When you remove someone from an email chain, explain why in your next message. People might not notice the removal, and they'll wonder what happened. Say something like the person doesn't need to know the rest, or the topic is sensitive.
Chapters
How to write great emails, tip number 12: Explain why you've removed someone from an email chain. If you've got a discussion with multiple participants and there's emails going back and forth, and you reply and take somebody out of the email chain so they don't see the rest of the messages, explain why in your next email. If you don't do this, one, people might not recognize or realize that somebody has been removed, And 2, other people on the email chain may want to know why an individual has been removed. So how do you do this? Once you've removed someone from an email chain, include a line that says something like, hey, I took Emma out of this because she doesn't need to know the rest of the conversation. We're just wasting her time with this. Or if there's a sensitive topic, you can say, I've removed these people because what we're talking about is going to be sensitive and they don't need to or shouldn't be part of this conversation. Whatever the reason is, make sure you say it in your next email so that your audience understands why there has been a change. If you want to write great emails, make sure you explain when you remove someone from an email chain.