How to Send Network Messages with Net Send & Msg

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Easy steps to send network messages with CMD commands

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: June 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Can you still use net send on Windows?
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• Using the Msg Command
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• Using Net Send
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• Troubleshooting
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• Video
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• Q&A

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Net send was a command-line tool used in older versions of Windows for sending messages to other users and computers on a local network. Net send was deprecated in 2007 with the release of Windows Vista, so you won't be able to use it on any modern versions of Windows. Fortunately, the built-in net send alternative, another command-line tool called msg, is just as easy to use as net send was. In this article, we'll explain what happened to net send in Windows, how to send network messages with msg, and how to use net send on older networks. We'll also help you troubleshoot common errors you may run into with the msg command.

Net Send: What to Know

• While net send is no longer available in modern versions of Windows, you can use a built-in replacement called msg.
• The syntax for msg is: msg @[username] /server:[SERVERNAME] [message].
• The msg command is not available on Home editions of Windows.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Can you still use net send on Windows?

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1. 
   The net send command was removed from Windows beginning with Windows Vista. Unless you're using Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or earlier, you can't send a message on your Windows network with net send. Instead, use the msg command, its official replacement. However, msg is not available on Home editions of Windows.
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Section 2 of 4:

Send Network Messages with the Msg Command

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1. 
   1
   Check if your version of Windows supports the msg command. The msg command replaces a lot of the functionality of the discontinued net send command. Unfortunately, the msg command is limited to the Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows. If you are using a Home edition, you'll need to upgrade to Professional or Enterprise in order to use the msg command.

   • You can check the version of Windows you're running by opening your Windows Settings and selecting System > About.
2. 
   2
   Open the Command Prompt. Like net send, the msg command is run from the Command Prompt. To do so, press the Windows key, type cmd, and press ↵ Enter.
3. 
   3
   Start the command. Type msg and press Space. You'll be adding routing information as well as the message itself to the end of the command.
4. 
   4
   Define who you are sending the message to. The msg command has some different routing options than the old net send command:

   • msg username - Enter a username on your network to send a message to that user.
   • msg session - Enter the name of a specific session that you want to send the message to.
   • msg sessionID - Enter the number of the specific session that you want to send the message to.
   • msg /server:<servername> - Specify the server for the user or session.
   • msg @filename - Enter the name of the file that contains a list of usernames, sessions, and/or session IDs that you want to send the message to. Useful for department lists.
   • msg * - This will send the message to everyone on the server.
5. 
   5
   Define the server you want to check for recipients on (optional). If you want to send the message to someone on a different server, enter the server information after the recipient information. If you don't specify a server, the message will be sent on the current server.

   • msg * /server:servername
6. 
   6
   Set a time limit (optional). You can add a time limit to your message if you only want the message to appear for a specific period of time. The time limit modifier comes after the server information (if present).

   • msg * /time:seconds (e.g., 300 seconds for a five-minute time limit)
7. 
   7
   Type your message. Once you've set all of your options, you can add your message to the end of the command. You can also press ↵ Enter without entering a message, and you'll be prompted to type it on a separate line.

   • For example msg @salesteam /server:EASTBRANCH /time:600 Congrats everyone on exceeding your sales goal this quarter!
8. 
   8
   Send the message. Press ↵ Enter to send the message. The other users should receive it immediately.

   • The msg command is designed to send messages to terminal users, not necessarily to different Windows computers on the same network.
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Use Net Send (Legacy)

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1. 
   1
   Open the Command Prompt. If you happen to have a network of computers running a much older version of Windows (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, etc.), you can use the net send command to send messages to other computers on your network. The command is used through the Command Prompt. You can open the Command Prompt from the Start menu or by pressing ⊞ Win+R and typing "cmd".

   • Even if your computer supports net send, you cannot use it to send messages to modern versions of Windows.
2. 
   2
   Start the command. Type net send and press space. You'll be adding information to the end of the command to specify where the message goes and what it says.
3. 
   3
   Define who you are sending the message to. There are several different ways you can address the message to someone specific or to an entire group:

   • net send name - You can enter a username or computer name on your network to send the message to someone specific. If there is a space in the name, surround the name in quotes (e.g. net send "John Doe").
   • net send * - This will send the message to all of the users on your current domain or workgroup.
   • net send /domain:name - This will send the message to everyone in the specified domain or workgroup.
   • net send /users - This will send the message to all of the users currently connected to the server.
4. 
   4
   Type the message you want to send. Your message can be up to 128 characters.

   • For example - net send "John Doe" Let's meet up in 10 minutes.
5. 5
   Send the message. Once you're finished typing the message, press ↵ Enter to send it. The recipient will receive the message in a Windows dialog box, as long as they are logged in and connected to the network.
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Section 4 of 4:

Troubleshooting

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1. 1
   You get the error "'msg' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." This error will appear if you try to use the msg command on a version of Windows that doesn't come with msg. If you're using Windows Home edition instead of Professional, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, or Server, you cannot use this command.
2. 2
   You see "Error 5 getting session names" or "Error 1825 getting session names" on msg. There was a problem communicating with the recipient. You may be able to fix this problem by opening the Registry Editor on the recipient's computer, navigating to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server", and changing "AllowRemoteRPC" from "0" to "1".
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• Question

  It says access denied. Why?

  

  Community Answer

  The reason that access denied is showing is because either the device you are trying to connect to has rejected your connection or you are not running CMD under administrator.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  How do I send messages using windows 10?

  

  Community Answer

  Net Send is not supported on Windows 10. However, there are other messaging services on the internet.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  How do I change the value of "AllowRemoteRPC" from 0 to 1?

  

  Community Answer

  Hold WINDOWS + R. Type in "regedit" (without quotation marks). Using the file tree on the left, navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" and find "AllowRemoteRPC". Right-click and click Modify, then change the current value to 1 if it isn't already.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 24 Helpful 31

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