Moodle Help & Support
Applies to Moodle 3.4 from September 2018
How to use the instant message system in Moodle
There is an internal "instant" message system inside Moodle and there are a number of ways in which it can be used.
You can send a message by using
- the Messages page (by dropping down your personal menu by clicking on your name at the top right of Moodle and selecting Messages)
- by clicking on the profile of another user (wherever you can see profiles)
If you are an editing teacher you can also send a message to one or more participants in your module by using the People (Participants) block
Sending messages
To send a message to an individual
Drop down your personal menu from your name or icon on the top right of the Moodle page and click Messages
Select Contacts at the bottom left of the message window
Select
- Type into the Search for a user or course box button to find a person (use their full name, with % as a wildcard if necessary)
- You can also search for a course and pick a person on that course.
Once a person's name comes up you can:
- view your message history with them
To send a message Click a name:
- Type the message in the Write a message box at the bottom of the screen and click the Send button
- This screen also shows your more recent messages from and to the person
Once you are in the message page for a user, you can click on their name at the top
and you can Send a message, block contact or Add as a contact
To read and reply to a message
If you can see a message popping up:
- click the envelope icon (with the number of messages)
- Type your reply into the box and then click on the Send a message button.
- If you receive a popup notification of a message, click Go to message to read and reply to it.
If you know you have a message, or to check if you have messages:
- Drop down your personal menu from your name or icon on the top right of the Moodle page
- Select Messages from the menu
- Click Messages towards the bottom left
A list of messages will appear ordered by date and listing name of sender/recipient
- OR search for a keyword in the Search messages box
- Click on the name of the person to see all messages to and from them
To send a message or reply to a message
Type into the Write a message box and click Send
To send a message to selected course participants (for teachers and editing teachers only)
- In your Click on the Participants link in the People block on the course page.
- Select participants from the list or use the "Select all" button at the bottom of the list.
- Choose "Add/send message" from the "With selected users..." drop-down menu.
- Type the message then click the "Preview" button.
- Assuming you are satisfied with the message, click the "Send" button.
People may be added to your list of contacts (or blocked from contacting you) by clicking the Add contact(or Block contact) icon under their name in the Messages window.
By default the contact list is empty. In order to send a message or to create a shortcut to the person you are sending, search for them in the search box.
Message history
A record of messages sent to/from a person may be obtained by searching for them,
then clicking the "Message history" icon by their name.
When are messages sent via email?
To enable messages to be sent via email, a user should select "email" in the Messaging setting of their profile for instant messages. They can select whether to have emails sent when online or offline or both.
- In the Messages page
- Under Administration, click Messages
- Set Personal messages between users
for "When I'm logged in" and "when I'm offline"- For each you have the choice of
- via "Email" and
- via "Popup notification"
How can I view all my messages?
Go to Your personal menu > Messages
Click on the drop-down box (default set to Contacts) and change it to Recent Conversations
This will show you all the messages you've recently sent and received.