Direct messages

Direct messages let you have private, one-to-one conversations with other people without the exchange being visible to anyone else. Use them when something is personal, sensitive, or simply not relevant to a broader group.

A direct message is always between two people who are connected. Being in the same organization is not enough on its own: connect first, then message. See connections for the two ways to connect.

Opening your inbox

On the web, select the Inbox button beside your name at the bottom of the sidebar. The Inbox opens beside the sidebar, and your conversations are under Messages, most recent first, next to anything that needs you and your notifications. Selecting a conversation opens it right there, so you can reply without leaving the page you are on, and the back arrow returns you to the list. For more room, the expand button at the top grows the Inbox over the page, with your conversations on the left and the open one on the right; the collapse button brings it back beside the sidebar, still on the same conversation. On a phone browser the Inbox button sits at the right of the top bar and opens the Inbox full screen: the list first, and a conversation once you open it, with a back arrow, or your phone's back gesture, to return to the list.

In the mobile app, tap the message bubble in the header to open Messages, the list of your conversations. The same list appears wherever you are in the app, whether you are on your personal home, inside an organization's workspace, or not a member of any organization at all.

Starting a conversation

Choose New message under Messages in your Inbox on the web, or tap the pencil on Messages in the app, and pick someone from your connections. If the person you want to reach isn't a connection yet, the app offers Find by handle and Scan a connect QR right there. Once you send your first message, a conversation thread is created that you can return to at any time.

Inside an organization's workspace, a member's page offers Message when you are connected and Connect when you are not. Sending a request from there works the same as anywhere else: they accept, then you can message.

Someone's public profile also has a Message button once you are connected. It opens your conversation with them in your Inbox, or, if you have not talked yet, offers Start conversation; nothing is created until you select it.

Reading a conversation

A direct message opens on the newest message, sitting against the composer at the bottom of the pane. If there are messages you have not read, a NEW line marks where you left off and the view lands there instead. Scroll up at any point to load older messages.

A direct message is the same conversation wherever you open it. If you also work inside an organization's workspace and reach your inbox from there, the thread behaves exactly as it does from your personal dashboard. Direct messages belong to you, not to any one organization.

While the other person is writing, a subtle "is typing" line appears above the composer. If your connection drops and recovers, anything you missed is filled in automatically.

Replying in a thread

On the web, to answer one message without breaking up the conversation, hover over it and choose Reply in thread; on a phone, choose it from the message actions menu instead. A message with replies shows a small button under it with the number of replies and when the last one came, such as "2 replies 5m ago"; select it to open the thread. In the Inbox the thread opens over the conversation, and its back arrow returns you to it.

A thread looks like the conversation it came from: the message at the top, then the replies, in the same bubbles. You can react to, edit and delete your replies there too. Press Escape outside the reply box to close the thread.

Sharing photos and files

A direct message can carry up to five files of 10 MB each, with or without text. In the mobile app, tap the plus button at the left of the composer and choose Take photo, Photo library, or Choose file; what you picked shows above the text field until you send, and each item has a cross to remove it. On the web, choose + then Attach a file at the left of the composer, paste a screenshot, or drag files in.

Photos appear inline in the conversation and open full screen when tapped. Other files show their name and size and open when tapped, or download on the web. Attachments are private to the two of you: each link is created on demand and expires within an hour, so nothing you share has a permanent public address.

Conversation settings

In the mobile app, tap the gear in a conversation's header to open its settings. The person you are messaging is at the top; tap their name to open the connection. Below that:

• Notifications sets how this conversation notifies you: All messages or Muted. The bell in the header mutes and unmutes the same setting. A muted conversation sends no notification and no push, and still shows its unread marker in Messages.
• Media and files lists everything the two of you have shared, newest first: photos as a grid, other files as a list. Tap a photo to view it full screen, or a file to open it.
• Disappearing messages shows how long messages in this conversation are kept and lets you propose a window. Each of you chooses your own, the shorter one applies to both, and messages are kept forever only while neither of you has one set. See message retention and disappearing messages.
• Remove connection and Block appear at the bottom while you are connected, and do the same as the buttons on the connection itself.

On the web, a conversation's notification level and its disappearing-messages proposal are under the ... button in the conversation's header.

Cross-organization messaging

Direct messages work across organizations. If you and another person are connected, you can message each other regardless of which organizations you each belong to. You don't need to share an organization in common, only a connection.

Staying on top of new messages

On the web, the Inbox button shows a count that includes your unread direct messages. Open the Inbox, or Messages in the app, and each conversation with something new carries an unread marker, with the most recent conversation at the top. A new direct message also files a notification from that person, and in the app a push notification opens the conversation directly.

Managing your inbox

Your conversation list shows your most recent conversations first, and there is no limit on how many you can have. To find something inside a conversation on the web, open the Search panel from the header of that thread; it searches recent messages in that conversation only. There isn't a way to archive a thread yet. Inactive conversations just settle toward the bottom of the list.

Staying safe

Treat direct messages like any private conversation. Only your connections can message you, so nobody can start a conversation you never agreed to. If someone you are connected with sends harassing or inappropriate messages, open their connection, or the conversation's settings in the app, and choose Block or Remove: the conversation pauses for both of you, its history stays readable, and they cannot send you anything more. If you need help beyond that, reach out to one of your organizations.

Why this matters

Direct messages give you a way to coordinate with fellow members, follow up on a conversation from an event, or ask a question you would rather not pose publicly. Having a private channel that works across organizations means your network is not siloed to a single group, and having it gated on connections means it is yours to open and yours to close.