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How to send a DM in Mastodon

Last week I heard someone complain that Mastodon didn’t have the ability to DM (Direct Message) a person, and because of that this person was going back to Twitter. Since joining Mastodon, I haven’t had the need to DM anybody, but doubted that it wasn’t possible. After about a minute of searching, I discovered that you actually can DM a person on Mastodon. Not only that, but it’s very easy. Read on to find out how to do it in three easy steps.

What is a DM

A DM (Direct Message) is a toot you send directly to the intended recipient(s) so only they can see it. You can find DMs on the website by clicking on @Direct messages in the menu on the right. Tusky has them under the envelope icon on the toolbar at the top (unless you changed the placement for this in the settings). I can’t find them in the official Mastodon app, but I assume they keep them with the other messages, which you can get to by clicking on the bell icon.

Keep in mind that DMs in Mastodon are posts that are only visible to the recipients. They are not encrypted.

Below are directions for sending a DM from the Mastodon website, the official Mastodon app, and Tusky.

Sending a DM on the Mastodon website:

There are two ways to do this:

  1. Compose your DM using the person’s Mastodon handle (i.e. @[email protected])
  2. Click on the third icon from the bottom, left and choose Mentioned people only. That will only send the toot to the people mentioned.
  3. Click send.
sending a DM via the Mastodon website is easy

You can also do this from a person’s profile

  1. Go to the person’s Mastodon profile
  2. Click on the three dots in the upper right of their profile
  3. Choose Direct message…
  4. Compose your DM using the person’s Mastodon handle (i.e. @[email protected])
  5. Click on the third icon from the left and choose Mentioned people only. That will only send the toot to the people mentioned.
  6. Click send.
A DM via users Mastodon page

Sending a DM in the official Mastodon app

  1. Start a new message and compose your DM using the person’s Mastodon handle (i.e. @[email protected]).
  2. Tap on the icon to the right (the @ sign) and choose @ Only people I mention.
  3. Click send
sending a DM using the official Mastodon app

Sending a DM in Tusky

  1. Start a new message and compose your DM using the person’s Mastodon handle (i.e. @[email protected]).
  2. Tap on the second icon from the left (it usually looks like the world) and choose Direct: Post to mentioned users only.
  3. Click send
Sending a DM using Tusky for Mastodon

Now you know how to send a DM in Mastodon.

Feel free to read my post on What you need to know before joining Mastodon here. It has tips on how to choose the right Mastodon server.

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