Why Send a DM?

You might send a DM if you want to connect with someone one-on-one but don’t know their email address or any other way to reach them, or if you know they spend a lot of time on Twitter and are likely to see a message there before anywhere else. You would use a DM rather than a tweet if the communication isn’t appropriate for public consumption (such as setting up a business meeting). Some Twitter users like to send a DM to every new follower, with a welcoming message. Another use for DMs is sharing tweets that you might not want to put onto your timeline with a retweet. You can use DMs to share tweets with up to 20 other accounts separately, or in a group. To do so, tap the Share icon under a tweet and select Send via Direct Message.

Where Does a DM Show Up?

A Twitter DM isn’t the same thing as a tweet; therefore, it doesn’t appear in any public timeline that everyone can see. It only appears on the private Messages pages of the DM sender and receiver(s). In other words, DMs are analogous to the private messages that Facebook users exchange. DMs are threaded, so you can see the back-and-forth dialogue you had with someone using Twitter’s DM system.

How Do I Know If I’ve Received a DM?

You can be notified of new DMs within Twitter, or with a text or email notification if you have your account set up that way. Within Twitter, when you receive a DM, an alert will show up in the left rail of your home screen in the form of a bubble with a number in it next to the Messages link. The number refers to how many new DMs you have.

Who Can I DM With?

Generally, you can send a DM to anyone who follows you. But there are some exceptions. If the person doesn’t follow you but has opted-in to receive DMs from anyone, you can send them a DM. Or, if you have exchanged DMs with that person in the past, you can send them a DM even if they’re not following you. Also, if you initiate a DM to more than one person, anyone in the group can then respond to the entire group even if group members don’t all follow each other.

How Do I Send a DM?

Use the following steps to compose a DM:

How Do I Delete a DM?

If you want to delete a direct message, it’s pretty straightforward.