Direct Messages (DMs)

Written By Timothy Murenzi

Last updated 9 days ago

DMs are 1:1 conversations for quick side questions that don't belong in a channel. Use them sparingly — most project conversation should stay in the project channel so it's archived with the project.

Starting a DM

  1. Comms → Direct Messages → + New DM

  2. Pick the person from your contacts / team list

  3. Type your message and send

The DM thread opens immediately. Both people see it in their DM list under Comms.

Who you can DM

  • Anyone on your team — designers, admin members, members

  • Any client contact you have access to — across any project

  • Vendors assigned to a project you're on

You can't DM a client who isn't a contact on any of your projects.

How DMs differ from channels

Behavior Channel DM

Visible to

Everyone in the channel

Just the two of you

Lives under

A project

Your DM list

Searchable

Yes

Yes

Counts toward project history

Yes

No

Can embed Estimates / Invoices

Yes

Yes

Has a Design Board

Yes

No

DMs are great for quick "do you have a sec?" moments. Big decisions should land in the project channel where they're part of the project record.

Good to know

  • DMs have no admin / no remove. Either person can delete the conversation for themselves but the other person keeps their copy.

  • Mute a DM. Same Mute control as channels — silences notifications.

  • Files in DMs. Files shared in a DM don't appear in any project's channel file library. They're conversation-local.

  • DMs survive client removal. If a client is removed from a project, your DM history with them stays intact (they were a contact, not a channel member).

Troubleshooting

"I can't find a contact to DM." Make sure they're a contact in Workroom (Contacts → New Contact). If they're a contact but still don't appear, they're not on any project you have access to.

"My client said they DM'd me but I don't see it." Check your unread count on the Comms inbox. If it's zero, ask them to confirm which Workroom email they sent from — sometimes clients have multiple emails and the DM landed under a different account.