BCC Meaning in Email
BCC is an email-recipient field that hides the BCC recipient from the copies delivered to the other recipients. That visibility feature should not be confused with encryption or a broader privacy guarantee.
“BCC” means “blind carbon copy.” It sends a copy without showing that BCC recipient to the other recipients.
Key details
Important caveats
Privacy Boundary
BCC changes recipient visibility, not the sensitivity classification or security of the message itself.
Visibility Boundary
The BCC field and addresses placed in it do not appear in the copies sent to the other recipients.
Further guidance
Meaning
Cambridge defines bcc as blind carbon copy.
Practical Application
Use BCC when a recipient should receive the message without that address being shown to the other recipients. For large external mailings, BCC can reduce unnecessary address exposure, but it is not encryption or a general confidentiality guarantee.
Reader Check
Do the visible recipients need to know who else received the message? If transparency matters, use To/CC; if hidden recipient visibility is intentional and appropriate, BCC may fit.
Worked Example
For a one-time announcement to unrelated external recipients, placing addresses in BCC prevents each recipient’s copy from displaying the other BCC addresses.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- BCC — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Email meaning of BCC/blind carbon copy and recipient-visibility boundary