Blind copy sends your email to someone without other recipients knowing they received it

A blind copy, or BCC, is a way to send an email to someone while hiding that person's address from everyone else on the message. When you put an address in the BCC field instead of the To or CC field, that recipient gets the email, but their name and address do not appear anywhere the other recipients can see. The person in BCC also cannot see who else is in BCC — they only see the people listed in the To and CC fields.

Most email programs — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail — have a BCC field you can reveal by clicking a button or link. On your screen it looks like a third address field, sitting below or next to CC. You type or paste the address there the same way you would in any other field.

The key difference from CC is visibility. When you CC someone, their address shows in the message header that everyone receives. When you BCC someone, their address appears nowhere in that header. The BCC recipient gets the full email, but to everyone else it looks like the message went only to the people in the To field.

Key Takeaways

  • BCC hides a recipient's address from all other people who received the email, including those in the To and CC fields.
  • The person in BCC receives the complete email and can reply, but their address does not appear in the message header anyone else sees.
  • Common uses include sending the same message to many people without exposing their addresses to each other, or notifying someone privately without making it obvious to the main recipients.
  • BCC is different from CC because CC makes the recipient visible to everyone, while BCC keeps them hidden.

How to find and use the BCC field

The BCC field is hidden by default in most email programs because it is used less often than To and CC. To reveal it, look for a link or button that says "BCC" or "Show BCC" near the address fields at the top of a new message. In Gmail on a computer, click "BCC" in the row with To and CC. In Outlook, the BCC button is in the same row. On a phone, you may need to tap a menu icon or the word "To" to see the option to add BCC.

Once you click to show BCC, a new field appears where you can type or paste email addresses. You can put one address there or multiple addresses separated by commas, just like in the To field. The email will go to everyone you list in To, CC, and BCC, but only the To and CC recipients will see the BCC addresses.

If you are sending to many people and want to hide all their addresses from each other, put your own address in the To field and everyone else in BCC. That way the message appears to come to you, and no one can see the full list of who received it.

Why people use blind copy

The most common reason to use BCC is to send the same message to a group of people without exposing their email addresses to each other. If you are inviting ten friends to an event, you might put your own address in To and all ten friends in BCC. Each friend gets the invitation, but they cannot see the other nine addresses. This protects privacy and prevents someone from copying all the addresses for their own mailing list.

Another reason is to notify someone privately without making it obvious to the main recipients. For example, you might send a message to a client in the To field and put your manager in BCC so the manager sees what you wrote without the client knowing. The client sees only that the message went to them — they do not see the manager was copied.

BCC is also useful in work settings when you need a record of a message but do not want the recipient to know you are keeping that record. If you send instructions to a contractor and BCC your supervisor, the supervisor has a copy for the file, but the contractor does not see that anyone else is watching the exchange.

The difference between CC and BCC

CC stands for carbon copy. When you CC someone, their address appears in the message header that everyone receives. If you send an email to Alice and CC Bob, Alice can see that Bob got a copy. Bob can see that Alice got the original. Both of them know the other person received the message.

BCC is different because the recipient is invisible. If you send an email to Alice and BCC Bob, Alice has no way to know Bob received it. Bob's address does not appear anywhere in the message. Bob can see that the message went to Alice, but Alice cannot see that Bob was copied. This hidden nature is what makes BCC useful for privacy, but it is also why it should be used carefully — some people feel uncomfortable being BCC'd without knowing it.

Use CC when you want everyone to know who is in the conversation. Use BCC when you need someone to have the information but want to keep their involvement hidden from the main recipients.

When not to use blind copy

BCC should not be used to hide something that the recipient has a right to know about. If you are discussing someone's performance or conduct, that person should know they are being copied on the message — hiding it can damage trust and may violate workplace policies or laws depending on what is being discussed.

Do not use BCC to secretly monitor someone or to copy a message to a third party without the sender's knowledge. If you receive an email and want to forward it to someone else, tell the original sender that you are doing so. Secretly BCC'ing someone on a message that was not yours to share can create legal problems and will damage relationships if discovered.

In professional settings, check your workplace email policy before using BCC. Some organizations have rules about when and how BCC can be used, especially in regulated industries like finance, healthcare, or law.

How BCC works on phones and tablets

On a phone or tablet, the BCC field is usually hidden until you ask for it. In Gmail on an iPhone or Android phone, open a new message, tap the To field, and look for a small menu icon or the word "To" itself — tapping it usually reveals options to show CC and BCC. In Outlook on a phone, the process is similar: start a new message and look for a button or menu that shows address options.

Once you reveal the BCC field, typing works the same way as on a computer. You can paste addresses from your contacts or type them in. The behavior is identical — the BCC recipient gets the email but their address stays hidden from everyone else.

If you cannot find the BCC option on your phone, check the email app's settings or help section. Some older or simplified email apps do not support BCC, though most modern ones do.

Common mistakes with blind copy

One mistake is forgetting that the BCC recipient can still reply to the message. If you BCC your manager on an email to a client, and the client replies, your manager does not automatically get the reply unless you forward it or the client replies-all (which they cannot do to BCC recipients). The BCC field is one-way for that message only.

Another mistake is assuming BCC is completely private. If someone in BCC forwards the message to another person, or if they take a screenshot, the original sender cannot know it happened. BCC hides the address from the visible header, but it does not prevent the recipient from sharing the message with others.

People also sometimes BCC the wrong address by accident, especially when copying and pasting. Always double-check the BCC field before you send, just as you would check the To field. A mistyped address in BCC will bounce silently — you may not realize the message did not reach the person you intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person in BCC see who else is in BCC?

No. The BCC recipient sees the To and CC fields, but they cannot see other addresses in the BCC field. Each BCC recipient sees only themselves and the main recipients. If you put five people in BCC, each of those five people sees only the To and CC addresses — they do not see the other four people in BCC.

If I reply to an email I was BCC'd on, does my reply go to everyone?

No. When you reply to a message you were BCC'd on, your reply goes only to the sender and anyone in the To and CC fields of the original message. Your reply does not go to other people who were in BCC. If you want to reply to the BCC sender only, make sure you are replying to them specifically and not hitting reply-all.

Is it illegal to BCC someone without telling them?

In most places, BCC'ing someone on a message they did not send is not illegal, but it may violate workplace policies or professional ethics rules. In some regulated industries or specific situations, secretly recording or copying conversations can have legal consequences. If you are unsure, ask your manager or check your workplace policy before using BCC.

What happens if I put someone in BCC and they are also in the To field by accident?

The email will go to them, but they will see themselves listed in the To field, not the BCC field. They will know they received it as a main recipient, not as a blind copy. This defeats the purpose of BCC, so always check that you have not listed the same address twice.

Can I use BCC on a reply to an email chain?

Yes, you can BCC someone on a reply just as you would on a new message. However, keep in mind that the person in BCC will see only your reply and the message history above it — they will not see previous replies that came before you added them to the chain.