Summary

This article covers the essential email actions every user needs — composing a new message, replying, forwarding, using CC and BCC, formatting text, and managing your inbox in Outlook.

In this guide

• 1. Compose and Send a New Email
• 2. Reply to an Email
• 3. Reply All — Use With Caution
• 4. Forward an Email
• 5. Use CC and BCC
• 6. Format Your Email
• 7. Manage Your Inbox

Before You Start

• Microsoft 365 account with Outlook access.
• Outlook desktop app or access to Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com).

Instructions

1. Compose and Send a New Email

Create a new message from scratch.

1. Open Outlook and click New Email (desktop) or New message (web).
2. In the To field, type the recipient's email address. Outlook suggests matches as you type — click a name to select it.
3. To add multiple recipients, type a semicolon (;) or comma after each address, then type the next one.
4. Click the Subject line and type a brief, descriptive subject (e.g., Meeting agenda for Monday).
5. Click in the message body and type your message.
6. Click Send.

Verification: Open your Sent Items folder in the left panel. Your message sits at the top of the list with the correct recipient and subject.

2. Reply to an Email

Respond directly to the person who sent you a message.

1. Open the email you want to respond to.
2. Click Reply in the toolbar (or at the top of the message).
3. Outlook creates a response addressed only to the original sender. The original message appears below your cursor as a quote.
4. Type your response above the quoted text.
5. Click Send.

Note: Reply keeps the conversation between you and the sender. The subject line is prefixed with RE: automatically.

3. Reply All — Use With Caution

Respond to the sender and everyone else who was on the original email (all To and CC recipients).

1. Open the email.
2. Click Reply All in the toolbar.
3. Review the To and CC fields carefully before typing — every person listed will receive your response.
4. Type your response and click Send.

WARNING

Reply All is the #1 source of accidental email embarrassment. Before clicking Reply All, ask yourself: "Does everyone on this thread need to see my response?" If you only need to answer the sender, use Reply instead. Be especially careful with distribution lists or company-wide emails — a Reply All to "All Staff" goes to every person in the organization.

When to Use Reply All

• A group discussion where everyone needs to stay informed.
• A meeting coordinator asked a question to the group and everyone should see answers.
• You are providing information that benefits all recipients.

When NOT to Use Reply All

• You are saying "Thanks!" or "Got it" — only the sender needs that.
• The original email went to a large distribution list.
• Your response contains information meant only for the sender.

If you keep hitting Reply All by reflex, change which button Outlook puts under your cursor first — How to Change the Default Reply Behavior in Outlook covers that setting, along with warning prompts and how to control the quoted text below your reply.

4. Forward an Email

Send a copy of an email you received to someone who was not on the original message.

1. Open the email you want to share.
2. Click Forward in the toolbar.
3. In the To field, enter the new recipient's email address.
4. Add context above the forwarded message — explain why you are sharing it (e.g., Hi Alex, see the update below from the vendor regarding our order.).
5. Click Send.

Note: The subject line is prefixed with FW: so the recipient knows this is a forwarded message. All original attachments are included by default.

5. Use CC and BCC

CC and BCC let you include additional recipients beyond the main To field.

CC vs BCC at a Glance

Field	Who goes here	Who can see them	Does Reply All go to them
To	The people you are writing to	Every recipient	Yes
Cc	People you are keeping informed	Every recipient	Yes
Bcc	People you are copying privately	Only you, the sender	No

CC (Carbon Copy)

• What it means: The CC'd person receives a copy of the email and everyone on the thread can see they were included.
• When to use it: To keep someone informed without expecting them to take action. For example, CC your manager on a client update so they stay in the loop.

BCC (Blind Carbon Copy)

• What it means: The BCC'd person receives a copy, and their address never appears on anyone else's version of the message.
• They cannot see each other either. Everyone on the Bcc line gets their own copy and sees no other address from that line.
• Only you can see the full list, by opening the message afterwards in Sent Items.
• Nobody on To or Cc can tell BCC was used. There is no marker on their copy.

What Happens When a BCC'd Person Clicks Reply All

A BCC'd recipient can still see the To and Cc lines on their own copy, so Reply All is live for them. This is the part that makes BCC risky, and there are two possible outcomes:

• The reply reaches the sender and everyone on the To and Cc lines. Their address arrives as the sender of that reply, which tells the entire thread they were holding a copy nobody knew about.
• The reply reaches only the original sender, because their copy was delivered with the other recipients stripped out.

Which one you get depends on how the mail system delivered that copy. You cannot control it, and you find out only after the reply has gone. A BCC'd person can also forward the message to anyone. Treat BCC as hidden from view, never as guaranteed private — if a message would cause damage in the wrong hands, BCC is not the control that protects it.

When BCC Is the Right Tool

• A one-off message to people who do not know each other. An external mailing list, a client announcement, a group of job applicants. Putting those addresses on the To line publishes every one of them to every recipient.
• Not for a list of any real size. Past a couple of dozen addresses, BCC stops being the right tool: you keep no record of who is on the list, you cannot remove one person from the next send, and you retype the whole thing every time. Build the list once instead — How to Create a Contact Group (Distribution List) in Outlook covers the reusable version, and How to Mail Merge from Excel to Word covers sending each person their own individually addressed copy.

Moving Someone to BCC When You Drop Them From a Thread

When a thread no longer needs someone — the colleague who made the introduction, the manager who approved the work — move them to Bcc on your next reply and say so in the message.

