zulip/templates/zerver/help/send-someone-a-private-message.md

Send someone a private message

Instead of composing a new private message through the compose box, you can compose a private message to someone using the user list.

1. In the user list on the right sidebar, hover over the name of the user you want to privately message to reveal a down chevron () icon to the right of the user's name.

   !!! tip "" You can search for a specific user by entering the user's name in the Search users input.

2. Click on the {!down-chevron.md!} Select the Compose a message to (user's name) option from the actions dropdown. This will open the compose box with the target user as the recipient.

3. Type your message.

4. Once you have completed your message, you can now send your message to the specified user by pressing the Enter key or clicking the Send button, depending on your settings.

View your private message history with a user and compose

If you'd like to look at your message history with a user while you compose your message, do the following:

1. In the user list on the right sidebar, click on the name of the user you want to privately message.

   !!! tip "" You can search for a specific user by entering the user's name in the Search users input.

2. Upon clicking on the user's name, your view will be narrowed to your private message history with the selected user, and the compose box will be transformed to include the selected user's email address in the one or more people... field.