Activate Bcc in Outlook
Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc) is a function offered by Outlook that enables you to send a ‘hidden’ copy of your message to select recipients. This is useful, for instance, if you want to send the same email to multiple business partners, without disclosing lots of email addresses.
Unlike addresses in the “To” or “Cc” line, addresses in the “Bcc” field are not displayed to the recipients of your message. Not only does this allow you to prevent your business relationships from being visible to all recipients, it also protects your business partners’ contact details.
Read our step-by-step guide to learn how to add the Bcc field in Outlook and send blind carbon copies.
Hosted Exchange with IONOS
The prefect solution for your business! Get the world’s leading email and calendar solution together with secure hosting from a single source!
How to Use the Bcc Field in Your Outlook Desktop Application
The Bcc field is available in all versions of the Outlook desktop application. However, in the standard settings the Bcc field is hidden in Outlook versions 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.
Take the following steps to activate the Bcc field for new messages, email replies or forwarding.
New Email with Bcc
- Click on “New Email” to open a new email window.
- Switch to the “Options” tab.
- Click on the “Bcc” button in the “Show Fields” section.
Once it’s activated, the Bcc field will appear as a new address line under “To” and “Cc”.
When you activate the Bcc field in your Outlook desktop application, it will be shown as standard when composing new messages. The “Bcc” button is highlighted. To deactivate the Bcc field again, simply click once more on the highlighted button.
Replying or Forwarding with Bcc
- Click on “Reply” or “Forward” to compose a reply or forward message in reading area.
- Click on the “Bcc” button in the “Show Fields” section.
Using the Bcc Field in Office 356
Office 365 users can also use the blind carbon copy function online. Here too, the Bcc field is hidden as standard in the user interface of Outlook on the web.
Take the steps below to display the Bcc field in Outlook on the web:
- Sign in to Outlook on the web.
- Click on “New Email”, “Reply” or “Forward”.
- Activate the Bcc field by clicking on the button with the same name, located in the top right next to the “To” line.
The Bcc field is displayed as a new address line below “To” and “Cc”.
Displaying Bcc Recipients in Sent Messages
Email addresses contained in the Bcc field remain hidden to message recipients – no matter whether they are entered in the “To”, “Cc” or “Bcc” field. Only the sender of the message can view the Bcc recipients after the email has been sent.
To do so, open the “Sent Items” folder. You’ll find the Bcc recipients in the email header.
Related articles
Archiving Emails with Outlook – Here's How it Works
Old emails, past appointments, and completed tasks are automatically archived by Outlook after a preconfigured period. AutoArchive can be configured individually, if required. Outlook also provides the ability to manually archive selected folders. We’ll show you how to do it.
FlashMovieShutterstock How to forward emails in Outlook automatically
Holidays, illness, or business trips – there are many reasons for absence from work. Checking your e-mail may not be possible in these cases. E-mails are usually still received and should not remain unanswered – forwarding your e-mail with outlook is a great solution. You can set automatic e-mail forwarding in outlook, so a colleague receives all your emails. How to forward e-mails in outlook?…
How to recall mail in Outlook
It comes to the rescue when you think it’s too late: Outlook’s recall function enables you to delete e-mails after you’ve sent them or to replace them with a new version. However, it only works under certain conditions. We explain how to recall Outlook messages you’ve already sent, and provide possible reasons why the recall function might not work.
G-Stock StudioShutterstock Outlook read receipts: How do you set one up?
Sending an e-mail is child’s play. As soon as the text has been written and the subject and destination address have been entered, just click on “send” and the electronic message is on its way. However, if the answer is delayed, doubts quickly arise as to whether the mail has arrived and been read. A remedy is to request a read receipt, which you can set up in Outlook in just a few steps.
ESB ProfessionalShutterstock How to change the sender’s name in Outlook
By changing the Outlook sender name, you can select the return address to match the recipient. This creates order in your inbox and can lead to greater trust among your recipients. But not only companies can benefit from changing the sender name in Outlook. It is also worthwhile for private Outlook users to change their sender address.
