How to Start a Reddit Chat: Reddit Chat Guide & Common Issues

Reddit is a community-driven social platform where users can join different Subreddits, publish posts, reply to comments, and connect with others around shared interests. In addition to public discussions, Reddit also offers a private messaging feature for direct conversations between users.

Today, Reddit primarily uses Chat for private conversations. The older Private Message (PM) system has largely been replaced by Chat, although previous PMs may still be available as historical messages.

This guide explains how to start a Reddit Chat, what to do when Reddit Chat isn't working, and how to turn off Chat requests.

Key Takeaways

• Reddit primarily uses Chat for private conversations, while older Private Messages (PMs) may still be available as historical messages.
• You can start a Reddit Chat from another user's profile or search for their username directly.
• After you send a Chat request, the other user may need to accept it before you can continue the conversation.
• If Reddit Chat isn't working, the cause may be the recipient's settings, your account status, the app or browser, your network, or a Reddit-side issue.

1. How Does Reddit Private Messaging Work?

Reddit is mainly built around posts and comments, but Chat lets you contact another user directly.

What Is Reddit Chat?

Reddit Chat is the platform's main private messaging feature. Instead of communicating publicly through posts and comments, users can use Chat for one-on-one conversations or group chats.

If you want to contact another Reddit user, you can start a Chat from their profile or search for their username from the Chat interface. Once the recipient accepts the request, you can continue the conversation normally.

Reddit Chat vs. Private Message: What's the Difference?

Private Message (PM) was Reddit's traditional private messaging system. Reddit has gradually shifted private conversations to Chat, so new conversations are generally handled through Chat, while older PMs may remain available as historical messages.

2. How to Message Someone on Reddit: 2 Ways

There are two common ways to start a private conversation with another Reddit user.

Start a Chat from Their Profile

If you've already found the user you want to contact, you can open their Reddit profile.

1. Open the user's Reddit profile.
2. Click Chat.
3. Enter your message.
4. Send the Chat request.

If the other user accepts the request, you can continue chatting with them.

Start a Chat Using Their Username

If you already know the person's Reddit username, you can also start a conversation directly from Chat.

Open Reddit Chat, select New Chat, and search for the user's username. Once you find the correct account, you can send a Chat request.

This method is useful when you know someone's username but haven't interacted with them through a post or comment.

How to Accept a Reddit Chat Request

If someone sends you a Chat request, you can find it in the Chat section.

Review the user's profile and message before deciding whether to accept the request. Once accepted, you can continue the conversation. If you don't want to chat, you can ignore the request.

3. Why Is Reddit Chat Not Working?

Under normal circumstances, Reddit users can use Chat to communicate privately. However, you may sometimes find that the Chat button is missing, a Chat request won't send, or messages fail to go through.

The cause may be related to the other user's Chat settings, your account status, your app or browser, your network, or a temporary Reddit service issue.

The Other User Doesn't Allow Chat Requests

Reddit lets users control who can send them Chat requests. Depending on their settings, they may allow requests from everyone, restrict requests from certain users, or disable Chat requests altogether.

If you can Chat with other users but can't contact one specific person, their Chat settings may be the reason. In that case, you can wait for them to message you first or ask them to change their Chat settings.

Your Reddit Account Is Restricted

Reddit may restrict certain features based on account status or violations of platform rules. New accounts may also have limited access to some features while Reddit evaluates their activity.

If Chat stops working at the same time as posting or commenting, check whether Reddit has displayed any account or feature restriction notice . Follow the instructions provided by Reddit and try Chat again after the restriction is lifted.

Your Network or Client Has a Problem

Issues with the Reddit website, app, browser, or network can cause Chat pages to load incorrectly, messages to fail, or chat history to appear unavailable.

If several Chat conversations are affected at the same time, try refreshing Reddit, signing in again, updating the app, clearing your browser cache and cookies, or switching networks. If both the website and app are affected, check whether Reddit is experiencing a service outage.

Reddit Is Experiencing a Service Issue

If many users suddenly report problems with Chat, message delivery, or page loading, the issue may be on Reddit's side.

In this situation, there may be nothing wrong with your account or network. Waiting for Reddit to resolve the issue is usually the appropriate approach.

How to Identify the Cause of a Reddit Chat Problem

How to Turn Off Reddit Chat Requests

On Reddit Web

1. Sign in to Reddit and open Privacy Settings.
2. Find Who can send you chat requests.
3. Change the setting to Nobody.

This prevents regular Reddit users from sending you new Chat requests.

Keep in mind that Subreddit moderators and Reddit administrators may still be able to contact you through Chat, so this setting does not necessarily block every type of message.

On the Reddit App

On iOS and Android:

Profile picture → Settings → tap your username → Safety → Chat and messaging permissions → Chat Requests → Nobody

This prevents regular users from sending you new Chat requests.

If you only want to stop Chat notifications rather than disable Chat itself, you can change your notification settings instead. Depending on the current Reddit app version, you may be able to limit Chat notifications or turn off related push notifications.

Final Thoughts

Reddit is best known for posts and comments, but Chat is also an important way to communicate directly with other users. If you want to contact someone privately, you can start a Chat from their profile or search for their username.

When Reddit Chat isn't working, check the other user's settings, your account status, your network, and your app or browser before assuming that the feature itself is unavailable.

If you don't want to receive messages from other users, you can also restrict or disable Chat requests through Reddit's privacy settings. This lets you control how other users can contact you without disabling the rest of Reddit's community features.

FAQ

Do you need to follow each other to Chat on Reddit?

No. Reddit doesn't require two users to follow each other before they can start a Chat. You can send a Chat request directly to another user, although the recipient can restrict who is allowed to send them requests.

Can you delete Reddit Chat messages?

Yes. You can open a Chat conversation, find the message you want to remove, and use the message menu to delete it when the option is available.

Deleting an individual message is different from deleting an entire conversation. The available options may also vary depending on Reddit's current version.

Can Reddit Chat be anonymous?

Reddit Chat is not publicly visible like posts and comments, but it shouldn't be considered completely anonymous. The other person can still see your Reddit username and public profile information.

Avoid sharing personal information unless you are comfortable with the recipient having access to it.

Can you message someone who has been banned from Reddit?

Usually, you won't be able to start a new Chat with a user whose account has been permanently banned or is no longer available.

However, if the user simply can't access Chat because of a temporary restriction or feature issue, the result may be different.

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