How to DM on Reddit Using Chat on Desktop and Mobile

To DM another Reddit user, use Chat. A first message to someone you have not chatted with creates a request. The conversation starts when they accept it. To read messages from Reddit’s old private message system, open the read-only archive in your notifications inbox.

For questions about a subreddit’s rules, removals, or posting permissions, use Modmail from the community page. That goes to the moderation team. Even when a reply appears in your Chat inbox, the Modmail conversation is with the team.

On reddit.com, open the person’s profile and select Start Chat. Write a short message that identifies how you know the person or which public discussion prompted you to contact them. If you already know their username, open Chat, choose the new chat control, and search for the username. Check the spelling before you send.

Reddit Help also documents a browser-only use of the old /message/compose address on desktop and mobile web. It can create separate Chat threads with the same user. For an ordinary one-to-one request, start from the profile or the Chat interface.

Open the person’s profile and tap Start Chat. If you have their username instead, tap Inbox, choose Chats, then tap the new chat control and enter the name. Read the request once before sending so the recipient can tell why you reached out.

Incoming requests appear under Requests in the Chat inbox. The recipient can accept or ignore them. Check for acceptance before trying to continue a first conversation. Reddit lets you send images once the request is accepted, so explain in words what you would like to share.

If Start Chat is missing or Reddit declines an invite, check the error message if one appears. Reddit lists limits on active invitations and chats, insufficient account standing, and the recipient’s request settings as possible reasons. New accounts may need time. Reddit points to email verification and positive participation as factors in account standing, without giving a universal unlock schedule.

People can accept requests from everyone, only accounts older than 30 days, nobody, or specified usernames through an allowlist. The 30-day option is a recipient setting. Where Reddit has age information, under-18 accounts default to Nobody. Ages 13–15 cannot change that setting themselves, while ages 16–17 can change it.

Illustrative example: In a public thread about recording interviews, someone asks for your audio setup checklist and says you can send it by Chat. Refer to that exchange and explain what the resource contains. If you created it, say so.

Example message: Hi, we were discussing remote interviews in the recording thread. Here’s the checklist I put together for testing a guest’s microphone before a call. The first two checks cover the echo you described.

Send only what they agreed to receive. If they decline or leave the request unanswered, leave the conversation there. When a useful answer can be shared publicly and the subreddit permits it, that may also help other readers.

Reddit provides notification settings for both chat messages and requests. You can choose push notifications or keep them in the inbox. To quiet one direct conversation, mute its notifications. To clear it from your inbox, hide the chat. A hidden chat can return when either person sends a new message.

If you want to stop a person from sending you further direct messages, use the block control on their profile. If your own request was declined, respect that decision and stop contacting the person.