An email has three recipient fields:<\/p>\n\n Everyone receives the same message. What changes is each person’s role and the privacy of their address.<\/p>\n\n With CC<\/strong>, everyone can see who else received the email. If someone clicks “Reply all”, their reply also goes to the copied addresses.<\/p>\n\n With BCC<\/strong>, the addresses stay hidden. Someone in blind copy sees the message, but the others don’t know they received it. And if they reply all, their reply doesn’t reach the other BCC recipients.<\/p>\n\n There’s a detail many people don’t know. People in BCC do see the To and CC addresses. The only things hidden are their own address and those of the other blind-copied recipients.<\/p>\n\n Use CC when you want someone to stay informed, even if they don’t need to do anything with the email. It’s transparent: everyone knows who is involved.<\/p>\n\n Some common examples:<\/p>\n\n A rule of thumb: the “To” field is for whoever has to reply or take action. CC is for those who just need to know.<\/p>\n\n Use BCC when the recipients don’t know each other or haven’t given you permission to share their address. That way you protect their privacy.<\/p>\n\n For example, to let several clients know about a change in opening hours or to invite people from different companies.<\/p>\n\n It also works for sending someone a copy discreetly, although you should use it with care.<\/p>\n\n In Gmail<\/strong>, when you compose an email you’ll see the “Cc” and “Bcc” links to the right of the “To” field. Click the one you need and type the addresses.<\/p>\n\n In Outlook<\/strong>, the CC field appears below “To”. If you don’t see BCC, turn it on from the “Options” tab of the new message, with the “Bcc” button. In Outlook on the web, the “Bcc” link is next to “To”.<\/p>\n\n On mobile, you usually have to tap the “To” field or the arrow next to it to show both options.<\/p>\n\n The most serious mistake is putting people who don’t know each other in CC. Each recipient sees everyone else’s addresses, and that is a personal data breach.<\/p>\n\n It’s no minor detail. The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has fined companies for sending commercial emails without blind copy.<\/p>\n\n In 2022, it fined a real estate agency \u20ac9,000 for exposing its clients’ addresses this way. It was in breach of Articles 5(1)(f) and 32 of the GDPR<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Other common mistakes:<\/p>\n\n Technically yes, but it’s not a good idea. An email with hundreds of addresses in BCC has several problems:<\/p>\n\n Gmail, Outlook and other providers set sending limits<\/a> per message and per day. If you exceed them, your account gets blocked for a while.<\/p>\n\nField<\/th> What it means<\/th> Who sees the address<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> To<\/td> Main recipient<\/td> All recipients<\/td><\/tr> CC<\/td> Carbon copy<\/td> All recipients<\/td><\/tr> BCC<\/td> Blind carbon copy<\/td> Nobody but the sender<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n ![\"CC](\"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cc-y-cco-quien-ve-cada-direccion-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\nWhat is the difference between CC and BCC?<\/h2>\n\n
When should you use CC?<\/h2>\n\n
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When should you use BCC?<\/h2>\n\n
How to add CC and BCC in Gmail and Outlook<\/h2>\n\n
Common mistakes with CC and BCC<\/h2>\n\n
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Can you use BCC to send mass emails?<\/h2>\n\n
![\"Comparison](\"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cco-o-herramienta-email-marketing-1024x576.png\")
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