How do I send a BCC email to multiple people?

Email is one of the most common forms of communication, but it can also be annoying when someone sends out emails that are supposed to go only to specific individuals. One way around this problem is by sending messages via "bulk" email systems like MailChimp or Constant Contact. But what if you want to share something with several different groups at once?

Fortunately, there's another option for those times — BCC (Blind Carbon Copy). The BCC field allows users to add an additional recipient who will not see any emails from the original sender. This means they won't learn about your new mailing list until after everyone else has received their own copies. Here's how to take advantage of these features on various platforms.

How do I send a bulk email in BCC?

Before we get into specifics, let's talk briefly about Bulk Email Services (BESs) first. These companies offer services such as Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, Aweber, etc., which allow businesses to set up automated campaigns to distribute newsletters, updates, coupons, etc. They often include tools within the service itself to help manage large volumes of subscribers. Some even have templates built-in so that you don't need to worry about designing anything yourself.

As mentioned before, because these services deal mostly with business communications, many people aren't familiar with how easy it is to create a campaign through a regular email client. It takes just seconds! All you'll need to do is open up compose mode in whatever program you're already using, type up the message, then select the Send To button. Choose Create Campaign... under More Options next to Subject line, and choose either Auto Responders/Single Recipient or Multiple Recipients. You can customize both of these options per your needs.

Once sent, anyone who receives your email will receive a copy directly, while others will still receive separate ones. If you'd rather not bother creating a batch file manually for every group you wish to reach, consider setting up a dedicated account with one of these providers and assigning tasks based off user preferences. For example, you could assign one person the role of managing subscriptions while others handle uploading content.

Another handy feature offered by some of these services is the ability to track opens. In addition to knowing exactly where your readership originates, it helps to know where they read your newsletter from. That way, you can better tailor future articles to fit their interests.

If you prefer to roll your own solution, here are some helpful guides detailing how to send email using Google Scripts and AppleScripts. We've covered more advanced ways to automate the process too. And if you ever run into trouble, check out our troubleshooting guide.

We should note that since this article focuses mainly on personal accounts, it doesn't cover how to do this via Gmail. However, if you happen to use Gmail, there are plenty of third party apps designed specifically for this purpose. Check out some of these alternatives below.

Can you use Bcc to send mass email?

The short answer is yes. While it may seem counterintuitive, the CC (Carbon Copy) field works identically to the BCC field. Both allow you to send a single email to numerous recipients without alerting them to others' existence beforehand. As long as you make sure nobody accidentally includes themselves twice, this method is safe.

In fact, the reason why BCC was created originally is due to security concerns over accidental duplicates. Since CC isn't susceptible to this issue, modern versions of Microsoft Office now default to using BCC instead of CC.

While this might sound odd or confusing, keep in mind that the term "carbon copy" refers to carbon paper — an obsolete technology used primarily during the 19th century to record information onto pieces of paper without making indentations. So technically speaking, whenever you write "To:" followed by multiple names, you're actually copying the same address.

There are two main advantages to doing this: First, you no longer have to remember whether or not someone already subscribed to a particular mailing list. Second, if you decide to change your mind later, you can always edit the subject line to refer solely to the general topic instead of its individual recipients.

When choosing between CC vs. BCC, think carefully about how much work you plan to put into maintaining lists of people to communicate with. Depending on how complex those relationships become, BCC might save you time and effort down the road.

Can you send an all Bcc email?

Absolutely. Many people mistakenly assume that BCC must contain at least three names, but that's simply not true. Feel free to name as few or as many addresses as you wish.

Nowadays, most programs automatically merge duplicate entries anyway, so there shouldn't be any problems. Even though it seems weird, you can technically call an email containing only one person in CC "all bcc." Of course, feel free to double-check to confirm.

One thing worth keeping in mind is that if you try to forward an all bcc email to someone who didn't ask to receive it, they may complain. On top of that, forwarding all bcc mail requires extra permissions compared to forwarding normal mail.

