How to Add BCC in Outlook: A Complete Guide

If you've ever sent an email to a large group and wanted to protect everyone's privacy — or quietly loop in a colleague without the main recipients knowing — BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) is the feature you need. Outlook supports BCC across all its versions, but finding and using it isn't always obvious, especially since the field is hidden by default in most views.

What BCC Actually Does

When you add someone to the To or CC field, every recipient can see those addresses. BCC works differently: recipients added to the BCC field receive the email, but their address is invisible to everyone else on the thread — including other BCC recipients.

This matters in several real-world situations:

• Mass emails where you don't want to expose a full mailing list
• Privacy-conscious forwarding when looping in a manager or legal contact discreetly
• Newsletter-style sends where recipients shouldn't see each other's contact information

One important behavior to understand: if a BCC recipient hits Reply All, their reply goes only to the original sender — not to the full thread. Their address remains hidden throughout.

How to Add BCC in Outlook on Desktop (Windows & Mac)

Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365 / Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021)

1. Open a New Email window.
2. Click the Options tab in the ribbon at the top.
3. Select BCC in the "Show Fields" group — this makes the BCC field appear in your compose window.
4. Once visible, click inside the BCC field and type the recipient's email address, or use the BCC button to search your address book.

The BCC field will remain visible for future emails in the same session. In some versions, it persists permanently once enabled. If it disappears after restarting Outlook, repeat the Options → BCC step.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open a New Email window.
2. Go to Options in the top menu bar (not the ribbon tab — on Mac this appears differently).
3. Click BCC Field to toggle it on.

Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut ⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + B to reveal the BCC field instantly in the compose window.

How to Add BCC in Outlook on the Web (OWA)

Outlook on the Web (outlook.com or your organization's webmail) handles BCC slightly differently:

1. Click New Mail to open a compose window.
2. In the To field area, look for a small link that says BCC — it typically appears to the right of the To field or below it, depending on your interface version.
3. Click it, and the BCC field expands below the CC line.
4. Type or search for recipients as usual.

Some organizational Microsoft 365 accounts display this link more prominently; personal outlook.com accounts may tuck it behind a subtle text link. If you don't see it immediately, look for a "..." (more options) menu near the address fields.

How to Add BCC in the Outlook Mobile App (iOS & Android)

The mobile app buries the BCC field a bit deeper:

1. Tap the compose icon to start a new email.
2. Tap on the To field — this expands the address area.
3. A CC/BCC option should appear below the To field. Tap it.
4. This reveals separate CC and BCC fields where you can add recipients.

📱 On older versions of the app, you may need to tap a small arrow or chevron next to the To field to expose the CC/BCC options.

Key Differences by Outlook Version

A Few Things Worth Knowing 📧

BCC doesn't guarantee secrecy in all contexts. Some email servers and compliance systems log all recipients regardless of BCC status. In corporate environments, IT administrators may have visibility into BCC usage through mail flow rules or journaling.

Replying to a BCC email — if you're the BCC recipient and you hit Reply, your response goes only to the original sender. Hitting Reply All does the same. You won't accidentally expose yourself by replying normally.

BCC and email etiquette — Using BCC to secretly monitor conversations in ongoing threads (by forwarding replies to a hidden observer) is generally considered a breach of professional trust. The feature is intended for privacy protection, not surveillance of active exchanges.

Variables That Affect Your Experience

How straightforward the BCC process feels depends on a few factors specific to your setup:

• Which version of Outlook you're running — The ribbon layout, menu locations, and available keyboard shortcuts differ meaningfully between Outlook 2016, 2019, Microsoft 365, the web app, and mobile.
• Whether your account is personal or organizational — Corporate Microsoft 365 accounts may have customized interfaces, and some organizations restrict or log BCC usage at the server level.
• Your operating system — The Mac version of Outlook has historically lagged behind Windows in UI consistency, and menu placements differ.
• How frequently you compose new emails vs. reply — BCC is only available when composing a new email or forwarding. It doesn't appear in standard reply windows, which surprises many users expecting to find it there.

The steps are consistent in principle across versions, but the exact location of the BCC toggle — whether it's a ribbon button, a menu item, a keyboard shortcut, or a hidden link — shifts enough between platforms that your specific version and account type will shape how quickly you find it and whether it stays visible between sessions.