How to Turn On Direct Messages on TikTok

Unlock the full potential of your TikTok profile by learning how to turn on direct messages. Mastering this simple feature is your gateway to deeper community engagement, networking with other creators, and even opening up new business opportunities. This guide walks you through the exact steps to enable and customize your DMs, control who can contact you, and use your inbox as a powerful tool for growth.

The Basics: Who Can Use Direct Messages on TikTok?

Before you adjust any settings, it's important to know who TikTok allows to use the direct messaging feature. Security and user safety are priorities for the platform, so a few key restrictions are in place, primarily based on age and account type.

Age Requirements for Personal Accounts

The most important rule is that only users aged 16 and older can send or receive direct messages. If you are under 16, the direct message feature will be automatically disabled, and you won't see an option to turn it on. This is a non-negotiable safety measure implemented by TikTok to protect younger users on the platform. If you previously had access to DMs and they suddenly disappeared, double-check that the birthday listed on your account is accurate and reflects an age of 16 or older.

Business Accounts

Registered Business Accounts on TikTok have access to direct messages regardless of the 'age' of the business, as they are not personal profiles. In fact, DMs are a vital tool for businesses using the platform, allowing them to provide customer service, answer product questions, and connect with potential collaborators. If you are an entrepreneur or brand, converting to a Business Account can give you access to DMs plus other valuable tools like analytics and the Commercial Music Library.

A Step-by-Step Guide: How to Turn On Your TikTok DMs

Ready to open your inbox? The process is quick and can be done in less than a minute. Just follow these simple steps inside your TikTok app.

1. Go to Your Profile: Open the TikTok app and tap the Profile icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
2. Open the Menu: Tap the three horizontal lines (often called the hamburger menu) in the top-right corner to open your settings panel.
3. Select "Settings and privacy": At the bottom of the panel that slides open, you'll see an option for Settings and privacy. Tap on it.
4. Navigate to "Privacy": In the Settings menu, tap the second option from the top, which is labeled Privacy.
5. Find "Direct messages": Scroll down through the Privacy settings until you find the "Interactions" sub-section. Tap on Direct messages.
6. Choose Who Can Message You: This is the final step. Here, you'll select who has permission to send you a DM. Your choice here will officially "turn on" your DMs for the group you select.

Once you select an option other than "No one," your direct messages are officially turned on. Users who fit the criteria you’ve chosen will now be able to send you a message directly from your profile or from one of your videos.

Customizing Your DM Settings: Taking Control of Your Inbox

Activating your DMs isn't an all-or-nothing decision. TikTok gives you granular control over who can slide into your inbox, allowing you to strike the perfect balance between accessibility and privacy. Understanding these options is critical for managing your time and keeping your inbox from becoming overwhelmed.

Decoding Your Privacy Options

Inside the "Direct messages" menu, you'll be presented with a few choices. Let’s break down what each one means.

• Everyone: If you select this, any user (who is over 16) can send you a message. Their message will land in your "Message requests" folder. You can then review these requests and choose to accept, delete, or block the sender.
  • Who should use this? Brands, businesses, and content creators focused on rapid growth. This setting makes you highly approachable for partnership inquiries, customer questions, and building a community with people who haven't followed you yet. The downside? You might receive more spam or unwanted messages.
• Suggested friends: This option allows people you're connected with outside of TikTok - like friends from your phone contacts or Facebook friends that you've synced - to message you. It's a semi-private setting that expands beyond just your mutual followers.
  • Who should use this? Individuals wanting to connect with a broader but still curated circle of people they might know. It keeps your DMs relatively clean while still allowing potential connections from other platforms to reach out.
• Followers that you follow back (also called "Friends"): This is the most private setting. Only users that you follow and who follow you back can send you a message. If one of you unfollows the other, the DM thread is broken.
  • Who should use this? Anyone using TikTok for personal enjoyment or who wants to maintain a very controlled inbox. It's perfect for keeping conversations limited to a trusted circle of friends and mutuals.
• No one: As the name implies, this completely shutters your DMs. No one can send you a new message, though your existing message history will remain visible to you.
  • Who should use this? Users who want a completely private experience or are taking a break from the social aspects of the platform.

Why Managing TikTok DMs is a Game-Changer for Growth

Turning on your direct messages is more than just a technical step, it’s a strategic decision. For creators and businesses, the DM inbox is one of the most underrated tools for accelerating growth and building a sustainable brand on the platform.

Building Community, One DM at a Time

Your comment section is public, but your DMs are private. This is where your most dedicated followers will go to ask genuine questions, give you heartfelt feedback, or just share how much they enjoy your content. Replying to these messages transforms a passive viewer into a loyal fan. This personal touch makes your audience feel seen and valued, creating a strong community around your content that’s more likely to engage, share, and support you in the long run.

Example: A cooking creator receives a DM from a follower asking for a specific tip on a recipe shown in a recent video. By taking a moment to reply with a helpful answer, the creator not only assists one person but also builds the kind of goodwill that leads to more shares and positive comments.

Networking and Collaboration Opportunities

How do brands find creators for campaigns? Often, it starts with a simple DM. If your DMs are closed, you might be invisible to potential partners looking to collaborate. Other creators in your niche will also use DMs to reach out to brainstorm content ideas, cross-promote each other's profiles, or invite you to participate in a trend.

Example: A small fashion creator with DMs set to "Everyone" gets a message from a boutique brand that loves their style. They offer to send a free product in exchange for a video, kicking off a fruitful partnership that helps both the creator and the brand grow.

Customer Service and Lead Generation

For any business on TikTok, DMs function as a zero-cost customer interaction channel. Potential customers frequently message with questions about product sizing, service availability, or shipping details. Being able to answer these queries quickly and directly can be the difference between making a sale and losing a customer. It's a convenient, low-friction way for interested leads to get the information they need to make a purchase decision.

Example: Someone selling handmade jewelry posts a video showing their latest creation. A viewer sends a DM asking if it's possible to get it with a different stone. The seller responds immediately, confirms the custom order, and makes a sale that would have been lost if the DM option wasn't available.

Troubleshooting Common DM Issues: "Why Can't I Send a Message?"

Sometimes you might run into an issue where you can't send a message to another user, or someone can't seem to message you. Nine times out of ten, it’s not a technical glitch. Here are the most common reasons why:

• Their DM Settings are Private: The most common reason is that the person you're trying to message has their DMs set to "Mutual followers" or "No one." If you don't both follow each other, TikTok won't let your message go through.
• You Are Both Under 16: Again, if either person in the conversation is under 16, direct messaging isn't an option.
• You Have Been Blocked: If a user has blocked you, you won't be able to find their profile or send them DMs. Similarly, if you've blocked them, the line of communication is cut.
• A Community Guideline Violation: If an account has been flagged for violating TikTok's community guidelines, certain features, including direct messages, may be temporarily restricted by the platform.
• A Glitch in the App: In rare cases, a simple bug might be the cause. Try basic troubleshooting steps like restarting the app, clearing the cache, or making sure your TikTok app is updated to the latest version.

Final Thoughts

Turning on your TikTok direct messages is a simple process, but managing them effectively is what truly unlocks their power. By customizing settings to match your goals - whether for public growth or private conversation - you can transform your DMs from a simple messaging feature into a core part of your social media strategy.

Answering every question and nurturing connections is critical for building a brand, but juggling communication across a dozen apps gets chaotic fast. For our team, using a single, organized inbox for everything has been essential. That's why we built Postbase with a unified inbox that gathers all your comments and DMs from all your platforms in one place, so you can stop switching between apps and focus on building your community without missing a beat.