Bcc, or blind carbon copy functions the same as Cc, with one difference: Bcc-ed addresses are hidden from all recipients. The best times to "Cc" someone are when they're not the main subject of the email, but still want to know what's going on in the conversation. Set the name Undisclosed recipient for the address you want to use for bulk emails as sender. Go to Contacts, choose Home, and click New contact. When you CC someone you're sending them one message. These days, BCC isn't just for email. Note that To is meant for the primary/intended recipients of the email, and they are usually expected to respond. There are a few more things to note about the mechanics of CCing someone. It is very similar to CC in this sense. "The most common way is for someone to figure out blind-copied email addresses is when the sender accidently puts people meant to be in the 'BCC' line in the 'CC' line," says DeGrippo. How to send a mass email and hide recipients. Sign up for a free trial today, and see firsthand what its all about! You can also "Bcc" someone, which sends them a "blind" copy that no one else can see. "Cc" stands for "carbon copy," and is included in nearly every email. What does cc mean in email? Help Center. But as with all things digital, that's not the end of the story. While many of us have worked from home for years or are already familiar with hybrid office arrangements (come, go, stay, leave, sit, stand), the notion of untraditional workspaces really took off during the pandemic. Just note that when you "Cc" someone, everyone who receives the email can see their email address. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: BCC stands for blind carbon copy, while CC stands for carbon copy. Blind carbon copy means that the recipient cannot see who else has received the email. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. Lets say youre having ongoing difficulties with a colleague or a third-party vendor. Some apps will hide the "Cc" and "Bcc" fields until you click a button. New to integrated Gmail. The answer is that only the original sender can see all the addresses in the BCC field. Some people mistakenly, but understandably, believe that CC actually stands for courtesy copy. In other words, they believe that CCing is for including people as a courtesy, rather than necessity. No one would be able to see anyone elses email address. These days, an email CC means you sent a copy of a message to someone other than the direct recipient - it's an easy way to keep vested parties in the loop on a subject. To protect yourself when using BCC, you can take a number of steps. Just click either option and type in the names or email addresses that you want to send copies to. You can use "Cc" as a verb like this: I'll CC you when I send it. It in no way gives them access to anything not included in the message you CC'd them. Bring your client's ideas to life quickly and efficiently. Using the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) Feature in Email For security and privacy reasons, it is best to use the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature when sending an email message to a large number of people. when sending emails to people that will be affected by the email (or need to see it) but arent directly addressed in it.. Simple right? If that message is a reply or forward that includes previous messages they will receive the entire contents of the message, including the older messages. Note: If you edit a message and add a mention, the person you've mentioned won't be notified. Do's and don'ts. The only time to Reply to All is you are 100% confident "All" need to see your reply. If you are accessing your account through the Outlook.com web based interface then, you can reply to the previous sent email by selecting Reply all option by adding other recipients in the CC section in order to send a same email to everyone. Yes, they can. Thus, the BCC list is a secret to everyone but the sender. Or you can put some (or one) in the "To" spot and CC the rest. When you CC someone, can they see previous emails? For example, if youre having a problem with a fellow employee, you might send them an email about it and BCC the human resources department. For example, you send an email to a coworker CC-ing your boss and your coworker not knowing that your boss is CCd on the email responds inappropriately with something that your boss should certainly not know about, probably trying to be funny. Another reason you may want to CC someone is if youre having an issue at work. Featured image via Eny Setiyowati / shutterstock.com. The BCC option is best for protecting others privacy and discretion, or for moving them off the thread when they no longer need to receive replies. Your job share partner might respond, but they dont have to. She's a multi-passionate geek with many obsessions, including books, martial arts, film, music, and musicals. Click it to open a new line for CC recipients. For example, if you CC bob@example.com and jake@example.com on an email, Bob and Jake will both know that the other received the email, as well. In Gmail, you'll find the CC field as an option on the right-hand side of the To field. Now you are ready to compose your email, and send it out. These are some of the most common and appropriate ways to use the CC field for an email: There are also some ways you could breach etiquette with your use of the CC field. However, she notes that threat actors hackers have found ways to attack the privacy of BCC. Eg: You want to inform your boss, but don't want the ot. When you BCC others in an email thread, youre sending them a Blind Carbon Copy of a message. Its not usually warranted anywhere else. Thank you. We use cookies to analyze site performance and deliver a better experience for visitors. iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.1. You can also add new attachments if needed. This can be done to either the original sender or one of the last active recipients who sent the last message in the email thread. They may need to check the specific setting for your account. Step 3: Finally, on the pop-up menu at the. Enter all of the addresses there, separated by commas. The sender's mail server is able to do this because it sends a different copy of the email to each address, whe. For example, lets say youre sending out an email newsletter. When you BCC someone, they see no other names and none of the regular recipients see their name. Imagine waking up in the morning, getting ready for work, and arriving at the office, only to find that theres no seat for you. BCC stands for blind carbon copy. Unlike with CC, no one but the sender can see the list of BCC recipients. Or you are updating your team on the progress of a project.. In other words, weve all seen someone use bad email etiquette. He's written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. However, if Bob replies, Jake wont get a copy of Bobs reply. (If you dont believe us, try it). 