How to CC in Gmail

When sending an email to multiple people, in addition to the "To" field, you also have the "CC" field, which stands for "carbon copy."

The term carbon copy refers to the carbon paper once used to duplicate documents.

Let’s explore all the nuances of the CC field together.

What is CC in Gmail ?

When using the "To" or "CC" fields, the subject, content, and attachments are the same for everyone and visible to all recipients.

❓So, what’s the purpose of the CC field? It’s all about the intended use.
The "To" field is for primary recipients—those expected to take action or respond to your email.

On the other hand, the CC field is for secondary recipients—those who need to be informed of the conversation but don’t need to participate.

How to CC Someone in Gmail

How to CC on Gmail App

It’s quick and easy:

Log in to your Gmail account and click the "Compose" button.
In the "To" field, enter the email addresses of your primary recipients, separated by commas or by pressing "Enter."
Click the "CC" button to open the CC field, then enter the email addresses of your secondary recipients.
Fill in the "Subject" line, write your message, and click "Send."

💡Did you know? What do recipients see? Email addresses in the "To" and "CC" fields are visible to everyone. To maintain confidentiality, use the BCC field. Recipients in the BCC field are invisible to all other recipients, including others in BCC.

How to CC in Gmail Mobile

The process is similar, with one small difference: you won’t see the CC field immediately.

Open the Gmail app and tap the "Compose" button.
In the "To" field, enter the email addresses of your primary recipients.
Tap the small downward arrow to the right of the "To" field. The CC field will appear. Enter the email addresses of your secondary recipients.
Fill in the "Subject" line, write your message, and tap the arrow in the top-right corner to send.
This applies whether you’re using an Android or iPhone device since the app interface is the same.

When to Use CC in Email

CC allows you to include secondary recipients in an email for transparent communication.

✅Sharing project updates
Example: You’re working on a group project. You need to discuss a specific point with one colleague but want all other team members to stay informed.

✅Protecting yourself
Example: After repeatedly asking someone for documents with no success, you can send a final reminder with your manager in CC. This shows you’ve done your part and alerts your manager to the situation.

✅Presentations and updates
Example: A new colleague joins the company. Management sends a welcome email with the department head in the "To" field and all employees in CC to keep everyone informed.

And when NOT to use CC in an email:

❌Including unrelated people
Example: Adding supervisors who have no connection to the project, "just for info." This could be seen as spam or a waste of time.

❌Exposing conflicts or disagreements
Example: Adding third parties (especially higher-ups) in CC during a disagreement could be perceived as confrontational.

❌Sharing confidential conversations
Example: CCing colleagues or other departments in sensitive discussions about finances or internal negotiations.

💡Note: Sent an email by mistake? Learn how to cancel an email sent in Gmail.

Expert Insight: How to CC in a Mail Merge Using Gmail

Here are three challenges with mail merge:

Recipient limits: According to Google’s documentation, Gmail limits you to 2,000 emails per day and only 1,500 for mail merges.
Manual entry: Even within limits, manually adding recipients to the CC field is time-consuming and prone to errors.
Lack of personalization: Customizing each email would take far too long.

For these reasons, specialized (and free) tools like Mail Merge are a much better option.

Conclusion

We hope this deep dive into the CC field in Gmail has been helpful.

And remember, you can significantly enhance the CC function with Mail Merge. It’s an essential feature when sending emails to multiple recipients.

Try it—it’s free and commitment-free. You’ll see for yourself that it’s the best mail merge extension for Google Sheets. No long explanations needed!