An alternative method, that amounts to the same thing, is to select contacts from the Contacts Sidebar in a Write window (press F9), using the Shift and Ctrl keys, then click Add to Bcc: at the bottom of the sidebar.

Didn't know about the contacts sidebar. Thx.

This will only do one name at a time.

alexnwba said

This will only do one name at a time.

Open the sidebar, then hold Ctrl while you select multiple contacts, then Add to Bcc:. Or, hold Shift to select many at once. If you send Bcc often to the same contacts, create a mailing list.

Well, that is wonderful. Thanks for the help.

These solutions appear to apply to pre-Windows 10. F9 on my Win10 machine opens the start menu. How do I display the Contacts sidebar?

You must have a new message window open for F9 to open the contacts sidebar. My original question (not shown here for some reason) had to do with selecting only a few contacts from within a contact list. That question was answered. To select only a few recipients from a list - TO:, CC:, or BCC: - select the contact list, CTRL-I, then OK. The names in that contact list expands in the contacts sidebar and you can then select only some of the names in that list.

I have an HP keyboard - the F9 key has the magnifying glass on it - with a new message window open and focused on, the F9 key displays the Search menu. (See attached) I cannot display a Contacts sidebar.

I have a Dell laptop and it came with the F-keys set to do odd things instead of just being F-keys. I found instructions for getting the Dell to act "normally." Look for something like this on your HP. 1 Restart your Dell laptop. 2 Watch the boot screen. Look for the notation at the bottom instructing you to "Press the XX key to enter system BIOS." In most Dell laptops, this will be noted as the "F2" key, but this may differ on your system. When the message appears, hold down the appropriate key to enter the BIOS screen. 3 Navigate to the "Advanced" tab by pressing the right arrow key. 4 Scroll down to "Function Key Behavior" on the "Advanced" tab by pressing the down button. Press "Enter." 5 Press the up/down arrow keys to move the selection to "Multimedia Key First." 6 Press "F10" to save your settings and exit. 7 Allow the system to reboot for the changes to take effect.

If F9 doesn't work, you can always toggle the Contacts Sidebar from the View menu; press Alt if the Menu Bar with View is hidden. View/Toolbars/Customize... and drag the Contacts button onto the Composition Toolbar.