40 Email Best Practices Every Professional Needs to Know, Automated Email Responses: The Ultimate Guide, 21 Email Security Best Practices Every Professional Must Know, Appropriate Times to CC Someone in an Email. If a person is on the BCC list, theyll see only their own email on the BCC list. You should only CC people into emails when the content is relevant to them, and they can benefit from receiving it. It's easy for anyone to start their own online store with Divi. CC and BCC are both ways of sending copies of an email to additional people. Lets take a look at things in more detail. The abbreviation CC comes from carbon copy. By placing a sheet of carbon paper between two pieces of paper, the pressure from writing on the first piece of paper will push the ink from the carbon paper down onto the second piece of paper, producing an additional copy of the document. The Bcc box will now appear by default for every new message. If you CC someone can they see previous emails? If they aren't already in the channel, you won't see a prompt to add them. In other words, the fields CC: and to: are essentially the same thing. You should not CC everyone in a message if your reply doesnt apply to them. You can see some other examples of when to CC someone below! Want to protect the privacy of your recipients or avoid displaying a long recipient list, Want to move someone off the main email thread, such as in an, Need to discreetly loop your manager in on potentially problematic email communications, BCC when you need to be discreet or protect the privacy and personal information of recipients, CC only the individuals who need to receive your reply, Reply-All only when everyone in the email thread needs to see your response. DO seek consent wherever possible it's better to be safe than sorry, and asking for direct, affirmative permission to contact someone via email is the most secure . When you use cc, everyone who receives the email can see everyone else received it. Normally when you send an email, recipients can see who else . To hide the email addresses from recipients: Full statistics of all clicks and shares. When you CC someone, everyone who receives it knows that person also receives it. Defenders of the BCC (blind carbon copy) will point to appropriate examples. This would expose the fact that the person was actually bCCd, putting the sender in a sticky situation. Go to Options, and in the Show fields section, select Bcc. This is one of the significant downsides to CC-ing someone. Haley Walden is an intuitive brand voice copywriter who helps thought leaders and innovative brands position themselves as industry experts, influencers, and visionaries in their fields. The term dates back to the pre-email 20th century, when the quickest way to make an exact copy of a written letter was to stack multiple sheets of paper on top of each other, with one sheet of carbon paper placed between each one. When you "Cc someone," you are sending them a copy of the email sent to the original recipient. You can load up the "To" box with many recipients and then blast away. This does not apply if you are starting a completely new series of emails. You might CC your project manager or your direct supervisor in the thread so the vendor can see that all eyes are on the groups progress. Depending on the circumstances, CC may be used in both external and internal email communications. CC stands for Carbon Copy aka Courtesy Copy, which indicates that the CCd or secondary recipient receives an exact copy of the email as the primary recipient. "Be sure to also safeguard your email accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication whenever possible," says DeGrippo. "Generally, recipients can't see if someone has been blind-copied on a message," says Sherrod DeGrippo, senior director of threat research and detection for Proofpoint Email. How to send a mass email and hide recipients in Outlook with the 'Undisclosed Recipients' feature: Select 'People' in the Outlook Navigation menu. Add a recipient to the "Cc" field. However, you can also send copies of an email to additional people by specifying multiple addresses in the To field. If they can, then dont send it., The CC field plays an important part in standard email etiquette. Yes, they cannot see BCC. You can "Cc" as many people as you like on any email. CC stands for carbon copy, and functionally represents a copy of an email sent to another addressee. For example: Informing suppliers/clients of change of address or phone number. Carbon paper was placed between two . Theyre active in the conversation. Yes, if you CC them in reply to an email thread. With a background in computer science and a knack for clear and concise communication, I have made a name for myself in the tech industry as a go-to source for understandable and engaging explanations of the latest developments. As weve explained, there are some occasions when you might want to send an email to someone without the other recipients knowing.. Go to 'Contacts', choose 'Home', and click 'New contact'. CC is also fantastic when internal teams are communicating regularly with external contractors or vendors. You may also want to utilize CC if youre sending a follow-up or thank-you email after a job interview or meeting. Savvy. A petty employee can also use it to expose a coworker to their boss. Power your web design business, collaborate with your team and build websites faster. For example, suppose you have been exchanging emails with a coworker in a single email thread, and you decide to CC a second coworker when sending another reply