What Does BCC Mean in Email? Master Email Etiquette Fast!

We send professional and personal emails almost every day and yet there are some features and functions of emails that we don’t understand properly. The BCC feature is one of them. It’s a very useful feature but not many people understand what it means.

If you are one of these people, this guide is going to be useful for you. Here, I am going to discuss what does BCC means in an email. I’ll also discuss when and how you can use it to practice email etiquette.

So, let’s get into it.

BCC in email stands for “Blind Carbon Copy” and is used to send the same email to multiple people. The email addresses you add in the BCC section will all receive the same exact email.

They will have the option of replying to the email to you as well. However, these people won’t be able to see each other’s addresses which means BCC is used to keep the people’s addresses private.

This feature is usually discussed with another option called “CC”. This option stands for “Carbon Copy” and works in the same way as BCC. Unlike BCC, each recipient is able to view each other’s addresses here. They also have the option to send replies to everyone included in the list.

Well, the CC feature didn’t originate from email. Its origin goes back to the classic typewriter days. Since it was physically very demanding to write multiple similar letters/messages, carbon paper was used to make a carbon copy of the message that was being typed.

It helped writers save both time and energy. When these messages were written, the writer used to add “CC” at the end in order to identify that the message has been carbon copied and that other people have received it also.

Now, fast-forwarding to the modern world, emails started including this feature as well. It allows people to send messages to multiple people. However, a new feature called “BCC” was also introduced. With this option, users are allowed to send copies but the emails won’t be shown to the other recipients.

Besides knowing what does BCC mean in email, it is also important to know when you should use it. I’ve listed some points below that will help you understand it.

1. Sending Bulk Emails

Whenever you want to send the same email in bulk, you can use this feature. Simply add all the addresses in this section and they will receive the message. You should do it because it does not identify that the received message is a carbon copy. Each recipient will think that you have sent the message specifically to them.

2. Keeping Addresses Anonymous

Many times, people prefer keeping the addresses of people anonymous while sharing a carbon copy of an email. For that purpose, using the blind carbon copy option is the best. It keeps the addresses anonymous which encourages privacy and security as well.

3. Well-Organized Inbox

Sending emails to a lot of people can clutter the inbox. When people use the “Reply All” option in CC, you may start receiving unwanted replies from irrelevant people. So, using BCC mode helps you receive replies from only those people who specifically reply to your message. The result is a cleaner and well-organized inbox.

4. Share Information Discreetly

Oftentimes, we need to keep someone in the information loop but can’t reveal their identity to the rest of the people. In such a case, the BCC option is useful. It delivers the message to a certain person without revealing their address to other people.

Understanding BCC helps practice email etiquette for professionals. The following points can help you with it: 

• BCC in email helps professionals promote privacy by hiding every recipient’s email addresses from each other. 
• It helps keep things organized and well-managed in the inbox by eradicating the “Reply All” function. 
• It is a good way of sharing important and sensitive information without revealing the identity and addresses of people to whom the information is sent. 
• It makes the recipient feel that the email was sent specifically to them. You get to create a sense of personalization without having to send emails separately.

Every email service has the BCC option and it’s very easy to find it. I’ve given more details about it below:

1 – Gmail

In Gmail, you can find this option by using these guidelines:

• Open Gmail.
• Click on “Compose”.

• Now, you can see the “BCC” option at the top-right corner of the “New Message” window.

• Click on it and add the addresses here.

• Now you can send the BCC’d email.

2 – Microsoft Outlook

Here are the guidelines for this email service:

• Open Outlook and then “New Mail”.
• Click on the “Options” tab.
• Here, you can see both BCC and CC options.
• Add your addresses in the BCC section and send the email.

3 – Apple Mail

Using this feature on Apple Mail is pretty easy as well. Here’s how:

• Open the Mail app on your MacBook.
• Now, click “View” and then “BCC Address Field”.

• Now you can add the addresses and share the mail.

4 – Yahoo Mail

The guidelines for Yahoo Mail are listed below:

• Yahoo Mail has both BCC and CC options are listed at the top-right corner.
• Click on the option.

• Now, select BCC.
• Input the recipient’s addresses and send the message.

There are some important points about the BCC option that you need to be aware of. Here are their details:

• When you add the addresses and share messages, the recipients cannot see who else is added to the list.
• The reply of each person is received directly and only to you.
• Adding someone to the BCC list while sharing sensitive information without consent can be considered unethical.
• Some email services can flag the BCC emails as spam.

BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)	CC (Carbon Copy)
Recipients are hidden from each other.	Recipients are able to see each other’s addresses.
Reply from each person goes directly and only to the sender.	The replies can go to everyone.
It’s good for sending bulk emails while practicing privacy.	It is good for sharing information with others with transparency.
There’s a risk of the message being flagged as spam.	There’s very little risk of the message being flagged as spam.

Understanding what does BCC mean in email can be useful as a professional. BCC stands for “Blind Carbon Copy” and helps people share the same email with multiple recipients. Each recipient is unable to see other people’s addresses here (unlike the CC option).

Also, the reply each sender shares goes directly to the main sender. Learning about this feature will help you practice email etiquette. As a result, you will start sharing information via email in a more professional way. 

Q1. Why would you use BCC in email etiquette?

There are different reasons why you could use BCC in email. For example, you can use it to share some information with multiple people without letting them view the addresses of each other. Also, you can use it in case you want to receive replies in a more organized way.

Q2. Do BCC recipients see each other?

No. BCC recipients are unable to see each other’s addresses. Their addresses are only visible to the sender.

Q3. What is the meaning of BCC and CC in email?

BCC in email stands for “Blind Carbon Copy”. On the other hand, CC stands for “Carbon Copy”. These are two different options used when sharing the same message to multiple people. Each has its own features and use cases.

Q4. When you reply to BCC, does everyone see it?

No. When you reply to BCC, everyone is unable to see the message. Only the main sender is able to view the shared reply.

Q5. What happens if someone responds to a BCC?

When someone responds to a BCC message, the reply goes directly to the sender. The sender can continue the conversation and it won’t be visible to the rest of the recipients.