How to send bulk email from Gmail

Updated October 2026 · 6 min read

Gmail is built for one-to-one conversation, but plenty of everyday jobs need the same message to reach dozens or hundreds of people: event details, course access, client updates, club notices. This guide compares the ways to do it and walks through the one that keeps every message personal.

Three ways to send bulk email from Gmail

1. BCC everyone

Put the recipients in the Bcc field. It is free and takes seconds, but every person gets the identical generic message, you cannot use their name, and a single mistake in the To or Cc field exposes the whole list. Gmail also treats large Bcc blasts more suspiciously.

2. A spreadsheet add-on or script

Google Sheets add-ons and Apps Script can run a mail merge. They work, but they need setup, permissions across your Drive, and some technical comfort when something breaks.

3. A dedicated Gmail mail merge tool

A tool like Fanout connects to Gmail with send-only permission, takes a CSV, and sends one personalized email per row from your own address. There is nothing to install and no spreadsheet formulas to maintain.

Step by step with Fanout

1. Prepare a CSV. One row per person. Include a column named email and any others you want to merge, such as name or company. See the CSV preparation guide.
2. Sign in with Google. Approve the send-only permission. Fanout cannot read your inbox.
3. Upload your list. Duplicates and invalid addresses are flagged and skipped so you do not waste your allowance.
4. Write the message. Use merge fields like {{name}} in the subject and body. Learn more in the merge fields guide.
5. Send yourself a test. Check how it looks in a real inbox before the real send.
6. Review and send. The check screen shows how many emails will be sent, how many you have left, and a preview of the first message.

A deliverability checklist

Whether an email reaches the inbox depends on your sender reputation and on the recipient's reaction. These habits help:

• Only email people who expect it. Customers, attendees, members, subscribers. Never bought or scraped lists. Spam complaints damage your Gmail account's standing.
• Start small. If you rarely send to many people, do not jump straight to a few hundred. Send a first batch of 20 to 50 and build up.
• Make it personal and relevant. A subject with the recipient's name or a specific detail reads like a real email, because it is.
• Prefer plain text. Simple messages with few links and no heavy images are less likely to be filtered. HTML is fine when you need it.
• Give an easy way out. Add a line such as "Reply STOP and I will remove you." Fanout also sets a List-Unsubscribe header pointing at your address.
• Avoid spammy wording. Shouting in capitals, many exclamation marks and pressure phrases raise filter scores.
• Keep batches within limits. Staying inside Gmail's daily limits matters. See Gmail sending limits explained.

What not to do

• Do not use a bulk tool for cold outreach to people who do not know you. It is against our terms and against most countries' anti-spam laws.
• Do not share your Google password with any tool. Use sign-in with Google, which never reveals it.
• Do not resend the same message to the same list repeatedly.

Frequently asked questions