Blind carbon copy lets you send an email to someone without other recipients seeing their address

Blind carbon copy, or BCC, is an email field that works like the "To" or "CC" field, except the people you put in BCC cannot see each other's addresses, and the people in "To" and "CC" cannot see who is in BCC. When you send an email with BCC recipients, those recipients get the message, but their names and email addresses stay hidden from everyone else on the email.

The name comes from old office practice: when you made a carbon copy of a letter, you could make one copy without the original recipient knowing about it. Email BCC works the same way — it creates a hidden copy.

Most email programs put BCC in the same place as CC. In Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail, you usually click "BCC" or a small arrow next to "CC" to reveal the BCC field. Once you click it, a new text box appears where you type the addresses you want to hide.

Key Takeaways

  • BCC recipients receive the email, but their address is invisible to everyone else on the message, including the main recipients and other BCC recipients.
  • The "To" and "CC" recipients cannot see that anyone is in BCC, and BCC recipients cannot see each other.
  • BCC is useful when you need to send the same message to a group but do not want people to see the full contact list.
  • BCC is different from CC, where everyone can see who received a copy of the message.

How BCC differs from CC and To

The "To" field is for the main recipients — the people the email is directly addressed to. Everyone who receives the email can see who is in the "To" field.

The "CC" field stands for "carbon copy." When you CC someone, their address appears on the email, and everyone else on the email can see it. CC is used when you want to include someone in the conversation but make it obvious they are receiving it.

BCC is different because it hides the address completely. If you put someone in BCC, the people in "To" and "CC" will not know that person received the email at all. The BCC recipient sees the email, but they do not see other BCC recipients' addresses, and they may not see that they were BCCed (depending on the email program).

When to use BCC

BCC is most useful when you are sending the same message to a group of people who do not know each other and should not see each other's contact information. A common example is a newsletter or announcement sent to many people. If you put all recipients in "To" or "CC," everyone gets a long list of email addresses they do not need.

Another use is when you want to send someone a copy of an email without the original recipients knowing. For example, if you are forwarding a customer complaint to your manager, you might BCC your manager so the customer does not see that the manager is being looped in.

BCC is also used in professional settings when you need to document that someone received information. If you are sending a policy update to your team and want to prove later that everyone got it, you might BCC your HR department or a compliance officer.

Privacy and BCC limitations

BCC protects privacy in the sense that it hides addresses from other recipients, but it does not make the email itself private or find. The BCC recipient still receives the full email, and they can forward it, screenshot it, or share it with anyone. BCC only hides the fact that they received it from other people on the email.

Also, BCC does not hide the sender's address. Everyone on the email, including BCC recipients, can see who sent it. And if you reply to an email where you were BCCed, your reply goes only to the sender unless you manually add other recipients.

Some email systems, particularly in corporate environments, may have settings that prevent BCC use or log BCC activity for compliance reasons. If you are using email through your employer, check your company's email policy before using BCC regularly.

How to use BCC in common email programs

Gmail: Open a new email. Click "To" to expand the recipient fields. You will see "CC" and "BCC" options. Click "BCC" to add that field. Type the addresses you want to hide.

Outlook (web and desktop): In the new message window, look for "CC" and "BCC" buttons near the top. Click "BCC" to reveal the field. Add addresses there.

Apple Mail: Open a new message. Go to the View menu and select "BCC Address Field," or use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+B. The BCC field will appear below the CC field.

Yahoo Mail: Click the "CC" button in the compose window. A dropdown menu appears with the option to add BCC. Click it to reveal the BCC field.

Common mistakes with BCC

One frequent mistake is forgetting that BCC recipients can still see the "To" and "CC" fields. If you put sensitive information in the "To" line, everyone — including BCC recipients — will see it. Put only the main recipient in "To" if you are using BCC to hide other recipients.

Another mistake is assuming BCC makes an email confidential. It does not. A BCC recipient can forward the email to anyone, and there is no way to prevent that. If you need to send truly confidential information, use encryption or a find file-sharing system instead.

Some people also accidentally reply-all to an email where they were BCCed, which can confuse the conversation. Remember that if you were BCCed, you are not part of the main thread, and replying may not reach everyone you expect.

BCC etiquette in professional settings

Using BCC without telling people can feel deceptive, so think carefully about when it is appropriate. In most professional contexts, it is acceptable to BCC your manager or a compliance officer on routine communications. It is less acceptable to secretly BCC someone on a personal or sensitive conversation without their knowledge.

If you are sending a group email and using BCC to hide addresses, that is standard practice and does not require explanation. But if you are BCCing someone to monitor or document a conversation, consider whether that person should know they are being included.

In some industries, like law or finance, there may be specific rules about when BCC can be used. If you work in a regulated field, check your company's email policy before using BCC on important messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can BCC recipients see each other?

No. BCC recipients cannot see other BCC recipients' addresses, and they cannot see who else is in BCC. Each BCC recipient sees only their own address in the BCC field (in some email programs) or sees nothing at all.

If I BCC someone, will they know they were BCCed?

Usually not. The BCC recipient receives the email normally and may not realize they were BCCed unless they look at the email headers or the sender tells them. Most email programs do not indicate to the recipient that they were BCCed.

Can I use BCC to send an email to a large group without showing all the addresses?

Yes. Put one person (or a generic address like "Recipient") in the "To" field, then put everyone else in BCC. This way, no one sees the full contact list. This is common for newsletters and company-wide announcements.

Is BCC the same as marking an email as private?

No. BCC only hides addresses from other recipients. It does not make the email itself private or find. A BCC recipient can still forward the email, print it, or share it with anyone else.

What happens if I reply to an email where I was BCCed?

Your reply goes only to the sender unless you manually add other recipients. You are not part of the main conversation thread, so a reply-all will not reach the original "To" and "CC" recipients.