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Sometimes you need to send an email to multiple people, but you don’t always want to share everyone’s email addresses. In those cases, you’ll want to go for bcc or blind carbon copy.

A good time to send a bcc is when sending a mass email to your email list or customers. After all, 56% of consumers surveyed said they preferred to receive updates from brands on email versus other channels like text or social media.

But keeping these emails professional and private is key. 

Whether you’re new to using Outlook or just need a refresher on bccing, here’s how to bcc in Outlook so your emails securely reach their intended audience.

Table of contents

  1. How does Bcc work?
  2. How does Bcc work in Outlook?
  3. Bccing in Outlook

 

 

How does Bcc work?

Bcc stands for blind carbon copy. It’s a carryover from paper correspondence, but the intention is the same — to send an email to multiple recipients without them knowing about the other receivers. 

In general email etiquette, it’s agreed that using bcc should be limited. You shouldn’t abuse the feature to share private correspondence. However, it’s very helpful for sending out email marketing campaigns to email lists without sharing everyone's email addresses.

Bcc also usually removes the ability of recipients to use 'Reply all.' which again is helpful when sending an email to hundreds or possibly thousands of email addresses. 

Note that you have to send to only bcc for this feature to work. If you send to any addresses with the 'To' line, 'Reply all' is still an option for many email clients.

 

How does Bcc work in Outlook?


To learn what bcc in Outlook is, first create a new email.

To use bcc in Outlook, first navigate to your inbox and click on ‘New mail’. 

Next, click on Bcc located to the right of the To line.

After you have a new email open, you should see the ‘To’ line at the top. To the right of this line, there are two options: Cc and Bcc. Click on the ‘Bcc’ button.
Make sure to add recipients to the Bcc line, not the To line.

 

After you click on Bcc, a new line will appear below the To line that says Bcc. That is where you will enter the email addresses to which you want to send your email. Do not enter the email addresses in the ‘To’ line.

Every email you enter here will receive your email, but they will not see the other recipients’ email addresses. 

After that, write your email as usual. When you’re ready, click send.

Bccing in Outlook

When you use Bcc for your Outlook emails, you:

  • Ensure privacy for all email recipients
  • Reduce the risk of an accidental 'Reply all'
  • Streamline the look of your emails
In that sense, using bcc in email marketing is vital. You don’t want to abuse your customers’ trust by sharing their personal information with everyone else — you want to build upon that trust instead.
Woman creating a signature using HubSpot's Email Signature Generator

Besides bccing, you can add another layer of trust by giving your emails a custom signature with HubSpot's Email Signature Generator. It'll help your emails appear more professional and make it easier for recipients to contact you.