Can You DM on YouTube? Yes (…Soon!)

For years, one of the most persistent questions in the social media world has been: Can you DM on YouTube? If you have spent any amount of time managing a channel or building a community on the platform, you know the frustration. Unlike Instagram, TikTok, or even LinkedIn, YouTube has historically felt like a one-way street or a very public town square. You could post a video, and people could comment, but the ability to have a private, one-on-one conversation was stripped away years ago.

However, things are finally changing. On November 18, 2025, YouTube officially announced a major shift in its social strategy. The platform is bringing back native messaging, starting with a controlled experiment that, when officially rolled out, will improve YouTube interaction and conversion for brands and creators.

The History of the YouTube Inbox: Why It Disappeared

In 2017, YouTube introduced a native sharing and messaging feature that allowed users to chat and share videos within the mobile app. It was a bold attempt to make the platform more social. Yet, by September 2019, Google killed the feature.

At the time, the company stated that it wanted to focus on “improving public conversations” through comments, stories, and community posts. In reality, the feature suffered from low adoption and significant moderation hurdles. Because the messaging system was buried deep within the interface, many users never even knew it existed. Furthermore, the platform was facing intense pressure regarding child safety and privacy, making a private messaging feature a potential liability that the company wasn’t ready to manage at scale.

For the last six years, the lack of an inbox has forced creators and fans into a fragmented experience. If you wanted to discuss a video privately, you had to copy the link, leave the app, and paste it into WhatsApp, Instagram, or Telegram. This “friction” resulted in millions of users leaving the YouTube environment every single day.

The Big News: The 2025 Messaging Experiment

The announcement on November 18, 2025, confirmed what many had been hoping for: YouTube is ready to try again. The platform is currently testing a new way to share videos and have conversations directly within the mobile app. This is not a global rollout yet, but it is a clear signal of intent.

Who has access?

Currently, the experiment is limited to users aged 18 and above, located in Ireland and Poland. This geographic choice is strategic. Both markets have sophisticated regulatory frameworks, allowing YouTube to test the feature’s compliance with modern digital safety laws before expanding to larger territories like the United States or the rest of Europe.

What can you share?

The new feature isn’t just for text. It is built entirely around the video experience. Users in the test group can share:

• Long-form videos
• YouTube Shorts
• Live streams

This integration means that the conversation happens alongside the content, keeping users engaged within the ecosystem rather than sending them to a competing messaging app.

How to DM on YouTube: The Step-by-Step Process

If you are lucky enough to be part of the test group, or if you are preparing for the eventual global launch, you need to know how to DM on YouTube. Based on the current experiment, the workflow is designed to be much more intuitive than the 2017 version.

1. Invitations

Unlike a public comment section, you cannot simply message anyone on the platform. To maintain privacy and prevent spam, YouTube has implemented an “Invite” system.

• Tap on the notification bell in the mobile app.
• Select the new Share option.
• Generate an invite link to send to a friend.
• Once they accept, they are added to your contact list within the YouTube app.

2. Messaging Someone on YouTube

Once your contact list is established, the process of how to message someone on YouTube becomes seamless:

• While watching any video, Short, or Live stream, tap the Share button located under the player.
• A list of your YouTube contacts will appear at the top of the sharing menu.
• Select the person (or group) you wish to message.
• Type your message and hit send.

3. Managing the Conversation

The inbox is accessible via the notification area or a dedicated tab in the mobile app. Within these chats, users have the ability to unsend messages or delete entire conversations by long-pressing on the text bubble.

Privacy and Safety: The “Review” System

One of the most striking parts of the November 2025 announcement is the transparency regarding message privacy. YouTube has explicitly stated that by messaging on the platform, you accept that your conversations may be reviewed to ensure they follow Community Guidelines.

This is significantly different from the “end-to-end encryption” offered by apps like WhatsApp. YouTube’s automated systems scan messages for content that could cause real-world harm, harassment, or other policy violations. This proactive approach is likely a direct result of the lessons learned from the 2019 shutdown. For creators and brands, this means that the YouTube DMs will be a professional, moderated space, reducing the risk of the toxic interactions that often plague other social inboxes.

Why This Matters for Social Media Managers and Agencies

For those of us managing digital strategies, knowing how to message someone on YouTube has massive implications for community building and retention. Here is why you should be excited about this update.

1. Improved Retention and “Stickiness”

Every time a user leaves YouTube to share a link on another app, there is a chance they won’t come back. They might get distracted by an Instagram Reel or a message on TikTok. By keeping the conversation inside the YouTube app, the platform increases “ecosystem stickiness.” For brands, this means your audience stays focused on your content for longer periods.

2. High Quality Lead Generation

For many businesses, YouTube is the top of the funnel. You provide value through a tutorial, and then you hope the viewer clicks a link in the description. With native messaging, the “path to purchase” becomes shorter. A viewer can message a brand’s channel directly to ask a question about a product shown in a video, allowing for real-time conversion without the friction of switching platforms.

3. Private Feedback Loops

Currently, if a fan has a specific question or a piece of constructive criticism, they have to post it in the public comments. This can sometimes lead to unnecessary public drama. Native DMs allow for a “private room” where creators can handle customer service issues, coordinate collaborations, or gather detailed feedback from their most loyal “Superfans.”

4. Direct Collaboration

Agencies often struggle to coordinate with influencers across multiple platforms. If you are managing a campaign, the ability to message a creator directly on the platform where their content lives simplifies the social media workflow. You can share a specific timestamped moment of a video and discuss it within the same interface.

Utilizing Metricool to Stay Ahead

As the environment of YouTube becomes more social, the data behind your interactions becomes even more valuable. Tracking how your audience moves from a public comment to a private interaction will be the next frontier of social media analytics.

Metricool is already equipped to help you manage your YouTube presence, and as new features like native messaging become available, our platform will continue to provide the insights you need to succeed.

• Track Engagement: Monitor how your Shorts and long-form videos are performing in terms of shares and saves.
• Analyze Your Audience: Understand the demographics of your viewers to determine if the 18+ messaging restriction will affect your specific community.
• Manage Your Workflow: Use our planning tools to ensure your content is consistent, giving your audience more reasons to engage and share.

Preparing Your Strategy for the Global Rollout

While the feature is currently in a pilot phase in Ireland and Poland, it is only a matter of time before it reaches a wider audience. Here is how you should prepare your channel for the arrival of YouTube DMs.

Audit Your Community Guidelines

Since YouTube will be scanning messages for guideline violations, ensure your team is fully aware of what is and isn’t allowed. This is especially important for brands that plan to use DMs for customer support. Maintaining a professional and helpful tone will be essential to avoid being flagged by YouTube’s algorithm.

Plan for “Inbox Management”

Adding a new inbox to your social media workflow can be overwhelming. You will need to decide who is responsible for checking YouTube messages. Will it be the content creator, a dedicated community manager, or an automated system?

Create “Share-Worthy” Micro-Moments

Since the DM feature is built around sharing videos, focus on creating specific moments within your content that beg to be discussed. Use “hooks” or controversial questions that encourage a viewer to hit that Share button and start a private conversation with a friend.