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We’ve all been there — your finger’s hovering over “Send,” and you hesitate: should this person go in the “To” field or “CC”?
The CC field (short for Carbon Copy) may look harmless, but how you use it can seriously shape how your message is received.
In this article, you’ll learn how to use the CC field in Gmail the right way — both technically and relationally.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Understand the difference between “To,” “CC,” and “BCC” — and what each one really means.
Learn how to add CCs in Gmail, on desktop and mobile.
Know when to use — or not use — CC in a professional context.
Avoid a common mistake: using CC or BCC in a Gmail mail merge (and why that’s a bad idea).
What Is the CC Field in Gmail?
To really understand CC, you first need to understand the other fields. When you send an email, you can add recipients in three different fields: To, CC, and BCC.
📩 “To”.
This is the main recipient field.
People listed here are the primary recipients of your message.
If the email is sent to multiple people, everyone can see who’s included in the “To” field.
👥 CC.
CC stands for Carbon Copy.
People in CC also receive the email — but they’re not the main audience. They’re secondary recipients, included for information only.
If the email goes to several people, everyone (those in “To” and “CC”) can see who’s been CC’d.
🕵️♀️ BCC.
BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy.
People in BCC also get the email, but no one knows they did.
BCC recipients can read the message, but they can’t see who else is BCC’d — or even that anyone is.
👉 We’ve written a full guide about BCC, so we won’t go into detail here.
Field | Who can see all recipients? | Typical use |
To | Everyone | Main recipient |
CC | Everyone | To inform others (visible copy) |
BCC | No one | To discreetly copy someone (hidden copy) |
How to CC Someone in Gmail
On Desktop
Method 1 — New Message
Open Gmail and click Compose.
In the new message window, click Cc (to the right of the “To” field).
The Cc field will appear — enter one or more email addresses.
Fill in the subject and your message, then click Send.
Method 2 — When Replying to an Email
Open the email you want to reply to.
Click Reply (or Reply all if you want to include all recipients).
In the recipient line (just above the “Subject” field), click on a recipient’s name or address — you’ll see options for Cc and Bcc appear on the right.
Click Cc — a new field will appear below “To.”
Enter one or more addresses you want to copy.
Write your message and click Send.
💡 Pro Tips
Multiple addresses: Separate them with a comma or press Enter after each one.
Move a recipient from “To” to “Cc”: Delete their address from the “To” field and retype it in “Cc” (or click their name “bubble” if the option to change appears).
On Mobile (Android or iOS)
The process is similar — the only difference is that the CC field isn’t visible by default.
Step 1 — Start a New Message.
Open the Gmail app on your phone.
Tap the red + or “Compose” button (usually in the bottom-right corner).
Step 2 — Show the CC and BCC Fields.
By default, you’ll only see the “To” field.
Tap the down arrow (˅) on the right side of the “To” field — this will reveal Cc and Bcc.
💡 On iPhone, you might see the text “Cc/Bcc” instead of the arrow — tap that to open the fields.
Step 3 — Add CC Addresses.
Type one or more addresses into the Cc field.
Step 4 — Finalize and Send.
Fill in the Subject and Body of your message.
Then tap the paper airplane icon (Send) in the top-right corner.
When to Use CC in an Email
We’ve all had that moment of doubt:
🤔 “Should I CC my manager, or will that look like I’m tattling?”
🤔 “If I don’t CC the team, will people think I’m being secretive?”
Good Reasons to Use CC
✔️ Keep everyone aligned on a project.
Example: You’re emailing a teammate about a specific task, but you want the rest of the project team to stay in the loop on the discussion’s progress.
✔️ Protect yourself professionally.
Example: After several unanswered follow-ups, adding your manager in CC shows accountability and helps escalate the issue — without sounding confrontational.
✔️ Share information broadly (no reply needed).
Example: Sending a team-wide announcement, such as introducing a new hire or sharing an internal update.
