Quick answer
New account? Wait a few days; Reddit limits chat invites on newer accounts and says the limit will likely increase over time. Too many chats open? Leave some group chats: settings gear > Leave group. Account standing: verify your email and contribute positively. Still nothing? The other person may have chat turned off. Images: send them only after your invite is accepted.
What’s happening?
- I can’t send any chat invites
- I can chat with some people but not new ones
- My account isn’t new, but chat still won’t work
- I can’t chat with one person
- I can’t send an image
- Someone’s messages aren’t showing
- A chat disappeared from my inbox
- My old private messages are gone
- I want to delete chat messages
Does this match what you see?
- Reddit won’t let you start a new chat.
- You can’t send an image with a chat invite.
- You can chat with some people but not others.
- A new person’s messages, or a whole chat, are missing from your inbox.
Computer (browser)iPhone & iPadAndroid
Based on Reddit Help’s “Why can’t I start a chat or send an image?” and “How do I manage my chat conversations?”, supplied by the site owner on November 10, 2026.
Why this happens: the possible causes
Reddit lists four reasons you can’t send chat messages.
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| Daily limit of chat invites reached (newer accounts) | Wait; the limit will likely increase over time |
| Limit of active chats reached | Leave some group chats |
| Account not established enough | Verify your email and contribute positively |
| The other person has chat disabled | Nothing you can change |
- A new account’s chat limitCheck this first
Reddit says newer accounts have chat limits to prevent spam.
- The other person turned chat offPossible
Reddit lets everyone enable or disable chat in their settings.
Try these 60-second checks first
- Is your account only a few days old? Reddit says you might need to wait a few days after creating it to send a chat invite.
- Can you chat with other people? If only one person fails, they may have chat turned off.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.
Fix 1: Wait out the daily chat invite limit
Reddit says newer accounts have chat limits to prevent spammers.
- Stop sending new chat invites for now.
- Wait for your account to get a little older. Reddit says your limit will likely increase over time.
Reddit doesn’t say what the daily limit is. Our tip: don’t keep retrying or create another account to get around it.
Did it work? You can send a new chat invite.
Did Fix 1 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 1. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Fix 2: Too many active chats? Leave some group chats
Reddit says there’s a limit to how many active chats you can have open at a time.
- Open a group chat you no longer need.
- On reddit.com: click the settings gear, then Leave group chat. In the app: swipe left on the chat in your inbox and tap Leave.
- Repeat until you’ve freed up room, then try your new chat again.
Reddit says that when you leave, you no longer get messages or appear as a participant, and you can only rejoin if a current member re-invites you. Reddit’s help pages name the reddit.com option both Leave group and Leave group chat; pick whichever you see.
Did it work? Your new chat starts.
Did Fix 2 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 2. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Fix 3: Get your account in good standing
Reddit says that even if your account isn’t new, it needs to be in good standing to send more chat invites.
- Verify your email address. See add an email to your Reddit account.
- Contribute positively to Reddit communities.
- Avoid having content or your account actioned (removed or penalized). Reddit says accounts in good standing haven’t had their content or account recently actioned.
Our note: if your posts, comments and chats all seem invisible, your account may be flagged for spam: see Reddit account flagged or banned.
Did it work? Your email shows as verified, and you can send chat invites again.
Did Fix 3 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 3. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Fix 4: The other person has chat turned off
Reddit says the other user may have chat disabled.
- There’s nothing you can change on your side. Our tip: reply to their posts or comments instead, if that’s appropriate.
- To check your own setting: on a computer, go to your privacy settings (reddit.com/settings/privacy) under Social interactions. In the app, go to your account settings under Safety.
Did it work? Your own chat setting is on, so others can reach you.
Did Fix 4 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 4. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Someone’s messages aren’t showing? Check Requests
Reddit says that when a new person messages you in chat, you get one message request in Requests, and their other messages are held back until you accept. You can also ignore requests. Requests Reddit thinks may be spam go to a separate Additional requests section.
- On reddit.com: select Requests at the top left of the chat window; requests are listed on the right. For hidden ones, select Additional requests at the top of the list.
- In the app: tap Requests on the middle navigation bar, then Additional requests at the top of the list for hidden ones.
Our tip: be careful accepting requests from strangers, especially anyone offering “account recovery”, money or prizes. Want to report a request? Reddit says don’t select Ignore, because that makes the message go away: see report a chat message.
A chat vanished from your inbox? It may be hidden
Reddit says you can hide a direct (one-to-one) chat to remove it from your inbox, or mute its notifications. Hiding doesn’t delete the chat or stop new messages: it comes back when either of you sends another message.
