Reply vs reply all: which one should you use?
Reply goes to one person. Reply all goes to everyone. Picking the wrong one is one of the most common email mistakes at work.
Quick answer
Reply sends your answer only to the person who sent the email. Reply all sends it to the sender and everyone in the To and CC fields. Use Reply all only when everyone on the thread needs your answer, such as a decision or an update the whole group is waiting for. People in BCC never receive your reply.
The difference
| Reply | Reply all | |
|---|---|---|
| Goes to | The sender only | The sender plus everyone in To and CC |
| BCC recipients | Not included | Not included |
| Use for | Thanks, questions, private comments | Updates or decisions the whole group needs |
When to use reply all
- The group needs your answer to move forward.
- You are sharing information that changes everyone's plans.
- The sender asked everyone to respond to the group.
When not to
- "Thanks!" or "Got it." Reply to the sender only.
- Unsubscribe requests on a large list.
- Personal or sensitive comments about anyone on the thread.
- When you were BCC'd: replying all reveals you received it.
Avoid reply-all mistakes
- Check the To line before pressing Send.
- Set Reply as the default in Gmail: Settings → General → Default reply behavior.
- Turn on undo send so you have a few seconds to catch it. See how to unsend an email.
- Sending to many people? Put addresses in BCC, or send individually. See BCC for multiple recipients.
Questions people ask
- Does reply all include BCC recipients?
- No. BCC recipients are hidden and are never included in a reply all.
- If I am CC'd, should I reply all?
- Only if the whole group needs your answer. Otherwise reply to the sender.
- Is it rude to reply all?
- Not when everyone needs the information. It becomes a problem when a reply that matters to one person goes to a large group.
- Can I change the default from reply all to reply?
- Yes. In Gmail, go to Settings, General, Default reply behavior. In Outlook, check the default reply setting in your mail options.
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