To show To and Cc labels in iPhone Mail, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Mail, and turn on Show To/Cc Labels. Your inbox then marks each message with a small gray To or Cc so you can tell at a glance whether an email was sent to you or you were only copied on it.
These steps are for iOS 27, iOS 26, and iOS 18, where app settings live under Settings > Apps. On iOS 17 and earlier, the same switch is at Settings > Mail. The setting works the same way on an iPad, and it applies to every account in Apple’s built-in Mail app, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud accounts. It doesn’t change the Gmail, Outlook, or other third-party email apps.
What the To and Cc Labels Tell You
The To line of an email lists the main recipients. The Cc line (carbon copy) lists people being kept informed. Bcc (blind carbon copy) addresses are hidden from everyone else.
With the setting on, Mail checks the To and Cc lines for your address and adds a label next to the sender’s name in the message list:
- To means your address was on the To line. The sender probably expects a reply or some action from you.
- Cc means you were copied. It’s often an FYI that can wait until you have time.
- No label means your address wasn’t on either line. That’s normal for newsletters, mailing lists, group aliases, and messages where you were Bcc’d.
When you’re the one sending from Gmail, you can CC someone in Gmail on a computer or in the Gmail app.
How to Turn On Show To/Cc Labels on iPhone
- Open the Settings app. It’s the gray gear icon on your Home Screen.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Apps. You’ll see an alphabetical list of the apps on your iPhone.
- Tap Mail. If you have a lot of apps, swipe down on the list and type “Mail” in the search field at the top.
- Scroll to the Message List section and turn on the Show To/Cc Labels switch. The switch turns green when it’s on.
- Open the Mail app and go to your inbox. Messages addressed to you now show a gray To label, and messages you were copied on show Cc.
There’s no save button; the labels appear as soon as you go back to Mail. To turn them off, repeat the steps and switch off Show To/Cc Labels. Nothing about your email changes either way; the switch only affects how the message list looks.
Other Settings on the Same Screen
The Message List section also holds Preview, which sets how many lines of each email you see in the inbox, and Swipe Options. If you’re tidying up how your inbox looks, you can also change Mail swipe options on iPhone.
Further down the same screen, Signature controls the line Mail adds to your emails. You can also remove Sent from my iPhone there. Mark Addresses turns addresses outside a domain you choose red while you write; if names on the To or Cc line appear in red, see why iPhone Mail marks email addresses red.
On iOS 17 or Earlier
If you don’t see Apps at the bottom of Settings, your iPhone is on an older version of iOS. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Mail, then turn on Show To/Cc Labels. On very old versions such as iOS 8 and iOS 9, the menu is called Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and the switch is named Show To/Cc Label.
On an iPad
The setting is in the same place on an iPad: Settings > Apps > Mail > Show To/Cc Labels on iPadOS 18 and later, or Settings > Mail on older versions. Apple’s Mail settings guide for iPad covers the other options on that screen.
Show Only Emails Sent or Copied to You
Labels help you spot direct emails, but you still have to scroll past everything else. Mail has two built-in ways to hide the rest.
Use the Filter Button
The filter limits the current mailbox to messages that match the rules you pick. Apple describes it in its Mail filtering guide for iPhone.
- Open Mail and go to the inbox or mailbox you want to filter. If your inbox is split into categories, tap the More button (three dots) at the top and choose List View first so you see every message.
- Tap the Filter button, the circle with three stacked lines in the toolbar at the bottom-left of the screen. The button turns blue and the list shows Filtered by: Unread, which is the starting filter.
- Tap Filtered by at the bottom of the screen. A list of filter options opens.
- Turn off Unread if you want to see read messages too, then select To: Me. Add Cc: Me if you also want messages you were copied on.
- Tap Done. The mailbox now shows only messages that match.
Tap the Filter button again to show everything. Mail remembers your choices for that mailbox, so the next time you tap the button you get the same filter back.
Add the To or Cc Mailbox
If you’d rather have a permanent shortcut, Mail has a built-in smart mailbox that collects every message with your address on the To or Cc line.
- In Mail, tap the back arrow at the top-left until you reach the Mailboxes list.
- Tap Edit at the top-right.
- Select To or Cc so a checkmark appears next to it. Drag it higher in the list if you want it near the top.
- Tap Done.
To or Cc now appears in your Mailboxes list. It pulls messages from all of your accounts, so it’s a good view to check first on a busy day. Other smart mailboxes on the same Edit screen include VIP, Flagged, Unread, and Attachments. You can add an Attachments folder in iPhone Mail from that screen too. If certain senders always matter, adding them to your VIP list works well alongside the To/Cc labels.
Which Option Should You Use?
| Option | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Show To/Cc Labels | Adds To or Cc to every message, hides nothing | Seeing everything while still knowing which emails need you |
| Filter button (To: Me, Cc: Me) | Temporarily hides messages that don’t match | Clearing direct emails during a busy stretch |
| To or Cc mailbox | A separate list of mail addressed to you from all accounts | Checking your direct mail first every day |
Many people turn on the labels and also add the To or Cc mailbox. They don’t conflict with each other.
If the To/Cc Labels Don’t Appear
- The message has no label at all. Your address isn’t on the To or Cc line. Bcc’d messages, mailing lists, and mail sent to a group address (such as a team alias that forwards to you) don’t get a label because Mail can’t find your own address in those lines.
- The email went to a forwarding address or alias. Mail looks for the addresses on your account. If a message was sent to an old address that forwards to you, or to an alias your account in Mail doesn’t list, it can show up without a label even though it’s meant for you.
- You can’t find Apps in Settings. You’re on iOS 17 or earlier. Use Settings > Mail instead.
- The setting is on but nothing changed. Close the Mail app completely by swiping up from the bottom of the screen (or double-pressing the Home button) and swiping Mail away, then open it again.
- Mail settings are grayed out. A work or school profile may be controlling Mail. Find out why email accounts are grayed out on iPhone and what to check.
- You use the Gmail or Outlook app. This setting only affects Apple’s Mail app. Those apps have their own inbox settings.
If you’re seeing small labels next to every email and don’t know where they came from, this is the setting that adds them. Turn off Show To/Cc Labels to remove them.
To/Cc Label Questions
What does Cc mean on an iPhone email?
Cc stands for carbon copy. It means the sender added your address to the Cc line to keep you informed, while the people on the To line are the main recipients. With Show To/Cc Labels on, those messages show a gray Cc in your inbox.
Will the labels show when I was Bcc’d on an email?
No. Bcc addresses are hidden from the message headers that other people see, so Mail doesn’t show a To or Cc label for those messages. They appear in your inbox without a label.
Does turning on To/Cc labels change anything for the sender?
No. The labels only change how messages look in your own inbox. Nothing is sent back to the sender, and other people on the email don’t see the labels.
Is the To/Cc setting per account?
No. It’s one switch for the whole Mail app, so it applies to all your accounts at once. The Filter button is different: Mail saves filter choices separately for each mailbox.
Can I sort my inbox so To emails come first?
Mail doesn’t sort by recipient line. The closest options are the To: Me filter or the To or Cc mailbox described above, which show only those messages.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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