When Not to Use CC
🚫 To “prove” you’re working.
This can come across as attention-seeking or micromanaging.
Example: CC’ing your manager on every minor email just to show you’re active.
🚫 To make a conflict public.
Including others in a tense exchange usually just escalates the situation.
Example: After a disagreement with a coworker, you CC their manager to “clarify” things — which can make the issue worse.
🚫 For messages containing confidential information.
Copying people who shouldn’t see sensitive data can lead to accidental disclosure.
Example: You CC a coworker on an email to HR or Finance that includes personal, salary, or budget details.
💡 Pro Tip: Sent an email by mistake? Check out our guide on How to Cancel an Email Sent in Gmail.
Expert Insight: Can You Use the CC Field in a Mail Merge?
Don’t Confuse Mail Merge with CC
Both might seem similar — you’re sending “the same message to multiple people” — but in reality, they work very differently.
Using CC
You send one single email to multiple people at the same time.
All recipients can see everyone else’s email address.
The content is identical for all recipients.
👉 Consequences:
No privacy — everyone sees who else got the message. And as you probably know, cold emailing regulations are strict.
No personalization — you can’t tailor your message to each person.
High risk of accidental “Reply all.”
Using Mail Merge
You send an individual email to each recipient.
Each person receives a separate message.
You can personalize the content for every recipient.
👉 Consequences:
More professional and respectful communication.
No email addresses leaked between recipients.
The message feels personal, even when sent in bulk.
💡 Want to go deeper? Check out these full guides:
Gmail Isn’t Designed for Mail Merge via CC/BCC
According to Google’s official documentation, Gmail’s built-in limits make it clear:
➡️ The CC and BCC fields aren’t available when using mail merge with a Google Sheet.
➡️ If you include a CC or BCC address in a mail merge, Gmail allows only one recipient per message — and that person will receive a copy of every individual email sent.
Example:
Let’s say you send a mail merge to 500 recipients and you add [email protected]
in BCC. That address will receive 500 copies of the same message 😱.
And worse — Gmail counts that as 1,000 total emails sent (500 to recipients + 500 to the BCC address).
This means you’ll hit your daily sending limit much faster.
💡Remember: Gmail’s mail merge limit is 1,500 emails per day.
👉 Want to go deeper into the technical side of Gmail + Google Sheets mail merge?
Check out this guide: How to Mail Merge from Google Sheets.
Use Mail Merge for Gmail to Send Bulk Emails Safely (and Still Use CC)
The best solution is to use a dedicated (and free) tool like Mail Merge for Gmail.
Unlike Gmail’s built-in mail merge, this add-on works differently:
it creates one separate email per row in your Google Sheet.
Each row = one unique email, with its own To, CC, and BCC fields.
👉 For example, you can set up your sheet like this:
This generates a single email (not three!) sent to Julie — with her manager CC’d and HR in BCC.
Conclusion
We hope this deep dive into Gmail’s CC field helped you understand not just how to use it — but when and why it matters.
And don’t forget: you can take the CC feature to the next level with Mail Merge for Gmail.
Check out the full documentation and try it for yourself — it’s free and commitment-free.
You’ll quickly see why it’s the best mail merge extension for Google Sheets — no long pitch needed!
Any Questions ?
How do I add a CC on Gmail?
Open Gmail, click “Compose,” then click “Cc” on the right of the “To” field.
Enter the address you want to copy, write your message, and click Send.
How do I CC someone into an email?
Click “Reply” or “Compose,” then select “Cc” next to the “To” field.
Type the address of the person you want to copy, and send your email.
How to CC in Gmail if already sent?
You can’t add a CC after sending an email.
The only option is to forward the message to the person you wanted to include.
How to add CC in Gmail on iPhone?
Open the Gmail app on your iPhone.
Tap Compose (+), then tap “Cc/Bcc” next to the “To” field.
Enter the CC address and tap Send.