- Hide a chat: on reddit.com, open it, select the gear icon, then Hide chat. In the app, swipe left on it and tap Hide.
- Bring a hidden chat back: visit the other person’s profile and select Start Chat. Reddit says your existing conversation returns to your inbox.
- Stop someone messaging you: Reddit says to block them.
Muted a chat and now missing its messages? Our note: muting only silences notifications, so check the chat itself.
Old private messages gone? They’re in the archive
Reddit says your old private messages are kept read-only in an archive in your notifications inbox. You can copy, report or delete them, but not reply. New direct conversations use Chat. The archive holds up to your 1,000 most recent private messages.
- On reddit.com: open your inbox with the bell icon, then select the archive icon at the top.
- In the app: tap Inbox at the bottom, then the overflow menu > Private message archive. It opens on the web.
- Use a message’s overflow menu to copy, report or delete it. Reddit says deleting only removes it from your view.
Reddit says private messages from people you’ve blocked are no longer hidden by default in the archive, but you can delete them.
Find and organize your chats
- Filter by type (direct chats, group chats, mod mail): select the filter icon.
- Unread only: on reddit.com, select the filter icon and turn on Unread. In the app, scroll left on the middle navigation bar and tap Unread.
- Mark everything read: select the mark-read icon, then Mark All as Read.
- Pin up to five chats to the top: on reddit.com, hover over a chat and select the pin icon; in the app, swipe right and tap Pin (or Unpin).
- Link to a message: every chat message has a permanent link. On reddit.com, hover and select the link icon; in the app, long-press the message and select the link icon.
Why you can’t send an image in a chat invite
Reddit says that for safety reasons, you can’t send images in chat invites. Once the other person accepts your invite, you can send images.
Our tip: send a short text message first, and add the image after they reply.
Still stuck?
Reddit suggests asking in r/help (reddit.com/r/help). Someone may have had the same question, or a Reddit administrator or another member may answer a new one.
How to know it worked
- You can start a new chat, and you can send images once your invite is accepted.
Still not working? Your next steps
- Posts, comments and chats all invisible to others? See Reddit account flagged or banned.
- Want to delete messages you sent? See deleting Reddit chat messages.
Official help routes
SocialAppFix can’t see or change your account. For account decisions, recovery and appeals, only the platform’s own tools can help. These links go to the official sites.
- Reddit Help: Why can’t I start a chat or send an image?Reddit (external site, opens in a new tab)
- Reddit Help: How do I manage my chat conversations?Reddit (external site, opens in a new tab)
- Reddit Help: Accessing existing private messages (private message archive)Reddit (external site, opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I start a chat on Reddit?
Reddit lists four reasons: you’ve hit the daily limit of chat invites, you have too many active chats, your account isn’t established enough, or the other person has chat disabled.
How long until a new Reddit account can chat?
Reddit says you might need to wait a few days after creating your account to send a chat invite, and your limit will likely increase over time.
Why can’t I send a picture in a Reddit chat?
Reddit says you can’t send images in chat invites for safety reasons. You can send them once the other person accepts.
How do I turn Reddit chat on or off?
On a computer, in your privacy settings under Social interactions. In the app, in your account settings under Safety.
How do I leave a Reddit group chat?
On reddit.com, open it, select the gear icon, then Leave group chat. In the app, swipe left on it and tap Leave. You can only rejoin if a member re-invites you.
Why can’t I see someone’s Reddit chat messages?
If they’re new to you, Reddit holds their messages until you accept their chat request in Requests. Possible spam goes to Additional requests.
Where did my old Reddit private messages go?
Reddit says they’re in a read-only archive in your notifications inbox (up to your 1,000 most recent). You can copy, report or delete them, but not reply.
How do I get a hidden Reddit chat back?
Visit the other person’s profile and select Start Chat. Reddit says the existing conversation returns to your inbox.
Did this solve your problem?
Your answer stays in your browser — nothing is sent or stored. The “tell us” link opens your own email app.
Out of date or didn’t work? Email us — never include passwords or codes.
Sources and how we checked this guide
We base steps on the platforms’ own help pages and the phone makers’ official guides. Menu names change often and can differ by device, app version and region. Where a platform page could not be independently read, we link it so you can check the current wording yourself.
- Why can’t I start a chat or send an image? (external site, opens in a new tab)
- How do I manage my chat conversations? (external site, opens in a new tab)
- Accessing existing private messages (private message archive) (external site, opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed 10 November 2026 by the SocialAppFix editorial team against the sources above. Next scheduled review: 10 May 2027. Editor: Michael Michael. How we write and review guides.
What changed
- 10 November 2026: First published.
SocialAppFix is an independent guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Reddit. We never ask for passwords, login codes or payment to fix an account.