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How to View Bcc Recipients in Sent Outlook Emails
Question details
The user needs to find and view the Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy) recipients for an older email they previously sent.
- Product
- Microsoft Outlook
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Checking the recipient details of a past message stored in the Sent Items folder.
- Observed behavior
- The user wants to verify who was Bcc'd on a sent email and is unsure if changing toolbar options is required to reveal this hidden field.
Ensure you are viewing an email from your Sent Items folder that you originally authored. You can only view Bcc recipients on emails sent from your own account.
Check the Message Header in the Sent Items Folder
This is the primary method to quickly view the hidden recipients of an email you have already sent.
When you send an email with Bcc recipients, Outlook automatically saves a record of these hidden contacts in your Sent Items folder. You do not always need to enable special settings to see this information if it was included at the time of sending.
Open Outlook and click on the 'Sent Items' folder located in your left-hand folder navigation pane.
Scroll through your sent messages and double-click the email you want to inspect to open it in a new window.
Look at the message header section at the top of the email body. If you added Bcc recipients when originally sending the message, their email addresses will be clearly listed in the 'Bcc' line below the 'To' and 'Cc' lines.
Enable the Bcc Field from the Options Menu
If you are using classic Outlook and cannot see the Bcc field in the message header, you may need to enable it from the top ribbon.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't the Bcc field showing in my sent email?
If no Bcc recipients were added when the email was originally sent, the Bcc field will not display in the message header of the sent item. Enabling the Bcc field will not reveal recipients who were not originally included.
Can the recipients see who I put in the Bcc field?
No. By design, Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy) hides the email addresses from all other recipients of the email. Only the sender can view the Bcc list by checking their Sent Items folder.
How do I turn on the Bcc box when composing a new email in Outlook?
When composing a new message, navigate to the Options tab on the top ribbon and select Bcc in the Show Fields group. This will reveal the Bcc field for the current email and keep it enabled for all future emails.
Do menu locations for the Bcc field differ across Outlook versions?
Yes. While classic Outlook for Windows uses the Options tab, Outlook on the web and Outlook for Mac may have the Bcc toggle located under different tabs or hidden behind an overflow menu (three dots) in the composer.
