# Social Inbox

> Read and reply to comments, mentions and direct messages from all your channels in one place.

Last updated: 2026-10-23 | Canonical: https://omnisocials.com/help-center/engagement/social-inbox

The Social Inbox collects comments, mentions and direct messages from your connected channels, so you can answer them without opening each app. This article covers what the inbox includes, how to find conversations, and how to reply.

## What the inbox includes

- **Instagram**: direct messages, comments and mentions.
- **Facebook**: direct messages, comments and mentions.
- **LinkedIn**: comments and mentions on your LinkedIn Page. LinkedIn profiles aren't included.
- **TikTok**: comments on your videos.
- **YouTube**: comments on your videos.
- **X**: direct messages, once you turn on X DMs.
- **Threads**: replies to your posts and mentions.

Telegram and Discord aren't part of the inbox.

The inbox shows the selected workspace's channels. To see a channel here, connect it first. To learn how, see [Connect your channels](/help-center/getting-started/connecting-platforms).

Two platforms need one extra step:

- To receive Instagram post mentions and tagged comments, also connect the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account.
- To see TikTok comments, click **Enable comments** on your TikTok channel card. TikTok comments are a separate authorization from your TikTok connection.

You need the **Use the social inbox** permission to use the inbox.

## Open the inbox

Click **Social Inbox** in the sidebar. The number next to it shows your unread conversations.

The conversation list is on the left and the open conversation on the right. New messages appear as they arrive, and a notification pops up when a message comes in for another conversation.

The list has two kinds of rows:

- **A direct message** shows the person: their picture with the platform's icon, their name and their last message.
- **Comments and mentions** are grouped per post. The row shows the post's picture and caption, the last people who commented, and how many comments are new, for example **2 new**.

An unread conversation has a bold title and a blue dot, or the **N new** label on a post. The time on the right shows how long ago the last message came in, for example **14m**, **3h** or **Yesterday**.

![The Social Inbox in OmniSocials: the All, Unread, Comments and DMs tabs over one list of DMs, comments and mentions from Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads, with an Instagram DM open and a reply typed in the reply box.](https://cdn.omnisocials.com/file/omnisocials-website-assets/help-center/engagement/social-inbox/inbox.webp)

## Find a conversation

Use the tabs above the list:

- **All**: every conversation.
- **Unread**: only conversations with unread messages. The number next to it shows how many.
- **Comments**: only comment threads.
- **DMs**: only direct messages.

To search, click the search button next to **Social Inbox** and type in **Search names, messages, posts**. The search looks at names, usernames, messages and post captions. Click **Cancel** or press Escape to close the search.

To filter:

1. Click the filter button next to the search button.
2. Under **Message type**, choose one or more types: **DMs**, **Comments**, **Mentions**, **Story mentions**, **Likes** or **Shares**. **All messages** shows every type.
3. Under **Platform**, choose one or more platforms. **All platforms** shows every platform.

Every click filters the list at once, and the menu stays open so you can pick several options. A blue dot on the filter button shows that a filter is on.

![The Social Inbox filter menu open: Message type (All messages, DMs, Comments, Mentions, Story mentions, Likes, Shares) and Platform (All platforms, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, X, Threads) with Comments and Instagram checked, and the X DMs switch below.](https://cdn.omnisocials.com/file/omnisocials-website-assets/help-center/engagement/social-inbox/filters.webp)

## Open a conversation

Click a row to open it. Opening a conversation marks all of it as read, including every new comment on a post.

The top of the conversation shows what it is about:

- For a direct message: the person, their username and platform, and **View profile** to open their profile on the platform. LinkedIn doesn't share profile links, so LinkedIn has no **View profile**.
- For comments: **Comments on your post** (or reel, or video), the platform and the number of comments, and **Open post** to open the post on the platform.

To come back to a conversation later, click **Mark as unread** (the envelope button at the top). The conversation closes and shows as unread in the list again.

## Reply to a direct message

1. Click the conversation.
2. Type your reply in the box at the bottom.
3. Press Enter or click the send button.

In Instagram and Facebook direct messages you can also attach an image or a video: a JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, MP4 or MOV file under 25MB. Other platforms take text replies only.

> **Note:** Instagram and Facebook only let you answer a direct message within 24 hours of the person's last message. After that, answer it in the Instagram or Facebook app. Replies you send in those apps also show in the inbox.

## Reply to a comment or mention

Comments and mentions open as one thread: a card with the post and its caption, and the comments below it. A line marked **N new** shows where the comments you haven't seen start, and new comments have a blue dot.

The reply box opens under the newest comment that still waits for your answer. To answer another comment:

1. Click **Reply** under the comment.
2. Type your reply in the box that opens under it.
3. Press Enter or click the send button. Press Escape to close the box.

Replies are public on the platform and are posted as your connected account, which the line under the thread names. When someone mentions your Facebook Page or your Threads account, click **Comment on this post** on the card to comment on their post.

What you can do under a comment depends on the platform:

| Platform | Reply | Like | Hide | Delete |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Facebook | Any comment | Yes | Yes | Yes, your own comments too |
| Instagram | Top-level comments | No | Yes | Yes |
| LinkedIn | Top-level comments | Yes | No | No |
| TikTok | Top-level comments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube | Top-level comments | No | Yes | No |
| Threads | Any reply | No | Yes | No |

A few platforms have their own rules:

- **TikTok** replies are text only, up to 150 characters, and can take a few minutes to appear on TikTok.
- **Threads** replies can be up to 500 characters.
- **LinkedIn** replies are posted as your LinkedIn Page. LinkedIn doesn't share who commented, so commenters show as **Private account**.
- **Facebook** doesn't let apps reply to comments on posts from personal profiles. Use **Open on Facebook** to reply there.

If a comment-to-DM automation already answered a comment, the comment shows which automation sent the DM.

## Hide or delete comments

You can moderate comments on your own posts from the comment thread:

- **Hide** a comment on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Threads. A hidden comment shows a **Hidden** label. **Unhide** shows it again.
- **Delete** a comment on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. This removes it from the platform and can't be undone, so OmniSocials asks you to confirm first.

## Turn on X DMs

X DMs are off by default, because X charges for every message. While they're on, each received DM uses 1 credit and each reply uses 2 credits.

1. Open the Social Inbox.
2. Switch on **X DMs** in the card above the conversation list, or at the bottom of the filter menu.

Turning on X DMs uses your organization's credits, so it needs someone with billing access and a balance of at least 25 credits. If X was connected before, OmniSocials may ask you to reconnect X to grant the DM permissions. When your credit balance runs out, X DMs pause. Add credits on the Billing page and switch X DMs on again. To learn more, see [Billing and subscription](/help-center/organization/billing).

## Troubleshooting

- **Social Inbox isn't in your sidebar**: ask your organization's owner or an admin for a role with the **Use the social inbox** permission.
- **Instagram post mentions are missing**: connect the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account.
- **TikTok comments are missing**: click **Enable comments** on your TikTok channel card.
- **Threads replies are missing or a reply fails**: filter the inbox on Threads and click **Sync**. If OmniSocials asks you to, reconnect Threads to grant the replies permission.
- **A search or filter shows nothing**: click **Clear search** or **Clear filters** in the empty list, or open the **All** tab.

## Up next

- [Approval workflows](/help-center/engagement/approval-workflow)
- [Analytics dashboard](/help-center/analytics/dashboard)