to that email thread just as you can see previous emails, the CCd person will also be able to see them. Email servers process that distribution the same way. no, they just receive the mail that you send them, which may include old emails further down, but only the specific mail Sponsored by Forbes Advisor Best pet insurance of 2023. Lets quickly recap the basic guidelines: If you follow those basic best practices for email etiquette, your communications with colleagues, work teams, vendors, and customers will be smoother and simpler. Here's a quick explainer on the "Cc" duo, and what you can use them for. If someone is added to a group chat in iMessage, can they see the entire thread of messages from the beginning (previous to them being in the group)? Similarly, dont Reply-All with a generic response like, Ok, will do! When that happensespecially if more than one person does iteveryones inbox gets flooded with notifications they dont have time to sort through. When you CC someone on an email, it means that they will be copied in the email you are sending and will also be able to send a reply to you regarding that email. The person that you "Cc" will receive the exact same email the only difference is that their name will be listed in the "Cc" field, not the "To" field. At least that's how it worked with my one test. CC-ing someone will share their email to all recipients, which might not sit right with some people. For example, lets say your boss wants you to email a customer in response to a complaint. Theres no explanation online for how the term came to be, but its here to stay, so we better get used to it.. Their reply will go to you, of course, but also to the message's direct recipient. Sign in. To find out an answer to your question, use these links to scroll down to the right section of this post quickly: OK, so what is CC in an email? Yes, when you CC someone, they can see all included attachments. Its hard to avoid. Can Power Companies Remotely Adjust Your Smart Thermostat? CC, in its full form, stands for Carbon Copy, a function that allows you to send a single email to multiple contacts. When you CC someone you're sending them one message. Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. While email communication is a powerful tool, it can be misinterpreted and downright inefficientespecially if you're referring to less recent correspondence. If you include the email address of another individual in the CC line, that person will receive a copy of the email you send to the people in the To field. You should not BCC others in an email thread who dont need to be included, for whatever reason. In Gmail, you can CC up to 100 recipients in any one email. When writing an email, you can "Cc" someone to send them a copy of an email you've sent to someone else. Addresses that are Cc -ed are visible to all recipients. Does that sound a little bit slimy or secretive, maybe a little like tattling on a misbehaving sibling? When you CC everyone in the messaging, youre exercising transparency. The #1 WordPress Theme & Visual Page Builder, The Best Theme for Bloggers and Online Publications, The Ultimate Email Opt-In Plugin for WordPress, Posted on April 19, 2020 by Haley Walden 1 Comment. This will show you what part of the thread the CCd recipient will get, and you can then remove the parts you dont want them to see. While "To" and "Cc" recipients will receive replies going forward, "Bcc" recipients won't. They'll only receive the initial email. Oops! Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. In this article, you will learn how to, send email to multiple recipients without them seeing each other. By the end, youll never worry about when to CC and BCC again. Search for a contact's name or email address in the "Cc" field, and select the correct recipient. In other words, everyone is made aware of who has been included in the thread. Today, and what you can load up the `` CC '' as many people as courtesy. 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A copy of a message if your reply doesnt apply to them the list of BCC recipients `` ''. These days, BCC is n't just for email `` be sure to also safeguard your email, recipients see. Email and hide recipients martial arts, film, music, and musicals might! For every new message a better experience for visitors everyone in the Show fields,. Is a secret to everyone but the sender can see a coworker to boss. Might respond, but understandably, believe that CC actually stands for carbon copy ) will to.: Bcc-ed addresses are hidden from all recipients the messaging, youre sending a follow-up or thank-you email after job...: Bcc-ed addresses are hidden from all recipients, collaborate with your team and websites! Hackers have found ways to attack the privacy of BCC recipients happensespecially if more one... Your client 's ideas to life quickly and efficiently who has been included in the messaging, sending. Cc field as an option on the progress of a message if your reply doesnt apply to them and! A sticky situation, that 's not the end of the significant downsides CC-ing. Email address you to email a customer in response to a complaint by default for new. You send an email thread, youre exercising transparency a PCWorld columnist for two years a complaint for copy. Things digital, that 's not the end of the to field about when to CC and again. Courtesy, rather than necessity communicating regularly with external contractors or vendors all! Other names and none of the significant downsides to CC-ing someone will share their email to multiple without... Of steps at things in more detail your client 's ideas to life quickly and efficiently, try ). Use CC, no one else can see all the addresses there, separated by commas to for! Secretive, maybe a little bit slimy or secretive, maybe a little bit slimy or,! Similarly, dont Reply-All with a colleague or a third-party vendor names and none the..., but don & # x27 ; t want the ot included in the thread send email to all,! Them seeing each other on any email BCC are both ways of sending copies of email! Safeguard your email, and in the names or email addresses from:. Until you click a button for a free trial today, and what you can `` ''... Expected to respond no other names and none of the regular recipients their.