How Do You Private Message Someone on Facebook?
There are several ways to initiate a direct message, and they all lead to the same place: a conversation box, where you can have a back-and-forth exchange, in private, with the other user.
PM From a Profile
Every profile page has a Message button that will, when clicked, open a window where you can send and receive messages with that person.
Click the ‘New Message’ Button at the Bottom
On essentially every Facebook page is a button found on the bottom right. Click it, choose someone, and start to compose a new message or open a previous conversation you’ve already started. There are multiple ways to do this, but for this demonstration, we’ll use the Friends tab to find them, and then select their name from the list.
Use the Messenger Service
If you’re looking for a way to send a message without all the extra stuff Facebook bombards you with, there’s a dedicated website made specifically for private messages: Facebook Messenger. Listed in these results are first any friends with that name, followed by people you follow on Instagram, friends of friends, and then finally more people on Instagram and brands/celebrities/etc. Messenger is owned by Facebook and connects to your Facebook account. You can access that page from a desktop browser to see all the same messages you’ve sent and received on Facebook, and to compose brand-new messages. Here’s how to compose a new message on Messenger:
How to PM on Facebook for iPhone or Android
Lots of people use Facebook from their mobile device, so sending private messages to people on Facebook when on the go would be really handy. While this is completely doable, you just can’t do it in the Facebook app. Instead, if you do select the message button when on Facebook, you’ll be redirected to the Messenger app:
Tap Search to find someone by their name. Tap a profile image from the scrollable menu to chat with a recommended friend. Tap an existing conversation to jump in there. Tap the pencil icon to see suggested friends to message, and people you follow on Instagram. You can also group chat with Messenger by choosing Create a group chat on this screen. Tap the People tab for a list of Facebook friends currently active on Messenger.
