docs/main/end-user-guide/collaborate/send-messages.mdx
import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
<PlanAvailability slug="all-commercial" />You can send messages in public and private channels as well as to other users in Mattermost. Depending on when you compose a message, you can send it immediately, schedule it for later, or set its priority.
Mattermost may notify you when a recipient's availability is set to Do Not Disturb, and the recipient's local time is outside of regular business hours (between 10PM and 6AM). This warning displays directly above the message text field.
<Note>From Mattermost v11.5, you can access help resources for message formatting by selecting the Help link below the message text field.
</Note> <Tabs> <TabItem value="web-desktop" label="Web/Desktop">Enter a message in the text field, then select Send to send the message.
<Tip>You can also use a keyboard to send messages:
You can use AI to enhance your messages before sending them. This feature helps you improve writing quality, fix spelling, adjust message length, or transform your text based on specific needs.
From Mattermost v11.5, when you use AI Rewrite while composing a reply in a thread, the AI incorporates context from the thread to generate suggestions that better fit the ongoing conversation.
From Mattermost v11.7, Rewrite is accessed through the AI Actions menu, alongside any custom prompts your system admin has made available.
On Web/Desktop or Mobile:
<Tip>
- Type your message in the message compose field.
- Open the AI Actions menu from the message actions, then select Rewrite.
- Select a bot from the list of available AI agents.
- Choose from available rewrite options:
- Improve writing: Enhance clarity and professionalism
- Fix spelling: Correct spelling and grammar errors
- Shorten: Make your message more concise
- Elaborate: Add more detail and context
- Simplify: Use clearer, easier-to-understand language
- Summarize: Condense your message to key points
- Custom prompt: Specify your own transformation instructions
- Review the AI-generated suggestion. Select Regenerate to try again or Discard to return to your original message.
- Select Send
From Mattermost v11.7, system admins can publish custom prompts that appear alongside Rewrite in the AI Actions menu. If you don't see a custom prompt you expect, check with your system admin.
</Tip> <Note>Messages that have been rewritten using AI are automatically marked as AI-generated content for transparency. Your system admin must configure AI agents for the rewrite feature to be available.
</Note>From Mattermost v11.3, burn-on-read messages stay concealed until recipients reveal them. After revealing, the message is deleted for that recipient when the timer expires. Burn-on-read messages can't be replied to or edited. You can send burn-on-read messages unless your system admin has disabled the ability to do so in your Mattermost instance.
<Tabs> <TabItem value="web-desktop" label="Web/Desktop">From Mattermost mobile v2.38.0, you can send burn-on-read messages from the mobile app.
Recipients see a concealed placeholder with Reveal. After revealing, a timer shows when the message will be deleted.
As the message sender, hover over the Burn-on-read icon above the sent message to see how many recipients have read the message. You can also delete the burn-on-read message for all recipients before the timer expires by selecting the Burn-on-read icon above the sent message.
From Mattermost v7.7, when composing new messages, it's easy to return to a message in progress later, unless your system admin has disabled global drafts in the System Console.
By default, message drafts are synchronized on the Mattermost server and are accessible everywhere you access Mattermost, including a web browser or the desktop app. Limit drafts to your current Mattermost client only by going to Settings > Advanced > Allow message drafts to sync with the server to disable draft synchronization.
<Tabs> <TabItem value="web-desktop" label="Web/Desktop">Draft messages are added to a Drafts view available at the top of the channel sidebar.
</TabItem> <TabItem value="mobile" label="Mobile">When composing a message, you can simply choose to complete it later. The partially composed message is kept in the text field and an Edit option displays next to the channel name.
From Mattermost v10.5, you'll find local draft messages under Drafts. Drafts synchronized to the Mattermost server will be listed under Drafts in a future mobile app release.
</TabItem> </Tabs>All users can edit their own sent messages, unless the system admin has restricted the ability to do so.
<Tabs> <TabItem value="web-desktop" label="Web/Desktop">From Mattermost v10.5, using a web browser or the Mattermost Desktop app, you can also change or remove message attachments when editing your sent messages.
</Tip> </TabItem> <TabItem value="mobile" label="Mobile">From Mattermost v10.11 and mobile app v2.31.0, when editing messages on mobile, you can also view, delete, and save message attachments as you would when using Mattermost in a web browser or the desktop app.
</Tip> </TabItem> </Tabs>From Mattermost v7.9, Mattermost Enterprise or Professional customers can edit or delete messages after sending them if your system admin hasn't restricted the ability to do so using advanced permissions.
Message recipients can't see your message edit history, and restoring a previous message version won't trigger new @mention notifications.
<Note>Restoring a previous version of the message is available in the Mattermost desktop app or a web browser. The ability to restore using the mobile app isn't supported.
</Note>All users can delete their own sent messages, unless the system admin has restricted the ability to do so.
Using a RTL plugin, Mattermost can automatically detect and display messages written using right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian. Your system admin must install the RTL Plugin to enable this functionality.
</Tip>Do more with your Mattermost messages using the following features: