interface

Being familiar with these troubleshooting steps can save time during development.

Sources

1. Chrome DevTools Network Reference — Official documentation on using the Network panel for inspecting HTTP headers: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/network/reference
2. Stack Overflow HTTP Headers Guide — Community discussion on alternative methods for viewing HTTP headers in Chrome: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4423061/how-can-i-view-http-headers-in-google-chrome
3. cPanel Chrome Header Tutorial — Step-by-step instructions with visual guidance for accessing HTTP headers: https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/articles/1500008215742-How-to-view-http-headers-in-Chrome-Web-Developer-Tools
4. Packet Pushers HTTP Headers Guide — Technical details on viewing headers across different HTTP versions: https://packetpushers.net/blog/viewing-http-headers-using-browser-tools
5. Reddit DevTools Discussion — Community insights on advanced features like copying raw headers: https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/17gvkqv/how_to_copy_raw_headers_in_recent_versions_of/
6. Quora Browser Headers Overview — Basic explanation of header viewing for beginners: https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-view-http-headers-in-my-web-browser
7. Security Stack Exchange Header Visibility — Information about header visibility from a security perspective: https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/44714/finding-out-what-headers-are-visible

Conclusion

Chrome Developer Tools has evolved significantly since version 9.x, moving HTTP headers from the Resources tab to the Network tab. This change reflects a more organized approach to network inspection that better serves modern web development needs.

To view HTTP headers in current Chrome versions, simply open Developer Tools (Ctrl+Shift+I or F12), select the Network tab, and click on any request to examine its headers organized into General, Request Headers, Response Headers, and other logical sections. This interface provides comprehensive information about HTTP conversations between your browser and servers.

The Network tab offers numerous advantages over the old Resources approach, including better filtering, timing analysis, and performance metrics. By mastering this tool, developers can gain valuable insights into how their web applications communicate over HTTP, identify performance bottlenecks, ensure proper security measures are in place, and debug network-related issues more effectively.