This guide covers the message-level actions available in Inbox, including text messages, attachments, Saved replies, voice messages, scheduled messages, internal notes, and AI-assisted messaging tools. Some options may vary depending on the channel you are sending from or the features enabled for your workspace.
The message text box at a glance
When you open a conversation in Inbox, the message text box appears at the bottom of the screen.
It includes two tabs:
Tab |
Who can see it |
Use it to |
Reply |
Your contact |
Send customer-facing messages |
Add note |
Your team only |
Leave internal notes that contacts cannot see |
Before typing your message, make sure you have selected the correct tab.
If a contact is reachable on more than one channel, you can use the channel selector next to the tabs to choose which channel to send from.
Note: The content types and tools available in the message text box may differ depending on the selected tab and channel. Refer to our Help Center article on Supported and unsupported message type.
Reply to contacts
Use the “Reply” tab to send messages directly to a contact.
Send a text message
Type your message in the message text box.
You can:
- Press “Enter” to send the message
- Press “Shift + Enter” to start a new line without sending
Text message character limits depend on the channel you are sending from. Refer to our Help Center article on Supported and unsupported message types.
Note: Emojis count toward the character limit of the selected channel. There is no separate emoji limit.
Add emojis
Click the
icon in the message toolbar to open the emoji picker. Select an emoji to insert it into your message.
Emojis count as part of your message text and are included in the character limit of the selected channel.
Attach files
You can attach files to a reply in several ways:
- Click the
icon in the message toolbar to select files from your device’s file browser - Drag and drop files into the message text box
- Paste files from your clipboard
General upload limits apply across channels:
Limit |
Value |
Maximum files per upload |
10 files |
Maximum size per file |
25 MB |
Maximum total upload size |
100 MB |
Supported attachment types may include:
- Images
- Videos
- Audio files
- Documents, such as .PDF, .DOCX, .XLSX, .PPTX files
- Stickers in .WebP format
Note: Supported file types and size limits may vary by channel. Refer to our Help Center article on Supported and unsupported message types.
Insert a Saved reply
Saved replies are pre-written responses your team can reuse for common questions.
To insert a Saved reply:
- In the “Reply” tab, type / at the start of the message text box.
- Search or browse the list of Saved replies.
- Select a Saved reply to insert it into your message.
If the Saved reply includes an attachment, the attachment is inserted with the Saved reply.
Saved replies are managed in Settings. Contact your workspace admin if you need a new Saved reply added. Refer to our Help Center article on creating and managing Saved replies.
Send a voice message
If the selected channel supports voice messages, you can record and send audio from the message toolbar.
To send a voice message:
- Click the
icon in the message toolbar. - Record your message.
- Review the recording.
- Send the voice message.
Voice messages can be up to 16 MB. This limit applies to both recorded and uploaded audio messages.
Note: Voice messages are not available on every channel. If you do not see the microphone icon, the selected channel may not support voice messages. Refer to our Help Center article on Supported and unsupported message types.
Reply to a specific message
You can quote an earlier message when replying. This helps the contact understand which message you are responding to.
To reply to a specific message:
- Hover over the message you want to reply to.
- Click the
icon next to the message - Select “Reply”.
The quoted message appears above the message text box.
Schedule a message
You can schedule a reply to be sent later instead of sending it immediately. Scheduled messages are available for replies only. You cannot schedule internal notes.
To schedule a message:
- Compose your message in the Reply tab.
- Click the
icon next to the Send button. - Choose one of the preset times, or select Custom schedule.
- If you select Custom schedule, choose a future date and time.
Preset schedule options include:
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
- 15 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 45 minutes
- 1 hour
For custom schedules, the selected time must be at least 1 minute in the future.
After a message is scheduled, it appears in the conversation with the scheduled send time. It also appears in the banner above the message text box, so you can quickly see that there is a scheduled message in the conversation.
To cancel a scheduled message:
- Hover over the scheduled message.
- Click the
icon next to the scheduled message - Select “Cancel schedule”.
- A warning message will appear. Confirm to cancel the scheduled message
Important: Scheduled messages still follow the rules of the selected channel. If a message is scheduled outside the allowed messaging window, it may fail to send. For channel-specific messaging window rules, see the related article for that channel.
Send product catalog items or payment links
If your workspace has commerce features enabled, you may see additional commerce options in the message toolbar.
Depending on your setup, you can:
- Use Product catalog to browse products, add items to a cart, and share product details with a contact
- Use Payment links to generate and send a payment link in the conversation
These options appear only when the relevant integrations, such as Shopify, a custom catalog, Stripe, or SleekPay, are set up for your company.
To learn more about sending payment links through Shopify, see Shopify integration: Payment.
Leave internal notes for your team
Use the “Add note” tab to leave internal notes in a conversation. Internal notes are visible only to your team. Contacts cannot see them.
Internal notes are useful when you need to:
- Document important context
- Hand off a conversation to another teammate
- Record follow-up details
- Flag something for internal review
Add a text note
Type your note in the message text box.
You can:
- Press “Enter” to add the note
- Press “Shift + Enter” to start a new line without adding the note
Mention a teammate
You can mention teammates in an internal note to notify them.
To mention a teammate:
- Type @ followed by the teammate’s name.
- Select the teammate from the list.
- Finish writing your note.
- Add the note.
Mentioned teammates receive a notification. They can also find the conversation under “Mentions” in the Inbox sidebar.
Note: @mentions are available in internal notes only. Contacts cannot see internal notes or teammate mentions.
Attach files to a note
You can attach files to internal notes using the same methods as replies:
- Click the paperclip icon
- Drag and drop files into the message text box
- Paste files from your clipboard
General upload limits apply:
Limit |
Value |
Maximum files per upload |
10 files |
Maximum size per file |
25 MB |
Maximum total upload size |
100 MB |
Insert a Saved reply in a note
You can use Saved replies in internal notes.
To insert a Saved reply:
- In the “Add note” tab, type / at the start of the message text box.
- Search or browse the list of Saved replies.
- Select a Saved reply to insert it into the note.
Add emojis to a note
Click the 
icon in the message toolbar to open the emoji picker. Select an emoji to insert it into your note.
Use AI-assisted messaging tools
If AI features are enabled for your workspace, you may see AI-assisted tools in the message text box.
These tools can help you draft replies, improve written messages, and summarize conversations for your team. Available AI tools may include:
- AI Smart Reply — Generate a suggested reply based on the conversation context.
- AI Writing Assistant — Refine text you have already written, such as checking grammar, changing tone, translating, or shortening a draft.
- AI Smart Summary — Generate a summary of the conversation for internal notes or handoffs.
Note: @mentions are available in internal notes only. Contacts cannot see internal notes or teammate mentions.
To learn more about setting up and using AI messaging tools, see:
Work with existing messages
You can also take actions on messages that already appear in the conversation thread, such as replying to a specific message, forwarding a message, copying message text, or canceling a scheduled message.
Available actions may vary depending on the message type and status. For example, Cancel schedule only appears for scheduled messages that have not been sent.
To learn more about how messages work in Inbox, see How messaging works in SleekFlow Inbox.