It goes without saying that if you intend to forward sensitive correspondence to certain parties, you should avoid including your real contact info in BCC. Otherwise, this kind of behavior would violate Federal Trade Commission guidelines against spamming.

How do I send an email to all my contacts Bcc?

You probably figured this part out already, but it bears mentioning nonetheless. Simply start composing an email in your favorite messaging platform, then click on the Attach File icon located above the text box. From here, browse to your desired document and hit Open. Once done, scroll down to the bottom of the window and look for the tiny arrow beside Attached Files. Click on it, then pick Add People from the dropdown menu.

Depending on your current settings, this will prompt you to enter either Name(s), Address(es), Phone Number(s), or Extension(s). Select whichever applies best and continue. Your recipients will never see the actual files attached to your email unless they explicitly request access.

For further reading on this topic, check out this detailed explanation written by an ex-employee of HiverSec, a company specializing in email marketing solutions.

Of course, if you're looking for even deeper privacy controls, you may opt to use disposable email accounts instead. Then you could delete old messages after receiving your desired response. If you'd like to give it a shot, check out the best webmail services worth paying for.

Have you found creative uses for BCC yet? What methods do you use to send mass emails privately? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

If there’s one thing that can make your emails feel like they were written by someone else, it's sending out the same message to more than one person. Whether you need to CC or BCC someone, you probably want to avoid doing so at all costs—and for good reason! Sending out identical messages to different people is rude, annoying, and potentially embarrassing, even if you're just trying to share information with colleagues (or friends).

Fortunately, there are ways around this problem. You can use BCC to keep certain details private while still sharing them on a group basis. Or you could try combining the two methods into something called "Bulk Email." Here are some things to know about how these work.

How do I add multiple recipients to Bcc?

Adding multiple addresses to BCC works similarly to adding addresses to CC. If you have several people you wish to include in the bulk email, start typing their names as usual. Once you see the name of the recipient, highlight it and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to insert the address instead of manually copying/pasting it from your clipboard. Alternatively, right-click on any entry and select Add To Address Book... to save yourself time.

You'll notice that once you've added multiple addresses, a new field will appear below the existing ones titled Recipients. This means you may be tempted to click on the latter option and move everything over. Don't do it. We recommend leaving the old entries where they belong because you might accidentally remove someone who should receive the mail later. Plus, those extra boxes give you room to type additional recipients if necessary.

For example, after adding myself to my company's mailing list, I had to find another way to reach our VP of Marketing since she wasn't already included under CC. So, when I was finished entering her contact info into the Recipient box, I clicked on Edit next to the title. From here, I simply entered her full name and email address, separated by a comma, before hitting Send. It took less than 30 seconds and worked perfectly.

In case you don't have access to the above menu, you can also double-right-click on any individual item and choose Move Message… to change its position within the chain. Just remember not to delete anything unless you absolutely must.

Can I send an email with everyone in BCC?

Yes, but only if you're careful. When you hit Send, Google Docs creates a temporary copy of the document containing all the recipients' addresses. The original remains untouched. Only the newly created version gets sent off to the intended recipients. As such, you shouldn't ever plan on copying and pasting an entire email thread into BCC. Doing so would effectively mean you were sending duplicate copies of the message to the same people. Instead, create separate documents for each discussion or event and then merge them together afterward.

That said, we understand why you'd want to communicate via BCC sometimes. For instance, maybe you're hosting a big meeting and you want to tell everyone beforehand. In cases like this, you can bypass the aforementioned rule by creating a draft first. Then, open up the BCC field and paste the contents of that email directly inside it. Afterward, go back into Draft mode and edit the text accordingly. Your changes won't affect anyone else until you publish it.

This trick doesn't always work, however. Sometimes, you'll get an error saying that you couldn't update the document due to insufficient privileges. That's because Microsoft Office limits you to updating drafts every 60 minutes. Thus, if you repeatedly send out the exact same email over and over again, you risk getting locked out of making further edits.

