# "Allow messages" setting not found

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-messages-setting-not-found/304470>\
**Category:** Product Support\
**Tags:** chat\
**Created:** [April 18, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-messages-setting-not-found/304470 "2024-04-18T14:21:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Judith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/judith/32/289903_2.png) [@Judith](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Judith)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allow-messages-setting-not-found/304470/1 "2024-04-18T14:21:54Z")

</div>

A user is complaining about not receiving direct messages through chat, also the sender sees a “user has deactivated chat” error. In trying to guide them to re-enable messages, I told them to go to Preferences \> Users, where I see a section called “Messages” including the setting “Allow other users to send me personal messages and chat direct messages”. However, this user doesn’t have the setting (I checked by impersonating them).

1. Why is that?
2. Where else may they have deactivated messages?

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