Need to copy someone on an email without revealing their address or name? Want to archive an email at another email address? Blind carbon-copy (BCC) recipients have many uses. Find out here how to add BCC recipients in Outlook for Mac (and find out who you sent a BCC copy after the fact).
First, a Friend of Alexander Graham Bell Walks in for an Interview
at the Associated Press circa 1870. Lebbeus H. Rogers, an inventor himself and interviewed about a promotional balloon flight, notices curious black paper that lets the journalists write (with a metal stylus) once and get two copies.
For some forty years, an early form of carbon paper had been in use at the Associated Press exclusively. Rogers saw the potential, set out to change that, and went on to found the eponymous company.
This is but one glimpse at the rich and long history of carbon-copying. Today, you can be part of that history, too, carbon-copying blindly in Outlook even:
How to Add BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) Email Recipients in Outlook for Mac
Using Windows? Where Is BCC in Outlook? How to Add BCC Recipients in Outlook for Windows
Time needed: 1 minute.
To add a BCC recipient in Outlook for Mac so they will receive a copy of the email but not appear as a recipient to anybody:
- Open the Options tab of the ribbon when you write an email in Outlook for Mac.
Tip: Click Options if you are already on that tab and it is currently compressed.
- Click Bcc so is is enabled.
Showing Bcc: If you do see a Bcc: field among the header fields, Bcc is enabled.
- Now enter the desired BCC recipient in the Bcc: field.
- Continue composing your email.
Using “New” Outlook
To add a BCC recipient to an email using “New” Outlook for Mac:
- Click Bcc in the To: line.
- Enter the BCC recipient in the Bcc: line.
How to Add BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) Email Recipients in Outlook for Mac: FAQ
Can I always show the Bcc: field?
Yes.
While there is no specific setting for the Bcc: field, Outlook for Mac will remember your choice. Once enabled, the Bcc: field stays visible until you disable it.
Can I automatically BCC an address on every email?
No.
(While you can set up a rule that automatically forwards outgoing messages to a particular email address, I have not found this to work reliably.)
Can I mass-BCC a list of recipients in Outlook for Mac?
Yes.
You can set up a distribution list in Outlook for Mac and send a newsletter or other group email easily.
How do I see BCC recipients in sent email in Outlook for Mac?
To find out who you BCC-ed on an email in Outlook for Mac:
- Go to the Sent folder.
- Open the message you sent with Bcc recipients.
Here’s where: You can open the message in the reading pane or its own window. - Find the recipients who got blind carbon copies under Bcc: in the header area.
See all: If the Bcc recipients do not fit, click +__ more to expand the list.
Which address: Click any recipient to reveal the address (or addresses) behind the name.
Full list in plain text: To get the full list of Bcc recipients in plain text, click on the message with the right mouse button in the message list and select View Source from the context menu, then find the recipients in the first line from the top starting with Bcc:.
(How to add BCC tested with Microsoft Outlook for Mac 16; updated October 2022)