What does CC mean in email and how do you use it in Gmail?

Email is becoming more common every day. One question people ask often is “What is CC?”. When you compose a message, both BCC and CC appear under the address line. Both features have their own uses, and they help make sure your message reaches the right people. 

BCC and CC are both email terms, and you use both when sending a message. So do you already understand What is CC? or what BCC in Gmail is? How do the two features differ, and how do you get the most out of CC in Gmail? This article Mona will walk you through CC and BCC in Gmail and show you how to use them properly.

What is CC?

CC in Gmail is the English abbreviation of Carbon Copy – in other words, it makes copies of an email. CC lets the sender send a “copy” of the email to someone other than the main recipient.

Specifically, when you use CC to send an email to several people at once, alongside the “To” field, everyone on the list can see what you sent, and you can keep track of who received it.

As communication between people, and between businesses and individuals, has moved from paper to email over the years, the need to send “copies” of emails has grown a lot. That is why CC was introduced.

What is BCC in Gmail?

BCC is an English term and an abbreviation of Blind Carbon Copy – a blind copy. The sender sends copies of an email to several people at once, and the recipients are not shown to each other, only to you. BCC is the best choice if you want to keep your recipient list private.

BCC vs. CC when sending email

BCC and CC in email are two very handy features for forwarding and sharing your messages. To use them well, you need to know how they are alike and how they differ.

What CC and BCC have in common

Both BCC and CC in Gmail are used to make copies of an email and send it to several recipients at once.

How BCC and CC differ

When you use CC, the CC list is shown to all the other recipients, so they can see who else received your email.

• Example: if you CC phan@example.com and lan@example.com, both Phan and Lan can see that the other also got the email.

BCC is the opposite: nobody except the sender can see the BCC recipient list.

• Example: if phan@example.com and lan@example.com are on your BCC list, neither of them will know the other received the email. BCC is typically used when you need to protect other people's identities. It also keeps the visible recipient list short, so the email stays shorter.

When should you use BCC or CC in Gmail?

When to use CC: CC works as a kind of etiquette in email. Besides the direct recipients, the CC field is for people who need to know what the email says but are not directly involved. If you are CC'd on an email, you don't need to reply or take any action.

BCC is different from CC and suits many other situations. Use BCC when you send an email to a large number of recipients and don't want to share everyone's addresses. It also works when you want to send person C information you are discussing with person B, without B knowing. 

How to use CC in Gmail effectively

Now that you know what CC in Gmail is, here is how to use it:

Step 1: Open Gmail and sign in to your account

Step 2: Click Compose, and a new message window opens

Step 3: Enter the recipient's email address in the recipient field

Step 4: Choose To and CC, or “BCC”, then enter the email addresses you want to send to

Step 5: Attach files, format the text, insert links and so on. You can also add emoji or images to make the email more lively.

Step 6: Check the content and the recipient addresses, then click “Send”

Common questions about CC in Gmail

When using BCC or CC you may run into a few questions. Now that you know what CC and BCC are in Gmail, these are the questions we get most often about them.

Can I use BCC and CC at the same time?

Yes. You can use both when sending an email. The addresses in the CC field are visible to everyone, while the BCC recipient list stays fully private.

Can I email many people without using BCC or CC?

If you want to email many people, but the default is CC and you don't want recipients to see each other, copy the email and send it to each person separately.

As you can see, Email has long been one of the core tools of communication. The question What is CC comes from there too. We hope this article helped you understand what CC is and how it differs from BCC. 

We hope this information helps you use the tool with more confidence. Writing a good email is not simple, so start with the basic features and work up to the advanced ones. And feel free to contact MONA Media to hear “the full story” on our services and to get an Email Marketing quote using HOTLINE 1900 636 648!