Anyone with a Reddit account can send private messages to other users, although the available messaging options are limited to text messages. Users of the Reddit site or mobile app may need to try a few tricks because Reddit's mobile site isn't as fully featured as its desktop site, and the app changes frequently.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Via Reddit Mobile Site
Step 1. Visit the short or compact Reddit site (recommended)
There are two versions of the Reddit mobile site you can access: reddit.com/.compact and m.reddit.com. You can reply to messages from other people through both sites, but you can only create new messages through the short or compact site.
Step 2. Open the inbox
On short sites, simply click the envelope icon in the upper right corner of the screen. On regular mobile sites, tap the “burger” menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen (three horizontal lines). After the drop-down menu is opened, select the “Inbox” button marked with the envelope symbol.
Step 3. Reply to messages from users
Select the "messages" tab to read messages sent by other users. To reply to a message, follow these steps:
- Short or compact site: Touch the gear icon on the right side of the message, then select "reply". Type in the reply message and touch the " send " button.
- Standard/regular site: Touch the blue "reply" button below the message. Type a reply message into the text field, then tap the " send " button.
Step 4. Create a new message
Tap the " send a private message " button at the top of the inbox page. Fill in each column, including the captcha form " are you human? ". After that, touch the “send” button.
Method 2 of 3: Via the Reddit Desktop Website
Step 1. Check the city of entry
Go to reddit.com and sign in to your account. Click the envelope icon next to your username, in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Alternatively, go directly to reddit.com/message/inbox after logging into your account
Step 2. Send the message
Once in your inbox, the row of tabs at the top of the screen will change. Click the "send a private message" tab to access the compose new message page. Fill in the fields " to ", " subject ", and " message ", then click " send ".
You can also directly access the page at reddit.com/message/compose
Step 3. Reply to messages from other users
Once the chat is started, you no longer need to fill out forms. Just open the inbox (marked by the envelope icon) to view the messages that have been received. Click the green "reply" link below the message to write a reply.
Step 4. Look for the messaging link on the user page
When you see someone else's username (usually under a post or comment he or she uploaded), you can click on it to visit the user's page. On that page, look for the little "send a private message" link in the top right corner of the page, below the user's karma score.
Method 3 of 3: Via the Reddit App
Step 1. Look for the envelope icon in the top right corner of the screen
The official Reddit app is still in active development with some regular updates. Many users still use one of the unofficial apps to access Reddit. On some versions of the Android app, you can access the inbox page by tapping the envelope icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Step 2. Swipe the screen to access the navigation drawer
If you don't see the envelope icon on your Android device, swipe left to open the navigation drawer. After that, select the envelope icon from the list.
Step 3. Touch the “inbox” tab at the bottom of the screen (on iOS app)
The official Reddit app for iOS has an envelope icon at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4. Send message via user page
Instead of scrolling through the inbox options, you can send a message through someone's Reddit account name. The layout of the user profile page is different for each app, but there's a general process you can follow:
- Select the username displayed in lowercase below or above the post. If it's not available, first touch the post or expansion button "…".
- Touch the envelope icon or the " send a message " button.
- Type in a message and touch the " send " button to send a message to the user with the name you choose.
Tips
- Reddit doesn't allow you to add attachments to private messages. You can upload the photo to another site first (eg imgur), then include a link to the image in the message.
- To send a message to all subreddit moderators, type “/r/”, followed by the name of the subreddit in the "To" field of the message compose page.
