What Do CC and BCC Mean?

It seems obvious:  when you are sending an email to multiple people, you list them on the "To" line.  While this is the most common way to email multiple people, you actually have two other options: CC and BCC.

CC stands for "Carbon Copy".  (I have also heard it referred to as "Courtesy Copy" or "Copy Circulated" .)  Carbon Copy goes back to the days of typewriters, when a typist would insert a carbon sheet in between two pieces of paper to create a duplicate letter that could be saved or sent to a second person.  Now, it is usually reserved to list people who are being informed of the email exchange but do not need to reply or get involved in the conversation.  It can also be used when you reach the limit on the number of names in the "To" list.

BCC stands for "Blind Carbon Copy" (or "Blind Courtesy Copy" and "Blind Copy Circulated").  Addresses on the BCC line cannot be seen by recipients on the To or CC line.  The BCC line is commonly used to keep email addresses on a list private when a user is not using mailing list software.

Web-based email software used to include a "To" line, a "CC" line, and a "BCC" line in the Compose window.  However, most software now only includes the To line and includes links to add a CC or BCC line.  Yahoo's email even requires you to add a CC before you have a BCC option.  If you don't see these options by default, look for a link to add them.