Facebook has a feature that enables you to send private letters to your friends. Recall of information technology like Facebook electronic mail, merely your personal email address is non revealed. Even better, yous tin can electronic mail people on Facebook whose e-mail addresses you don't know. Sending messages to non-Facebook friends is built into the system, allowing for private chatting (instead of posting on public walls).

Information technology's of import to annotation that while you can follow the easy process outlined below to privately message friends on Facebook on desktop devices, messaging on your smartphone is a scrap unlike and requires the Messenger app.

There are a few different ways to access the messages office on Facebook.

Using the Messenger page to ship a message

I way to send a message to a friend is from the Messenger page. Here's how:
  • Click the Messenger link in the carte forth the left side of your dwelling house folio (yous might accept to click on "See More" to find it).
  • Facebook takes you to your Messenger page.
  • Along the left side of the Messenger folio is a Chats column with a list of your Facebook friends. You can click on one of these names, or search for a person in the Search field at the peak of the column (see the figure below).

    Messenger page on facebook

  • When you click on a name, information technology volition appear to the correct, at the top of the page. If you've already had correspondence with the person, you'll be able to scroll through those letters in the middle of the page. At the lesser is an empty text field (see the arrow in the figure above) for yous to type in a new message. Subsequently yous've typed in that field, a Send icon will announced to the right ― click that to send the message.
  • Some other way to start a message on the Messenger page is to click on the New Message icon (it looks similar a tiny notepad and pen) at the meridian of the Chats column. When you do this, a "To:" field appears to the right at the top of the folio. Begin typing a person's proper name and Facebook begins to motorcar-fill names from your friend list equally you type. When you notice the correct friend, select the name by clicking it.
  • Again, use the text field at the lesser of the page to blazon your message.
  • When you've completed your message, simply click the Send icon to the right of the text field.
  • To the left of the text field is a plus-sign icon. Click on that and several icons announced higher up the text field, offering you lot the power to attach files, photos, videos, and links to your message, as well every bit a variety of other options, depending on whether y'all subscribe to any Facebook applications.

Sending a message from whatever Facebook page

You don't have to get to the Messenger page to represent with people. In that location are 2 icons you can click to access the message role from any Facebook folio:
  • One of these is the Messenger icon on the navigation bar in the height-right corner of the page (circled in cherry-red in the figure below); it looks like a tiny speech communication bubble with a squiggly line in the middle. When you click the Messenger icon, a small window pops upward that includes a list of your friends and a Search field at the top. Search for a friend, or click on a proper noun in the list ― another minor window volition open up, where yous can see past correspondence with your friend and type a new message.

    New message icons on Facebook home page

  • The other icon constitute on every page is the New Message icon (tiny notepad and pen) in the lesser-right corner (circled in cerise in the figure in a higher place). Click on this and a small-scale message window will pop upwards. Begin typing a person'south name in the "To:" field and Facebook auto-fills names in a listing below the field. Click on a name to select a person.

Ship a message on a friend'due south Facebook Timeline

Alternatively, you can visit a friend's Facebook Timeline page to send a private message.

Click the Message icon just nether the encompass photograph, or click the Messenger icon on the navigation bar at the top of the page.

About This Article

About the book authors:

Stephanie Diamond is president of Digital Media Works, a firm offering e-commerce and branding assistance to businesses. She is also the writer of Content Marketing Strategies For Dummies. John Haydon owns Inbound Zombie, a consultancy that provides nonprofits with strategic training about Facebook.

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