Can you private message someone on Facebook without Messenger?

Quick Answer

Yes, it is possible to send a private message to someone on Facebook without using Messenger. There are a couple of different ways to do this:

Send a message through Facebook’s legacy inbox system – This allows you to send a private message directly to a person’s Facebook inbox if you are friends with them on Facebook. The recipient will get a notification about the new message.
Comment on a post and tag the person – If you tag someone in a comment on their own post, it will show up in their notifications as a private message that only they can see.

So you can privately contact someone on Facebook without needing to use the separate Messenger app, but your options are more limited compared to using Messenger.

Sending a Message Through Facebook’s Inbox

The main way to privately message someone on Facebook without Messenger is to use Facebook’s built-in inbox messaging system. This is the legacy private messaging feature that was available before Messenger existed.

Here’s how to send a private Facebook message without Messenger:

Go to the profile page of the friend you want to message. This can be accessed by searching for their name and clicking on their profile picture.
In the right sidebar of their profile, click the “Message” button.
This will open up a messenger window – type out your message in the text box at the bottom.

Hit enter or click the blue send button when you’re ready to send your message.

A notification will appear in your friend’s inbox indicating they have a new private message. They can then open it and continue the conversation by replying back to you.

The advantages of messaging directly through Facebook are:

No need to install a separate app just for messaging
Keeps all your conversations contained within Facebook
Good option if the recipient isn’t an active Messenger user

The downsides are:

More limited features compared to Messenger
Desktop-only, can’t message through Facebook mobile app

Recipient has to check Facebook inbox to see new messages

Overall, for a quick private message, sending through Facebook’s inbox can be convenient and avoids the need for the Messenger app. But Messenger provides a lot more flexibility if you want to have ongoing conversations.

Tagging Someone in a Comment

The other way to privately contact someone is by tagging them in a comment on their own post. When you tag someone, it sends them a notification and they can see the comment, but no one else can.

Here is how to send a private message through a post comment:

Go to the profile page of the person you want to privately message and find one of their posts.
Write a comment on the post as you normally would. Make sure to include @[their name] somewhere in the comment to tag them.

Once posted, the tag will send them a notification. They can click on it and see the comment, but it will be hidden from other people.

Some things to keep in mind when tagging someone in a comment:

Make sure the comment is on their own post, not someone else’s post.

The tag has to be at the beginning or end of the comment.
Keep the message short and relevant to the post so it looks like a normal comment.

Comment tagging can be useful for a quick private message about something they posted. But it’s not the best option for longer conversations since you have to do it across multiple comments.

Comparison of Facebook’s Messaging Options

Messaging Method	Pros	Cons
Facebook Inbox	No separate app required Integrated with Facebook platform	Limited features Mobile only
Tagged Comments	Quick way to privately contact Uses existing post comments	Only works for short messages Can look out of place
Messenger App	Full suite of messaging features Free stand-alone app Work across mobile & desktop	Requires installing separate app

Messenger Still Provides the Best Experience

While it’s possible to privately message people on Facebook without Messenger, overall the Messenger app still provides the best user experience and features for messaging. Here are some of the key benefits Messenger provides:

Free app: Messenger is free to download on both iOS and Android devices or use through the web browser.
Full messaging capabilities: You get all the features you expect from a messaging app, including real-time chatting, sending photos/videos, group conversations, video calls, stickers, reactions, and more.

Synced across devices: Conversations are synced across mobile and desktop, so you can seamlessly switch devices.
Extra features: Fun additions like new chat themes, AR filters, games you can play together, and more.
Larger user base: Almost everyone who uses Facebook has the Messenger app installed already, increasing the chances the recipient will see your message.

The only potential downsides are that you have to install it separately rather than having messaging built-in to Facebook, and there are occasional ads within the Messenger interface. But overall, Messenger delivers the best and most complete messaging experience.

Conclusion

While Facebook does give you a couple of options to private message outside of Messenger, they are fairly limited. Sending a direct message through Facebook’s inbox system works but is desktop-only and lacks features. Tagging someone in a comment can work for short private notes but isn’t optimal.

For the most flexible and full-featured messaging experience, downloading the free Messenger app is recommended. Messenger provides a fast, smooth messaging platform with useful extra features like group chats, video calling, stickers, and more. So while it’s possible to private message on Facebook without it, Messenger gives you the best overall user experience in most cases.