Threads is testing a shortcut to quickly start DM conversations

Threads is testing a shortcut to make it easier to communicate directly with someone, the Meta-owned company announced Thursday. Users participating in the test can type “DM me” or “Message me” in a post or reply to automatically generate a hyperlink that invites others to start a private conversation with them.

Tapping the shortcut will take you to a direct messaging conversation with the person. If you follow each other, the message will go straight to their primary inbox. If you don’t follow each other, the message will be filtered through your Message Requests folder to prevent spam.

The company says that the new shortcut eliminates the need to go to a person’s profile to start a direct conversation with them.

While Threads has been late to introducing a native DM feature, this latest move indicates that the social network is looking to make messaging a more central part of its platform, as it works to reduce the number of steps you take to start a conversation.

The new feature is rolling out to select users in the US and Canada. As with any other experimental feature, it’s unknown when or if Threads plans to roll out the feature more widely.

The DM shortcut is just one of many new features rolled out to Threads in recent months. The social network recently introduced an AI-powered feature that allows users to customize their feed, and the ability to share posts directly to Instagram Story without leaving the app. Additionally, Threads was spotted exploring games within Messages last month.

The new additions come as a recent report from market intelligence firm Sameweb noted that Threads now surpasses X in daily mobile usage. Although X still dominates Threads on the web, the Threads mobile app for iOS and Android has continued to see an increase in daily active users over the past few months.

The report revealed that Threads had 141.5 million daily active users on mobile as of January 7, 2026, while X had 125 million daily active users.