MergelineHow do I send a mass email in Gmail without showing other recipients’ addresses?
Updated October 29, 2026
You have two choices. Put everyone in Bcc and your own address in To, which hides the list but sends one generic email. Or use mail merge, which sends each person a separate email with only their address on it, so there is nothing to hide. Mail merge is safer for clients, parents or donors because one slip into the To field cannot expose the whole list.
Option 1: Bcc
- Write your email.
- Put your own address in To.
- Add everyone else in Bcc.
- Check the To and Cc fields twice, then send.
Bcc is quick, but it has real weak spots. The email has to open with “Hi all” or no greeting. If someone types a single address into To or Cc by mistake, everyone sees it. And a standard Gmail account stops you at 500 recipients in one email.
Option 2: mail merge, no Bcc at all
Mail merge sends one email per person. Each copy is addressed to that person only, so there are no other addresses on it to leak. It can also use their name, company or any other detail from your list.
- Put your list in a sheet, CSV file or paste it into Mergeline.
- Write one email with tags like {{FirstName|there}}.
- Preview a few people, then send. Mergeline spaces the emails out and stops for anyone who replies if you add follow-ups.
Which to pick
| Bcc | Mail merge | |
|---|---|---|
| Addresses hidden | Yes, if nobody slips | Yes, always |
| Personal greeting | No | Yes |
| Replies | One thread for you | One thread per person |
| Follow-ups | Manual | Automatic with some tools |
For a one-off notice to a small group, Bcc is fine. For anything you send often or to people outside your company, use mail merge. More detail in mail merge vs Bcc.
A common Bcc slip
The classic mistake is a reply-all from someone who was in To by accident, which sends their answer to the whole group. Another is forwarding a Bcc email that still shows other people in To or Cc. With mail merge there is only ever one person on each email, so neither can happen.
Read the full guide: Individual emails without Bcc
Related answers
Sources
- Google: Gmail sending limits
- r/GMail: sending one message to multiple recipients
- r/Emailmarketing: emailing 200 clients
Facts checked October 29, 2026. Google and other vendors change their limits and prices, so check the source before you rely on a number.
Mergeline does this from your own Gmail. Free for 60 emails a day with merge tags and no branding. Pro is $12 a month or $99 a year for follow-ups, scheduling and attachments.