12 Nov 2021

Meaning of Cc and Bcc in emails

Have you ever wondered what is happening with your message that is sent to recipients in CC and BCC fields? What even is the meaning of Cc and Bcc in email? We are going to take a deeper look at yet another useful function of today’s mail clients.

Cc and Bcc in emails

What does Cc mean?

Back in the old days, long before any electronic communication, people had usually written their letters by hand. And various types of materials were used to write on too. Somewhere around the early 1800s a special type of paper was invented. This paper was coated with pigment. When you put such a paper between two regular ones and start writing, the pigment will mechanically imprint on the bottom list. The idea to put a thin carbon layer on a paper to make copies of it gave birth to the term “carbon copy” or Cc for short.

What does Cc mean in email?

What is Cc in email? Originally, the carbon copy meaning was just a copy for your safekeeping. However, when used strictly in terms of email communication, the meaning of carbon copy in email meaning has changed. It might be debatable, but when you address people in carbon copy, creating a cc email, it usually means they are not the recipients of the message. You do not really seek their opinion on the subject. The meaning of cc in email just is that you want to keep them informed about the situation.

What is Bcc in email?

“Blind carbon copy”, or Bcc for short in email communication has a similar use as Cc, but a much more specific one. You also inform recipient the about the situation that is being discussed, but email Bcc addresses that are added into Bcc field will not be visible to any other recipients. The use of this feature is obvious, to keep the recipients not knowing of each other.

Secret meaning of Cc and Bcc email

Sinister as it may sound, you can also use these features in a sort of a psychological way. Are you behind a schedule due to a colleague who is unwilling to cooperate? You may try to scold him via email and include his supervisor in Cc. Be wary though, such drastic measures should only be used when other means of communication fail. Think carefully and decide which one - cc vs bcc - is better to use in this specific case.

Using Cc and Bcc in eM Client

The feature is common between email providers, so we will dig deeper here and check what extras you can expect by using eM Client. Adding recipients in the Bcc and Cc box is simple. Open a new message and click on add Cc&Bcc in the right part of the address panel.

eM Client:  Task status selection via icon menu
eM Client: What is cc and bcc in email with example

The advanced feature called Auto Bcc allows you to add addresses of your choice to include in Bcc every time you write an email.

The users of PRO version of the application can also enjoy the function called Mass Mail. Which is actually the correct way to send emails to multiple addressees without knowing there are other recipients. To use this, you just need to add the email addresses into the To field, click onto the bottom facing arrow in send button and click on “Send as mass mail”.

Keep in mind, you may try the application for 30 days free of charge. There is nothing holding your curiosity back, should you want to learn more about the wide range of PRO features eM Client has to offer.

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    and more.

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