1. Click Reply All.
2. Move that person's address out of To or Cc and into the Bcc field. Removing a name from To or Cc changes this reply only; every message already in their inbox stays there.
3. Open your message with a line naming what you did, such as Moving Priya to BCC to spare her inbox — thanks for the introduction.
4. Click Send.

They receive this one message, see that the thread is moving on without them, and stop getting the rest. Saying it out loud is the whole point: a name that vanishes from a thread with no explanation reads as something else entirely.

How to Add CC or BCC

The Cc field is on screen by default. Bcc is hidden until you turn it on, and the switch sits in a different place in each version of Outlook.

1. Start a new message, or click Reply, Reply All, or Forward.
2. Turn on the Bcc field for your version:
   • Classic Outlook for Windows: If the message opened in its own window, click the Options tab, then click Bcc. If you are composing in the Reading Pane, click Bcc on the ribbon.
   • New Outlook for Windows: Click Options, then Show fields, then Show Bcc.
   • Outlook on the web: Click Bcc at the right-hand end of the To line.
3. Confirm the Bcc row is now visible below Cc, then type the recipient's email address into the field you want.
4. Read the To, Cc, and Bcc rows once more before sending. An address typed into the wrong row is the mistake this entire section exists to prevent, and Send is the point of no return.
5. Click Send.

Verification: Open the message in Sent Items and check the Bcc line. It shows the hidden recipients to you, and to nobody else.

6. Format Your Email

Use basic formatting to make emails clear and professional.

1. Select the text you want to format in the message body.
2. Use the formatting toolbar to apply:
   • Bold (Ctrl + B) — for emphasis on key words or deadlines.
   • Italic (Ctrl + I) — for titles or secondary emphasis.
   • Bulleted list — for listing items that have no specific order.
   • Numbered list — for step-by-step instructions or ranked items.
   • Hyperlink (Ctrl + K) — select text, press Ctrl + K, paste a URL, and click OK. The text becomes a clickable link.
3. Change font size or colour sparingly — stick to the default font for professional communication.

Tip: Keep emails concise. Use short paragraphs (2–3 sentences) and bullet points to improve readability. A wall of text is harder to act on than a structured message.

7. Manage Your Inbox

Mark messages read or unread, flag them for follow-up, move them into folders, and find old ones with the Search bar at the top of Outlook.

Mark as Read or Unread

• Right-click an email and select Mark as Read or Mark as Unread.
• Use Mark as Unread on emails you have opened but still need to act on — they will appear bold again as a visual reminder.

Flag for Follow-Up

• Click the flag icon on the right side of an email (or right-click > Follow Up > choose a date).
• Flagged emails appear in your To-Do list and as reminders.

Delete and Archive

• Select an email and press Delete (or click the trash can icon) to move it to Deleted Items.
• To permanently free space, periodically empty Deleted Items: right-click the folder and select Empty folder.

Move to a Folder

• Drag and drop an email to a folder in the left panel, or right-click > Move > select a folder.
• Create new folders by right-clicking Inbox > New folder.

Search for Emails

• Click the Search bar at the top of Outlook and type a keyword, sender name, or subject.
• Use filters (From, Has attachments, Date) to narrow results.

Verification: Your inbox is organized — important items are flagged, dealt-with emails are filed or deleted, and you can find any past message using search.

Troubleshooting

TIP

If you accidentally send an email to the wrong person or group, you may be able to recall it. See How to Recall or Replace a Sent Email in Outlook — but act quickly, as recall only works under specific conditions.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Email stuck in Outbox and not sending	Large attachment or no network connection	Check your internet connection. If the attachment is too large, delete the email from Outbox and resend using a OneDrive link. See How to Manage Email Attachments.
Accidentally used Reply All to a large group	Reply All instead of Reply	Send a brief follow-up apology if needed. In the future, pause and check the To/CC fields before clicking Send.
Cannot find an email you sent	Looking in the wrong folder	Check Sent Items. If using Focused Inbox, also check the Other tab.
Formatting looks different for the recipient	Recipient uses a different email client	Stick to standard fonts (Calibri, Arial) and avoid complex formatting. Send important formatted content as a PDF attachment.
BCC field is not visible	Field is hidden until switched on	Classic Outlook: Options > Bcc (or Bcc on the ribbon when composing in the Reading Pane). New Outlook: Options > Show fields > Show Bcc. Outlook on the web: Bcc at the right-hand end of the To line.
Someone you BCC'd replied to the whole thread	Reply All is still available on their copy	Nothing recalls a reply already delivered. Say in the thread that you copied them in and why, rather than letting it look concealed — and for anything you need kept off a thread, send a separate message instead of using BCC.
You need a list of 30+ external addresses kept private	BCC used as a mailing list	Build the list once as a contact group, or send individually addressed copies with a mail merge. See How to Create a Contact Group (Distribution List) in Outlook.

Related Articles

• How to Manage Email Attachments and Send Large Files in Outlook
• How to Create an Email Signature in Outlook
• How to Create Email Rules in Outlook
• How to Use Focused Inbox in Outlook
• How to Recall or Replace a Sent Email in Outlook
• How to Change the Default Reply Behavior in Outlook
• How to Clean Up Email Conversations in Outlook
• How to Create a Contact Group (Distribution List) in Outlook
• Understanding Distribution Lists, Microsoft 365 Groups, and Shared Mailboxes
• Understanding Outlook Versions — Classic vs. New vs. Web

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