# Discourse messaging guide for new users
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [June 10, 2020, 6:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382 "2020-06-10T06:38:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Andro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andro)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 6:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/1 "2020-06-10T06:38:23Z")
The New User Guide does not mention Messaging. Is there anything written on this in this simple tutorial mode? I need to educate my users to message instead of clogging threads with PM’s. I see that messaging is not obvious to new users on my forum, most of whom have come from old fashioned mailing lists and have never user a forum before.
---
### Author:  [@ondrej](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ondrej)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/2 "2020-06-10T07:46:58Z")
Hello!
We can always add this to the new user guide if that’s what you would like? I guess it depends what the users are trying to message such as a group.
---
### Author:  [@Andro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andro)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 7:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/3 "2020-06-10T07:52:52Z")
Person to person. It’s not obvious how to do this, or even that such a function exists, to newbies on the forum, I have found. Would be great to add a section to the New User Guide.
---
### Author:  [@EricGT](https://meta.discourse.org/u/EricGT)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 9:33am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/4 "2020-06-10T09:33:12Z")
I too use to be confused until I leaned these three things.
* * *
1. To see your mailbox like you might expect with an e-mail reader
a. Click on you user icon in the upper right
b. Click on the envelope
c. Click on the envelope a second time (It was the second click that I did not realize was needed)
This will reveal the classic e-mail app buttons such as
1. New Message - For creating a new personal message (PM)
2. Inbox - Where your received personal messages are held
3. Sent - Personal messages that you have sent. Look here if you sent something and did not yet get a reply.
4. Archive - I have not used this yet so can not elaborate.
* * *
1. Use the theme [Iconified Header Links](https://meta.discourse.org/t/iconified-header-links/86307) to add the inbox to the header links, e.g.
To add this component theme requires admin access. The settings are
Header links: Personal inboxes,inbox,https://\/my/messages,vdm,self
svg icons: inbox
You will need to replace \ with your specific site. For Discourse forum \ would be `meta.discourse.org` and the full URL would be [Discourse Meta - The Official Support Forum for Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/my/messages).
Also note that the use of `my` instead of a specific user like me `u/EricGT` in the links above. It is a nice trick to remember when giving specific URLs to the site members.
* * *
1. Using a direct URL to the messages, https://\/my/messages
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/5 "2020-06-10T17:41:39Z")
I think it’s a bit easier to point out how to get to the **messages tab** of your user profile:
- select your user avatar
- select your username for shortcuts
- select “messages”
If you wish to message a particular user from within a topic, it might be easier to select their avatar then select the message button.
---
### Author:  [@ondrej](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ondrej)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-messaging-guide-for-new-users/154382/6 "2020-06-10T19:12:01Z")
Definitely a good idea! Maybe suggest the flag and then send @xxxxxx a message