How to CC in Gmail (On Desktop, Android or iPhone)

Want to send an email to multiple recipients? Then you might want to use Gmail’s CC and BCC features. What does CC mean? And when should CC someone instead of writing an email to them directly? In this quick tutorial, we’ll show you how to CC in Gmail. And more.

When you log in to your Gmail account and start composing a new message, Google gives you 3 options. You can either add the email addresses of your recipients:

• In the To field
• In the CC field
• Or in the BCC field

In all 3 cases, the end result will be the same. Your recipients will receive your email whether you sent it using the To, CC or BCC field.

But then… Why did Gmail even bother adding the CC and BCC fields? And why are all the major email providers (Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail…) using them as well?

Short answer: these fields are not the same. And their use depends on what we call email etiquette.

Email etiquette is a set of social guidelines that dictates what’s appropriate (or not) when you’re sending a message to your boss, a colleague or a customer.

To vs CC vs BCC

OK. But what does email etiquette actually tell you? And in which situation should you use the To, CC or BCC? Let’s break it down.

The To field

The To field is for the primary recipient(s) of your message. Use it to address the people who are expected to take action in response to your message. You should include the names of those people in your greeting.

The CC field

CC stands for Carbon Copy. Use CC when you want your recipients to receive a copy of the original email. People often confuse the To and CC fields. Because there’s almost no difference between the two.

The CC field is meant for the secondary recipient(s) of your email. You want to keep these people in the loop. But you don’t expect them to take action or to reply.

The main issue with sending CC emails to multiple people… is that each recipient can see the email addresses of the other recipients.

This is fine if you want to share information with a group of people who know each other. However, the CC feature is not suitable if you want to send your email to multiple customers.

The BCC field

Enters the BCC field. As in Blind Carbon Copy. This feature works the same as the CC field. Except that your recipients won’t be able to see the name nor the email address of the other recipients.

The BCC feature is used when you want to email multiple recipients. Without them knowing who else received a copy of that email.

This is a convenient way to protect the privacy of your recipients. Especially when you want to send an email to a list of people who don’t know each other.

But the BCC feature isn’t perfect either. People can see they’re part of a bigger mailing list. They just don’t know who else is in that list. And some people may find it rude or unprofessional.

More on that later!

How to CC in Gmail

Want to add CC recipients to your email? Here’s how you can use the CC feature in Gmail. Whether it’s on Desktop, Android or iPhone.

On Desktop

CC is super useful to keep someone in the loop. Here’s a video we made to show you how to CC your recipient(s) from your computer (Mac or PC) in less than 1 minute.

Here’s the 6-step process you’ll need to follow to CC someone in Gmail:

1. Open Gmail. And log in to your account.

2. Click the Compose button to create a new email.

   

3. Write the body of your email. Add a subject line. Your signature (if you have one). And the email address of your primary recipient in the To field.

   

   Bonus Tip: You can add multiple primary recipients. Simply type each email address and separate them with a comma, space or press enter.

4. Click anywhere inside the To field. A small CC label will appear (on the right). Click on that label to add a CC field to your email.

   

5. You can now add the email address of your secondary recipient in the CC field.

   

   Want to CC more than one person? Gmail lets you add multiple secondary recipients. The process is the same as with the To field. Type each email address. And separate them with a comma, space or press enter.

6. Once you’re happy with your email, press Send.

   

Congratulations 🥳

You’ve just learned how to add CC in Gmail and how to send an email to multiple recipients. Use this feature to keep your colleagues (or your close ones) in the loop.

How to CC on your phone (Android & iOS)

Find below our step-by-step guides to CC recipients in Gmail from your phone:

How to send mass emails with CC or BCC recipients

The Gmail CC feature has its limits. Adding manually each recipient in the CC field is a painstaking process.

And most importantly, you can’t send personalized emails. Meaning your recipients will receive a generic message, in which their name isn’t even mentioned.

For most people, this is a no go. And many of your recipients might end up deleting your email. Or marking it as spam.

You can avoid this by using an email platform or a mail merge tool such as Mailmeteor to send mass personalized emails in Gmail. Here’s what it looks like.

Want to give us a try? Here’s how to CC someone in Mailmeteor. And send multiple personalized emails. All that in a snap.

Step 1: Create your free Mailmeteor account (if you don’t already have one).

Step 2: Create a new campaign.

Step 3: Click on the three vertical dots.

Step 4: Select the CC feature.

Step 4: Add the email addresses of your primary (To) and secondary (CC) recipients. Write your email. And a subject line. Then click Send emails.

With our free plan, you can send up to 50 emails per day. And add multiple CC recipients. All that in a snap.

Need to send more emails? Then check out our Premium plans. And send up to 2,000 messages per day. Without breaking a sweat.

Frequently Asked Questions