# The DMs inbox

> Read and answer Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp messages, and link customers to their Shopify orders.

Source: https://brandwise.ai/help/dms/dms-inbox
Last updated: 2026-09-30

The DMs inbox collects direct messages from your connected Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp accounts. Open it from **Social Inbox > DMs**. You need the **View comments & DMs** permission to see it, and **Manage comments & DMs** to reply or make changes.

## Views

| View | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Open** | Every conversation that isn't archived or spam |
| **Unread** | Conversations you haven't read |
| **Needs Reply** | Conversations the AI flagged as needing an answer |
| **Assigned to me** | Conversations assigned to you |
| **Archived** | Conversations you archived |
| **Spam** | Conversations marked as spam |

## Search, filter, and sort

Use **Search conversations** at the top of the list. Click the filter button to narrow by **Page**, **Assignee**, or **Smart label**, and use the sort button to switch between **Newest first** and **Oldest first**. To keep a set of filters, click **Save**, name it, and it appears under **Views** in the sidebar.

## Working on conversations

Hover a conversation to mark it read or unread, assign it, or archive it. Open it to use the same actions from the top bar, plus a Smart Label and **Mark as spam**. To act on several at once, tick their checkboxes.

## Replying

Type in the box and click **Send**. You can also:

- Click the sparkles button to **Generate AI response**. See [Generating AI replies](https://brandwise.ai/help/ai-knowledge-base/generating-replies).
- Attach one file up to 5 MB. Facebook and WhatsApp take an image, video, audio file, or document. Instagram takes an image, video, or audio file.
- Click **Translate** to put your reply into the customer's language.

If an automation left a draft, the box is already filled in and marked **AI draft**. Edit and send it, or discard it from the chip.

A DM that started from a comment shows an **In reply to a comment** card. Click it to open that comment.

> **Note:** Platforms limit how late you can reply. Facebook and Instagram allow 7 days after the customer's last message. WhatsApp allows 24 hours. After that the reply box is locked.

## Link a Shopify customer

With a Shopify store connected, you can see a DM sender's orders:

1. Open the conversation and click **More actions**.
2. Choose **Link to Shopify customer**.
3. Search by order number, for example #1001, and pick the order.
4. Click **Link customer**.

A panel opens on the right with the customer's details, orders, and notes. For each order you can:

| Action | When it shows |
|---|---|
| **Cancel order** | Unfulfilled orders |
| **Update address** | Unfulfilled orders |
| **Refund** | Paid orders. Choose **Whole order**, **Some items**, or **An amount** |
| **Replacement** | Paid orders. Ships the same items again at no charge |

Cancelling and refunding need the **Process Shopify refunds** permission. To undo the link, click the unlink button in the panel.

## Analytics

**Analytics > Comments** includes DMs answered by AI, and the team table shows **DM replies** and **AI DMs** per member.