Blind copy sends an email to someone without the main recipient knowing they received it

Blind copy, or BCC, is a field in your email program that lets you send a message to one or more people without the main recipient seeing their names or knowing they got the email. When you put someone in the BCC field, their address stays hidden from everyone else on the email — including the person in the "To" field and anyone in the "CC" (carbon copy) field.

The difference between CC and BCC matters because CC is visible to all recipients. If you CC someone, everyone on the email sees that person's address. BCC keeps that information private. The person you BCC'd receives the exact same email as everyone else, but their presence remains invisible to the other recipients.

Key Takeaways

  • BCC hides a recipient's email address from all other people on the email, including the main recipient.
  • The person you BCC'd receives the full email and can reply to it, but their reply goes only to you unless they manually add others.
  • BCC is found in the same location as the To and CC fields in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and most other email programs.
  • Common uses include protecting privacy when emailing groups, sending yourself a copy for your records, and notifying someone without making it obvious to others.

Where to find the BCC field in your email program

In Gmail, open a new email and look for the "To" field. Click the down arrow or the word "Bcc" next to "Cc" — it appears as a small link. Click it and the BCC field opens below the CC field.

In Outlook (both the desktop program and Outlook.com), the BCC field is visible by default in the compose window. If you don't see it, click "Bcc" in the ribbon at the top of the compose area.

In Apple Mail, open a new message and go to the View menu at the top. Select "BCC Address Field" and it will appear in your compose window.

In Yahoo Mail, click the down arrow next to "To" in the compose window and select "Bcc" from the menu that appears.

What happens when you send an email with BCC

When you hit send, the email goes to everyone in the To field, everyone in the CC field, and everyone in the BCC field. All three groups receive the identical message. The difference is what they see: the To and CC recipients can see each other's addresses, but they cannot see the BCC recipients at all.

The person you BCC'd can see the To and CC fields just like anyone else. They know who the main recipient is and who was CC'd. They straightforward know that their own address was hidden from view. If they reply to the email, their reply goes only to you unless they manually add other recipients.

Common reasons to use BCC

The most common use is protecting privacy when you send the same email to a large group. If you're notifying 20 people about a community event, you might put your own address in the To field and everyone else in BCC. That way, no one receives a list of 20 email addresses they don't need.

Another reason is sending yourself a copy without making it obvious. If you're emailing your boss and a coworker, you might BCC yourself so you have a record of the conversation in your sent folder and your inbox. The boss and coworker won't see that you copied yourself.

Some people use BCC to notify someone discreetly. For example, if you're emailing a team member about a project and you want to keep a manager informed without the team member knowing, you can BCC the manager. The team member sees only the main recipient, not the manager.

Why BCC is different from CC

CC stands for carbon copy and is visible to all recipients. When you CC someone, their name and address appear in the email header that everyone sees. It signals that the person was intentionally included and that their involvement is transparent.

BCC is invisible. No one except you and the person you BCC'd knows they received the email. This makes BCC useful when transparency isn't the goal — when you want to inform someone quietly or when you're protecting a group's privacy.

A practical example: if you're emailing a client and want to CC your supervisor so they stay informed, use CC. The client sees the supervisor is copied and knows they're involved. If you want your supervisor to see the email but don't want the client to know, use BCC instead.

Things to know before using BCC

BCC is not a secret tool. If someone you BCC'd replies to the email and includes other recipients, those recipients will see that the BCC'd person is now part of the conversation. The initial hiding is only for the original send.

Some email programs and services have limits on how many people you can BCC at once. Gmail, for example, allows BCC but may flag very large BCC lists as suspicious. If you're sending to hundreds of people, a mailing list service is a better choice than BCC.

Be thoughtful about using BCC in professional settings. While it's not unethical, using it to monitor someone without their knowledge can damage trust if discovered. Most legitimate uses — like protecting group privacy or keeping your own records — are straightforward and defensible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I BCC'd tell that they were blind copied?

No. They receive the email and see the To and CC fields, but they have no way of knowing whether they were in the To field, CC field, or BCC field. From their perspective, they straightforward received an email.

If I BCC someone and they reply, do their replies go to everyone?

No. When a BCC'd person replies, their reply goes only to you unless they manually add other recipients. The original To and CC recipients do not see the BCC'd person's reply unless you forward it to them.

Is it okay to use BCC in work emails?

BCC is acceptable for legitimate purposes like protecting privacy when emailing groups or keeping your own records. Using it to secretly monitor someone without their knowledge can create trust issues if discovered. Consider whether the person would reasonably expect to know they're being copied.

What's the difference between BCC and forwarding an email?

BCC sends the original email to someone at the same time as everyone else. Forwarding sends an email you already received to someone else later. With BCC, the person receives it in real time with the original sender's name. With forwarding, they see that you sent it to them.

Can I BCC someone on a reply to an existing email thread?

Yes. You can BCC someone on a reply just as you would on a new email. They'll receive your reply but won't appear in the visible recipient list. However, they'll only see your reply, not the earlier messages in the thread unless you include them in the message body.