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When replying to email my email populates the return address

Anonymous
2025-09-05T08:56:55.61+00:00

Hello

Please i need your help on this issue.

When replying to email my email populates the return address and the email sends to my email.

I received an email and selected to reply to same, my email address appeared in the to reply and the email reappears in my inbox box. I repeated the reply and deleted my email and copied in the intended recipient. the email again appeared in my inbox box or did not send?

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  1. Nicolas Bourdeau - Wintive 135 Reputation points
    2025-09-05T15:12:58.0466667+00:00

    Hi @IBN,

    Thanks for reaching out.

    It sounds like the issue you're experiencing is that when you hit "Reply" to an email, your own email address automatically appears in the "To" field, and the message ends up being sent back to you instead of the original sender or intended recipient.

    This usually happens when your email client (like Outlook or another app) is misconfigured, or if the message was originally sent with a "Reply-To" address set to your own email.

    Could you let me know:

    What email platform you're using (e.g. Outlook, Gmail, etc.)

    If this is happening with all emails or just specific ones

    If you're replying from a shared mailbox or distribution group

    With that info, I can help you fix the issue step by step.

    Best regards, Nicolas Bourdeau

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  2. Steven-N 25,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-09-05T09:19:51.7966667+00:00

    Hi IBN

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum support

    Based on your description, I understand that when you attempt to reply to an email, your own email address automatically populates the "To" field, causing the message to either send to yourself or reappear in your inbox. Even after manually replacing your address with the intended recipient, the issue persists, leading to confusion about whether the email was successfully sent.

    This issue typically arises due to how email clients handle reply to logic, especially when the original message was sent only to you or involved a distribution group that includes your address. Some email systems may default to your own address in replies if no other recipient is detected, or if auto-BCC rules are configured. Additionally, certain threading behaviors or encryption settings (like S/MIME) can cause the email to appear as if it was sent to yourself, even when it was not.

    To address this issue, consider the following approach:

    1. Check Your Reply Settings
    • In Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Replies and Forwards.
    • Ensure that “Always BCC myself” or similar options are disabled.
    1. Review Rules and Alerts
    • Navigate to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
    • Look for any rules that automatically CC or BCC your own address and disable them.
    1. Expand Distribution Groups
    • If replying to a group, click the + next to the group name to expand it.
    • Manually remove your own address before sending.
    1. Use “Reply All” Carefully
    • Sometimes using “Reply All” instead of “Reply” can help ensure the correct recipients are included.
    • But always double-check the “To” and “CC” fields before sending

    Hope my answer will help you, if the issue still persists, let me know in the comment section


    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

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