Reddit Chat
Also called: reddit dm, reddit direct message, chat request, reddit messages
Definition
Reddit Chat is Reddit's direct messaging system for one-to-one and group conversations. Since August 2025 it has fully replaced private messages, and users control who can send them chat requests: everyone, accounts older than 30 days, specific people or nobody.
Reddit Chat is where DMs live. Reddit Help calls chat "the home for direct messaging on Reddit." Chat ran alongside the older private message system for years, and in August 2025 it replaced it.
How chat works
- Chat requests. Messaging someone new creates a chat request they can accept or ignore. Each user decides who can send them requests: Everyone, Accounts older than 30 days, or Nobody, plus an allowlist of specific usernames. Reddit says users under 18 default to Nobody, so only moderators and admins can message them.
- Group chats with multiple users.
- Notifications can be push or inbox-only, set separately for chat messages and chat requests.
- Hiding, deleting and reporting messages are all available from the chat interface.
- Since August 7, 2025, messages sent from the old compose page (reddit.com/messages/compose) go out as chats, and replying to old PMs is disabled.
Modmail, the system for messaging a subreddit's moderators, is separate from chat.
Why it matters for marketers
Chat is the most direct channel on Reddit and the easiest to abuse. Reddit's spam policy lists "sending large amounts of unsolicited chat or private messages" among things that violate it, and many users have requests limited to accounts older than 30 days or turned off.
What works:
- Reply-first, DM-second. Answer publicly in the thread. If OP or a commenter asks for details, or asks you to DM them, that is consent.
- One message, specific. Reference their question, answer it, and offer the link only if they asked.
- No templates blasted to everyone in a thread. Users compare notes, and reports pile up.
Some subreddits ban unsolicited DMs to their members outright and treat them as grounds for a ban. If you plan outreach at any volume, read our page on Reddit DM outreach and keep it to people who asked.
Example
A thread asks for a bookkeeper who knows Shopify. A firm replies in the thread with two useful tips and says they handle Shopify clients. OP replies, "Can you DM me rates?" The firm sends one chat with its rate sheet. That is a normal Reddit interaction. Messaging all 40 commenters in the thread would not be.
Common mistakes
- DMing people from a new account. Many users only accept requests from accounts older than 30 days.
- Copy-paste pitches. They read as spam and get reported.
- Taking a disagreement to DMs. Escalating privately after a public argument is a fast route to a harassment report.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send a DM on Reddit?
Open the person's profile and start a chat, or use the chat icon. If you have not talked before, they receive a chat request first.
Why can't I message someone on Reddit?
They may only accept chat requests from accounts older than 30 days, from specific people, or from nobody.
Are Reddit chats private?
They are not public, but they can be reported, and Reddit's rules apply to them like everything else.