WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Plugins» How to Add a Private Messaging System in WordPress

How to Add a Private Messaging System in WordPress

Last updated on May 5th, 2015 by Editorial Staff
123 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Add a Private Messaging System in WordPress

Ever wanted to add a private messaging system for your users in WordPress? Whether its a multi-author blog, forum, or a question / answer site, the ability to send private messages is important for online communities. In this article, we will show you how to add a private messaging system in WordPress.

Private messages between users on a WordPress site

Video Tutorial

Subscribe to WPBeginner

If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Front End PM plugin. Upon activation, you need to visit Front End PM » Instructions page to setup the plugin.

Setting up Front End PM plugin

The setup instructions are quite simple.

You can either copy and paste the shortcode in any WordPress page that you would like to use for private messaging.

Alternatively, you can create a new page using the fields below. After creating the page, you can preview it and it will look like this:

Private messages preview

Configuring Direct Message Settings

This plugin comes with a comprehensive set of configuration options. You can change these by visiting Front End PM » Settings page.

Front End PM settings page

You can set the number of messages a user can store. You can also block users by adding their usernames into block user setting.

Most importantly, you can set a minimum capability level required for users to send or receive messages.

The default capability is read, which means all registered users can send and receive direct messages. However you can change it to write or edit, so that only authors or editors can use private messaging features.

User Settings for Private Messages

Your WordPress users can control the direct messaging features directly from the front-end of your website. In other words, they don’t need to login to the WordPress admin area.

They need to simply click on the settings tab to control it.

User settings for private messages in WordPress

Users can opt-out of receiving messages from others and disable email notifications and announcements.

That’s all, we hope this article helped you add a private messaging system to your WordPress site. You may also want to check out our guide on how to add a login form in your WordPress sidebar.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

123 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

  • Checklist

    Checklist: 15 Things You MUST DO Before Changing WordPress Themes

  • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

  • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

12 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Nathan says:
    Feb 16, 2019 at 8:37 am

    Hi. I’m wondering.. I did read the comments but just wondered if I activate this plugin. I have a realestate site. So can a buyer contact the seller say by a link “contact seller” and once clicked it will automatically populates the sellers username in the”to” section of the message? Sorry if this question has already been asked!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 18, 2019 at 1:28 pm

      For that kind of customization, you would want to reach out to the plugin’s support for if it is an option.

      Reply
  2. Célia reubrecht says:
    Jan 30, 2018 at 7:29 am

    Hello !
    Thanks for this plugin, that’s exactly what I was looking for !
    But can you tell me how I can change the infos buttons such as the background color of “Message successfully sent” etc

    Thanks !

    Reply
  3. Ahmed Deduice says:
    Mar 15, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Is there a way to make member/subscriber have a kind of dashboard to receive the messages sent to them. Currently, it’s showing a long bar at the top of a page and is inaccessible.

    Thanks

    Reply
  4. Delwar Jahan says:
    Jun 6, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    Thanks a lot for the review. I am going to try this one in one of my project. Independent plugin without the issue of adding buddypress.

    Reply
  5. Curt says:
    Mar 21, 2016 at 9:40 pm

    I downloaded Front End PM and it looks great, but how do people get their name in the director so you can message them?

    Reply
    • Deepak says:
      Sep 27, 2016 at 12:29 am

      Hi, Just add Add <a href=" USER ) ); ?>”>Send Message Where you want to show Link

      User name pre-populate new message “To”

      Reply
  6. Curt Stowell says:
    Mar 20, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I think the plugin is great and I appreciate the quick info, but how do my members add to the Directory?

    Reply
  7. Samedi Amba says:
    Apr 23, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Thanks for the article. How can this be integrated with buddypress?

    Reply
    • Mohammad Awwad Alnagdawi says:
      Oct 31, 2016 at 6:25 am

      I think BuddyPress have its own private messing system.

      Reply
  8. Jay Clayton says:
    Apr 22, 2015 at 10:32 am

    WordPress techniques and a Dr. Who reference in the same article? I knew you people were brilliant! Thanks for the PM tip – I might be able to use this in one of my upcoming projects.

    Reply
  9. Biplob says:
    Apr 22, 2015 at 10:31 am

    This is the best plugin i am using in my website. All are done in front end. So i can keep out my users from dashboard. All needed functions for private messaging are there. A Pro plugin but free of cost.A perfect plugin for private message in wordpress. Thanks to plugin author as well as wpbeginner for showing me this plugin. I was not aware that this plugin exists.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
All in One SEO
Improve website SEO rankings with AIOSEO plugin. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
PanKogut
PanKogut Coupon
Get 20% OFF on PanKogut's premium WordPress themes collection.
WPEngine
WP Engine Coupon
Get 20% OFF on all WP Engine hosting plans PLUS 2 months free on annual payment.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.