Luckily, there's a workaround. Open up the BCC field and enter whatever you intend to say. Hit Save & Continue Editing and wait for it to finish processing. Now, open up the BCC field again and replace what you wrote earlier. Repeat this process until you're satisfied with the content. Finally, hit Publish. Depending on how long it takes for the file to upload, you may need to sit tight for a few minutes.

When you're ready to distribute the final product, head back to Draft mode and click on File " Download and pick Create PDF Document. Choose Print Preview Mode if you prefer to view the result ahead of time rather than waiting till completion.

What happens if you put everyone in BCC?

Sending out the same email to multiple parties isn't necessarily bad practice. However, if you're unsure whether you want to disclose specific data, you might consider keeping it confidential by putting each party in BCC. Otherwise, you run the risk of offending someone unintentionally. Take this hypothetical scenario, for example: A friend sends you a link inviting you to check out his website. He cc's himself along with you, which seems pretty normal. But then he goes ahead and puts hundreds of random strangers in BCC. Are you comfortable clicking through thousands of links without knowing exactly who posted them? Probably not.

The best way to deal with this issue is to figure out what kind of sensitive information you need to hide and set up BCC accordingly. For example, if you work with clients, make sure that none of them end up receiving the same email as a client of yours. Similarly, if you're writing articles, make sure no one sees the byline except you. And if you're running a contest, ensure that participants aren't notified if they didn't win.

There's a quick fix for this too. Simply turn on Auto Hide Personal Information in Emails by default. This setting hides personal information automatically whenever you compose a new email. Click Settings " Privacy and Security " Manage How My Info Is Shared With Others to customize the feature based on your needs.

How do I send a BCC in bulk email?

Some companies allow employees to send emails to groups outside of their departments—for instance, marketing staff can email sales teams regarding potential deals. While this sounds useful, it comes with risks. Not only does it violate internal policies, but it makes your coworkers suspicious if they never hear feedback from others in a similar role. Bulk email services help solve this dilemma. They essentially let users organize large amounts of contacts into lists.

With this tool, you can easily set up a series of emails aimed at particular individuals. All you need to do is assign a label to each email and drag-and-drop recipients onto them. Before releasing the string, take care to read the rules. Some providers limit the number of total recipients per week or month, depending on subscription plans. Also, decide if you want to provide access to a third-party app. Most platforms offer this functionality. Lastly, opt to disable signatures by going to Preferences " General Settings " Signatures. Doing so prevents anyone from attaching their own comments to the bottom of every outgoing email.

If you're sending out sensitive information, it's wise to keep your recipient list hidden from view. But what if you want to CC or BCC someone on one of those messages but don't want that person to see who else is included?

We've all been there—you get a message with "To" and "From" lines filled out for everyone you need to contact, only to realize they have names attached to their email addresses that will make it obvious who sent it. It'd be nice if we could just add additional names as needed under "BCC."

There are actually several ways to handle this situation depending on your needs—whether you want to include a large number of people (several hundred) or a small number of people (less than 10). And these methods also differ between desktop mail clients like Microsoft Office 365 Mail and web-based services such as iCloud Mail. Let's take a look.

First up, let's talk about why you might choose not to show certain people when sending an email...

Why would you ever use BCC?

Before explaining our solutions, first let's clarify exactly why you would choose to use BCC instead of simply including every name on the To line. The most common reason is privacy. If you're working on something confidential or private, you may not want to alert anyone outside your company that you were involved in its creation. This applies even more so when dealing with health care issues or personal matters.

When you use BCC, you aren't showing the actual sender of the email — only the recipients. You won't know who emailed you unless you open your inbox after receiving your copy. In some cases, this method works well because no one has any idea who wrote the original email since nobody knows where it came from. However, it does require that everyone share the same address. That means if you used different work or school accounts, you'll still be able to figure out which account belongs to whom by looking at the From field.

The second option is to use Google Contacts' ability to search contacts based on email headers. For example, if you wanted to send an email to 500 coworkers but didn't want to expose their real identities, you could create dummy email addresses made up of random letters and numbers (e.g., JohnSmith1@gmail.com), then invite everyone into your Contact Group via Gmail. Next, you'd write a standard email containing the subject and body, adding the text "Sent using XXXXXX," followed by "-- Your Name Here --". When you hit Send, Gmail automatically adds the BCC header while keeping the recipients anonymous.

Finally, you can always manually enter the BCC section yourself. Just type in the names separated by commas or semicolons according to whatever order you prefer. Then click Create Email and select Add People from the dropdown menu next to "Send As." If you chose to go this route, remember that the last person added should appear first.

Now onto our solution options!

How many people can you BCC on an email at once?

In general, you can BCC anywhere from 1 to 100 people per email. But bear in mind that if you exceed this range, you run the risk of getting flagged for spamming. So keep it reasonable. On top of that, if you try to BCC too many people, you may find your email doesn't reach all of them due to size limits. We recommend limiting yourself to 50 people or fewer.

You cannot technically BCC over 250 people. Instead, you must split the total amount of recipients across two separate emails. One email will contain 200 people, while another contains 50 people. Once again, though, this comes at the expense of making your email harder to read since it becomes cluttered. Plus, splitting your list into smaller groups makes it easier for your email service provider to detect duplicate entries.

Keep in mind that larger lists often mean better delivery rates, especially during high traffic periods. So feel free to break your list down however you wish provided you do it within reason.

Is there a limit to how many emails you can BCC?

Yes there is. According to Facebook Support, you cannot legally send thousands of emails through BCC. They say that doing so violates anti-spam laws and could result in fines. While the exact number varies depending on your country, generally speaking companies face penalties anywhere from $100-$1000 USD for violating anti-spam laws.

So avoid breaking the rules and stick to the guidelines above.

Can you BCC to multiple people?

Sure! All you need to do is follow the steps outlined earlier:

Create a new email draft.

Type in all the names you want to BCC separately from one another.

Select BCC at the bottom of the page.

Click Create Message. Select Add People from the dropdown menu next to "Send As."

Note: Sometimes, BCC isn't available in Gmail. If that happens, you'll need to access the compose window through HTML mode. This requires opening File & Options & General & Advanced Settings & Show Preview Window. Afterward, navigate to More Tools & Compose & Formatting & QuickFormat Toolbar Edit. Click on BCC and drag it right below the existing checkbox labeled Sender Display Names. Hit OK and close the compose window. Now BCC will definitely be present in the toolbar.

This process is largely identical whether you're composing an email in Word or Apple Mail. The only difference is that Word uses the word BCC rather than "Add People" when applying filters to your selections.

Lastly, here's how to prevent others from seeing your BCC recipients when viewing the email history:

Go to History > Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab > View Menu button (gear icon) > Set Default Filters > Filter By Recipients > Remove Checkmark beside BCC.

How do I send an email to a group and hide the recipients in Outlook?

Microsoft Office 365 Mail allows users to insert rows directly into their outgoing messages. These rows act as separators between individual recipients, and can easily change color to indicate priority status.

Here's how to set it up:

Open the desired outgoing message.

Press Ctrl + P to bring up the Insert Ribbon. Choose Rows from the Commands List box.

Drag the Row Above placeholder until you have enough room to fit your entire BCC list. Make sure to highlight everything except for the row itself.

Right-click on the row and select New Color from the context menu. Pick either Red or Blue, whichever suits your preference best.

Once done, press Enter. A new row appears beneath the previous one. Right-click on the newly created row and select Fill With Background Color. Repeat Step 5 for each subsequent row, alternating colors. Keep in mind that you can change the background color of any row by selecting the row and double-clicking on the row border.

With the row coloring setup, now go back to your BCCed email and scroll down until you spot your first row. Left-click on the highlighted area and select Change Border Colors.... Find the corresponding color in the list of choices and left-click on it. Do this for each row until all the necessary ones are colored.

Repeat Steps 3–6 for any future BCCs you plan on sending. Be aware that if you decide to remove any columns later, you'll need to repeat the whole process above. Unfortunately, Microsoft Office 365 Mail does not allow for automatic column removal, meaning you'll need to delete them individually.