Why Can’t I Direct Message On TikTok?

Direct messaging isn’t as big a deal on TikTok as it is on many other social media platforms. People who want to DM with friends (and new friends) all day and night are much more likely to be found on WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and quite a few other popular apps.

Even so, more than 50 million TikTok users spend time on the app every day, seven days a week, making TikTok DMs an essential part of their daily experience. And many of the 1.5+ billion people who use the platform at least once a month regularly use direct messages to stay in touch with family and friends.

That makes it upsetting, at the very least, if you log into your TikTok account and find the system won’t let you send DMs.

What could be the problem? There are several possibilities.

Reasons Why You Can’t Direct Message on TikTok

We’ll start with the most likely issue.

A Technical Glitch

We’ve come to think of the Internet and social media platforms much like a public utility. Just like electricity and water, we expect it to always be available and always work properly.

Unfortunately, social apps aren’t as quite reliable as the water supply. TikTok and other social apps depend on enormous numbers of servers, cloud storage, network and Internet security providers, and many other interconnected “pieces.” Scheduled maintenance or, more likely, unexpected equipment, system, or network failures, can cause glitches in TikTok operations.

In short, something may have gone wrong to cause a brief interruption in TikTok messaging services. Give it a few minutes (or even a few hours) and try again. You should also try clearing your TikTok cache, and logging out and back into the service, before deciding that there must be a problem with your app or your account.

Everything else is fine with TikTok but you still can’t send DMs? There’s probably something else going on.

Your App is Outdated

New versions of TikTok are released often, and the platform’s systems are sometimes changed to be compatible with the latest version. If your DMs — or another feature you use regularly on TikTok — aren’t working anymore, visit the App Store or Google Play (depending on whether you use an iOS or Android device) and download the most up-to-date version of TikTok.

There’s a good chance you’ll be back in business after that.

You’ve Violated Community Guidelines

If you’ve been flagged or reported for improper speech, harmful content, or illegal activity on TikTok, one of the penalties you can face is the disabling of direct messaging.

Check your inbox; those who violate community guidelines receive notifications of their infraction and penalties. Your DMs will usually only be suspended for 24 or 48 hours, so you’ll just have to grit your teeth and wait your punishment out. Serious violations can get your entire account suspended or deleted, so in that case, you have much bigger problems to worry about.

It’s possible to appeal TikTok’s actions. By the time your appeal is considered, though, a 24- or 48-hour penalty will have expired.

You Might Not Be Old Enough, Or You May Be Blocked

If you’re trying to use DMs for the first time, the issue might be your age. You have to be at least 16 to send and receive direct messages on TikTok.

If you’re only having problems messaging one person but DMs to others go through just fine, the intended message recipient may have set their account to block all messages or block them from people who aren’t mutual followers, or has specifically blocked you.

Your Settings Must Be Changed

You may have accidentally set your account to prevent direct messaging, or you may have just turned 16 but your DMs have to be turned on.

Go to your TikTok profile page, tap the “Menu” icon (three horizontal lines), and then go to Settings and privacy > Privacy > Direct Messages. Choose the messaging option you’d prefer; if the existing setting is “No one,” that’s probably the cause of your problem.

You May Have to Verify Your Phone Number

Direct messaging may be blocked for users who didn’t give TikTok their phone number when signing up, or if they haven’t verified it with the platform.

Take care of the issue by opening your profile menu and going to Settings and privacy > Account > Phone number, and you can change or verify your phone number via SMS.

Still having no luck? It’s time to contact TikTok support.