What do CC and BCC mean, and what is the difference?

What does CC mean?

"CC" stands for "Carbon Copy." In the context of email, when you place someone in the CC field, that person receives a copy of the message, but the message is not primarily addressed to them. In other words, they are not the main recipient, but they are still kept informed about the contents of the message.

This can be useful when you want to keep others informed about the communication but do not necessarily expect them to take any action. For example, if you send an email to a colleague and place your manager in CC, you are giving your manager the opportunity to stay updated on the conversation without being directly involved.

What does BCC mean?

"BCC" stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." When you place someone in the BCC field, they receive a copy of the message, but the other recipients (in both the To and CC fields) cannot see that this person has received a copy. In other words, the recipient in the BCC field is "blind" to the other recipients.

BCC is often used when sending a message to multiple people but you want to keep their email addresses private from the other recipients. It's a way to respect the privacy of the recipients while still sending one message to multiple people.

Summary of the Differences

The main difference between CC (Carbon Copy) and BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) relates to visibility for other recipients of the message.

CC (Carbon Copy):

• When you place someone in the CC field, that person receives a copy of the message.
• All other recipients can see that this person has received a copy.
• The person in the CC field is informed but is not the main recipient.

BCC (Blind Carbon Copy):

• When you place someone in the BCC field, they also receive a copy of the message.
• The difference is that the other recipients (both in the To and CC fields) cannot see that this person has received a copy. They are "blind" to this information.
• BCC is often used to maintain the privacy of recipients, as their email addresses are not visible to other addressees.

In short: CC is used for informing others, while BCC is used to inform others while maintaining the privacy of individual recipients.