Private Message

Private Chat is a chat interface button that displays the current private chat mode. Left clicking the button toggles the dialogue window to only show private messages. To see all messages the player must click the All button. Also, pressing the Tab key will show your most recent message(s).

Right clicking the button allows the player to choose the Private chat mode. Modes include:

On - Anyone can private message the player, except people on the player's ignore list. Friends - Only the player's friends and Jagex moderators can private message the player. Other players will see the player as offline in their friends list. Off - Only Jagex moderators can private message the player. All players will see the player as offline in their friends list.

This is usually used to avoid other people talking to you by switching the private chat to off. Prior to 14 November 2001, players had four privacy controls, public chat, private chat, trade, and online status. Whether players appeared online was determined by the "online status" setting, not private chat. Be careful when turning private chat "On" because anyone who adds you, whether they're your friend or not can contact you via private messages.

When a player logs in or out, all their friends are notified. Splitting private chat The button to "split private chat" i.e. have it displayed in cyan characters above the message box, and not in red characters in the message box, is located in the Game Options part of the Runescape control panel.

On 25 May 2010, the option to change the colour of your split private chat was added. To change the colour, click on "Split Private Chat" in the options menu.