Threads is expanding its desktop experience with a feature users have been asking for: messaging on the web. Meta announced Tuesday that Threads is now rolling out one-on-one and group chats for people who use the platform from a computer, bringing its web version closer in functionality to other major social networks where direct messaging is a core part of daily use.
According to Connor Hayes, Meta’s head of Threads, web-based messaging quickly became the most requested upgrade after Threads introduced direct messages in July 2025. He noted that many of the platform’s most engaged users spend longer sessions on Threads while working at their desks, making a full-featured web inbox an important step for the app’s growth as a conversation-first network.
With this rollout, the Threads web app now includes a dedicated Messages tab that opens your DM inbox, plus a Requests section to review incoming messages from people you don’t already chat with. Threads is also adding practical inbox tools on desktop, including message search and a faster way to start a new conversation, making it easier to manage chats without switching back to mobile.
The move isn’t entirely unexpected. Hayes previously hinted that messaging was headed to the web version earlier this year, and the timing reflects just how central DMs have become to Threads. While the platform launched without native direct messages, messaging is now a major driver of engagement. Meta says people are sending 30% more messages per week since the start of the year, with Threads now averaging roughly 350 million direct messages every week.
Threads has been steadily adding new features since its 2023 debut as it competes for attention in a crowded social media landscape. One of its newest additions is Live Chats, a real-time group conversation format designed around major cultural moments and live events.
Live Chats are launching first inside the NBA community on Threads during the playoffs. These chats support messages, photos, videos, links, and emoji reactions, aiming to replicate the fast-moving feel of live commentary while keeping the discussion in one place. Up to 150 participants can actively post messages in a Live Chat at once. After that limit is reached, others can still follow along in a spectator mode, where they can view the conversation, react to posts, and take part in polls.
Together, web messaging and Live Chats signal where Threads is heading next: deeper, more interactive conversations that go beyond simple posts and replies. By improving direct messaging on desktop and introducing event-driven group discussions, Threads is positioning itself as a place to talk in real time, whether you’re on your phone or logged in from your computer.
