---
key: send-a-text-message
title: Send a text message
audience: staff
section: communications/text
routes: ["/communications/text", "/communications/text/new"]
permissions: ["communications.message.send"]
features: ["communications.sms"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Start a text to a customer or a group from the Text page, pick the line it sends from, attach a photo or PDF, schedule it, and send it.
keywords: [sms, text a customer, new text, group text, mms, send photo by text, schedule a text, canned response, texting, quiet hours, stop]
related: [manage-a-text-conversation, star-save-or-check-a-text-message, manage-text-conversation-details, find-a-conversation-across-channels]
---

In the sidebar, open **Communications**, then **Text**. The page address is `/communications/text`. A new text starts at `/communications/text/new`. The page title reads **Text Conversations**.

## Before you start

- Your organization needs a phone line that can text. With no line at all, the page reads **No text numbers connected**. If no line is ready to text yet, Nova says **No verified text-ready phone lines are configured.**
- Your role needs permission to send messages. Without it, **Start chat** is missing and a conversation reads **You do not have permission to send messages.** Files and videos need their own permissions.

## Steps

1. Press **Start chat** at the top of the conversation list. The **New conversation** panel opens.
2. Leave **Direct** selected to text one person, or press **Group** to text several people at once.
3. Check the line next to **With**, under the **To** box: the text goes out from that number. Press it to choose another. Do this first; picking a person starts the conversation.
4. In **To**, type a name or a phone number. Before you type, **Top contacts** lists people from your recent conversations.
5. For one person, press them in the results, press Enter after a phone number, or press **Start conversation**.
6. For a group, add each person the same way (or type a number and press **Add**), type a **Group name** if you like, then press **Start group**. A group holds up to ten people.
7. The conversation opens with the cursor in the message box, which reads **SMS/MMS message**. Type your message. Shift+Enter starts a new line.
8. To attach something, press the plus button (**Add attachment**), then **Upload image, PDF, or MP4 video**, or **From Nova** for a file already saved in Nova. You can also drag a file onto the message box.
9. Press Enter or the send button (**Send**).

## What you see

- Open a supported attachment to preview it. **Previous file** and **Next file** move through the available files, including images, PDFs, Word documents, audio and videos. The counter shows your position. Left and right keyboard arrows also move between files when you are not using a media control. On a phone, use the same buttons; images can also be swiped when fitted to the screen. Word documents may take a moment to prepare.

- Beside the message box, **Insert canned response** adds a saved reply, **Schedule send** picks a time (a suggestion, or **Pick date and time** and **Done**), and **Choose send from line** changes the sending number. On a phone they sit under the plus button (**More actions**).
- A scheduled time shows above the box and the send button then schedules the text. The cross beside it (**Clear scheduled send**) cancels the schedule.
- Each line keeps its own conversation with a customer, so choosing another line opens (or starts) the conversation on that line.
- To check whether a text was delivered, see [[star-save-or-check-a-text-message]].
- When this conversation sends by RCS only, the box reads **RCS message**.

## If something looks different

- **Texting is off**: texting is turned off for this number on the contact. If your role can edit contact details, press **Enable & send** (**Enable & retry** in the new-conversation panel).
- **Number not verified**: press **Send code**, type the code the customer receives, and press **Verify & send**. A role allowed to skip verification can pick a reason and press **Manual verify & send**.
- **Choose the primary contact**: several contacts share this number. Pick one and press **Set primary & send**.
- A note under the message box says the customer has stopped text messages from your business: they replied STOP. Ask them to reply START to your number. Nobody can override this.
- A note starts with "Compliance block": the contact has opted out, has not given the consent this line requires, or it is quiet hours. If your role can manage conversations, the shield button (**Message policy overrides**) offers **Consent override** and **Quiet-hours override**; turn one on and send again. Some lines hold quiet-hours texts and send them afterwards.
- **Start group** is greyed out: add at least two people.

[[route:/communications/text/new|Start a new text]]