Blind copy sends an email to someone without letting other recipients know they received it

When you put someone's address in the BCC field (blind carbon copy), that person gets the email, but their name does not appear anywhere in the message. The people in the "To" and "CC" fields cannot see that the BCC recipient got it. It is the only way to send an email to multiple people without everyone seeing everyone else's address.

BCC exists because sometimes you need to send the same message to a group, but the group members should not know who else received it. A manager might BCC a job candidate on an email to the hiring team. A teacher might BCC parents on a class announcement so no parent can see another parent's email address. The BCC recipient sees the email exactly as it was sent — they just do not appear on the recipient list that others see.

Key Takeaways

  • BCC hides a recipient's address from everyone else on the email, including other BCC recipients.
  • The BCC field is usually hidden by default in most email programs and requires you to click a button or link to reveal it.
  • BCC is appropriate for protecting privacy when sending to groups, but using it to secretly copy someone into a conversation can damage trust.
  • Unlike CC, which shows all recipients, BCC recipients cannot see each other or know how many other people got the same message.

How to find and use the BCC field

In Gmail, click "Compose" to start a new email. You will see fields for "To" and "CC" at the top. Click the small arrow or the word "BCC" next to "CC" — it appears as a link or button depending on your device. The BCC field will expand below the CC field. Type the email addresses of the people you want to copy without revealing them to others.

In Outlook, the BCC field is usually hidden. Click "BCC" in the ribbon at the top of the compose window, or look for "Options" and select "BCC" from there. The field will appear between the CC and subject line. In Apple Mail, click "View" in the menu bar while composing, then select "BCC Address Field." In most phone email apps, you swipe or tap to reveal additional fields, then select BCC from the menu.

Once you type addresses into BCC and send the email, those recipients will receive it, but the To and CC recipients will see only the addresses in their own fields. The BCC recipients will not see each other's addresses either — each one sees only their own address in the BCC field on their copy of the email.

When BCC is the right choice

Use BCC when you are sending the same message to a group and the members should not see each other's contact information. A nonprofit sending a newsletter to donors, a business sending a price list to multiple customers, or a school sending a permission slip to parents are all situations where BCC protects privacy. The recipients get the message, but their email addresses stay private from the other people who received it.

BCC is also appropriate when you need to keep someone informed without making their presence obvious. A manager might BCC their supervisor on an email to a team member about a performance issue. A lawyer might BCC a client on correspondence with opposing counsel. The BCC recipient stays in the loop without changing the tone or dynamic of the conversation between the main recipients.

Why secretly BCC-ing someone can backfire

Using BCC to copy someone into a conversation without the knowledge of the main recipients is different from the situations above. If the main recipients later find out they were being secretly monitored, it damages trust. A coworker who discovers they were BCC'd on a conversation with their manager often feels betrayed, even if the manager had a legitimate reason.

The risk is higher in smaller groups or ongoing conversations. In a one-time announcement to many people, BCC is standard practice. In an ongoing email thread between a few people, secretly adding someone to the BCC field can feel like surveillance. If you need someone to see a conversation, it is usually better to forward the email to them afterward or tell the original recipients upfront that you are including someone else.

BCC versus CC: what the difference means

CC stands for "carbon copy" and works like BCC except everyone sees who got copied. When you put someone in the CC field, their address appears in the email that goes to the To recipients, and the To recipients can see the CC recipients' addresses. CC is for when you want transparency — you are saying openly that this person is also getting this message.

BCC is for when you do not want that transparency. Use CC when the recipients should know who else is involved. Use BCC when you want to send to multiple people but keep their addresses hidden from each other. Some email programs also let you reply to all on a BCC'd email, which means your reply goes only to the original sender, not to all the BCC recipients — another reason BCC is useful for keeping groups separate.

Common mistakes with BCC

The most common mistake is forgetting that BCC recipients cannot see each other. If you BCC five people on the same email, each one thinks they are the only person who got it. If one of them replies to all, their reply goes only to the original sender and the To and CC recipients, not to the other BCC'd people. This can create confusion if you are expecting all five to see each other's responses.

Another mistake is using BCC in a reply. If you receive an email and reply to it with someone in the BCC field, that person does not see the original email thread — they see only your reply. If you need someone to understand the full conversation, forward the original email to them separately or include them in the CC field of your reply so everyone knows they are there.

A third mistake is BCC-ing someone on an email that asks for a response. If you BCC someone and the email says "please let me know your thoughts," the BCC recipient may not realize they are expected to respond, or they may respond only to you instead of to the whole group. Be clear about who needs to do what.

Privacy and security considerations

BCC protects the privacy of recipients from each other, but it does not make the email itself private or find. The email still travels across the internet and sits on servers. If someone's email account is hacked, the BCC'd email can be read. BCC also does not hide the sender's identity or the content of the message — it only hides the BCC recipient list from the other recipients.

If you are sending sensitive information, BCC alone is not enough protection. You may need to encrypt the email, use a find file-sharing service, or send the information through a password-protected portal. BCC is a tool for managing who sees a recipient list, not for protecting the content of the message itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can BCC recipients see each other?

No. Each BCC recipient sees only their own address in the BCC field. They cannot see the addresses of other people who were BCC'd on the same email. The To and CC recipients also cannot see the BCC recipients at all.

What happens if a BCC recipient clicks reply all?

Their reply goes only to the sender and the To and CC recipients, not to the other BCC'd people. This is because the BCC recipients are not listed in the email header that reply all uses. If you need BCC recipients to communicate with each other, you have to set that up separately.

Is it illegal to BCC someone without their knowledge?

In most places, no — BCC-ing someone is not illegal. However, secretly monitoring an employee or coworker by BCC-ing their emails can create legal problems depending on your workplace policies and local laws. If you work in a regulated industry or have a union contract, check your employee handbook first.

Can I BCC someone on a reply to an email I received?

Yes, but the BCC recipient will see only your reply, not the original email thread. If they need context, forward the original email to them separately or include them in the CC field so they see the full conversation and everyone knows they are there.

Does BCC work the same way on all email services?

The function is the same everywhere — BCC hides the recipient from others — but the way you access it varies. Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and phone apps all have a BCC field, but you may need to click a button or link to reveal it. Check your email program's help section if you cannot find it.