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What is the Difference Between Reply, Reply All, and Forward?

In the mail view you can choose to Reply, Reply All, or Forward:

  • Reply — Reply to the sender only.
  • Reply All — Reply to the sender and everyone else in the To and Cc fields. People who were Bcc'd are not included: a received email does not reveal them, so no mail app can reply to them.
  • Forward — Send a copy of the email to other recipients.

Choosing which one the reply button does

If replying always includes everyone — or never does, when you would rather it did — that is a setting rather than a quirk. Go to Settings | Global Settings | Advanced Features | Default Reply Action and pick Reply or Reply All. It decides what the reply button does on its own; the other option stays available, so nothing is taken away either way.

The setting is app-wide rather than per account, and it does not alter existing threads — only what happens the next time you reply.