---
title: "Rocket Chat Message Settings Guide"
slug: "message"
description: "Configure messaging settings in Rocket Chat. Ensure secure communications and compliance."
status: "update"
updated: 2026-08-11T10:01:39Z
published: 2026-08-11T18:43:14Z
canonical: "docs.rocket.chat/message"
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rocket.chat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Message Settings

Configure how messages behave in your workspace, including editing and deletion rules, link previews, attachments, audio and video recording, and math typesetting.

To access these settings, go to **Manage** → **Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message**.

> [!NOTE]
> Click **Save changes** to apply any modifications.

## General message settings

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Custom Domain Whitelist for Auto Link** | Comma-separated list of domains rendered as clickable links. For example, adding `intranet` makes `http://gitlab.intranet` clickable. Available from version 6.2. |
| **Allow Message Editing** | Allow users to edit their own messages. |
| **Block Message Editing After (n) Minutes** | Time window (in minutes) during which messages can be edited. Enter `0` for no limit. |
| **Allow Message Deleting** | Allow users to delete their own messages. |
| **Block Message Deleting After (n) Minutes** | Time window (in minutes) during which messages can be deleted. Enter `0` for no limit. |
| **Allow Unrecognized Slash Commands** | Post unknown slash commands as normal messages. If disabled, users receive a private message from `rocket.cat` stating `No such command: <command>`. |
| **Allow user direct messages to yourself** | Allow users to open a direct message with themselves. |
| **Always Search Using RegExp** | Use regular expressions for all searches. Recommended for languages not supported by [MongoDB text search.](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/text-search-languages/#text-search-languages) |
| **Show Deleted Status** | Post a system message when a message is deleted. |
| **Allow Message bad words filtering** | Filter messages using a blacklist. Configure: - **Add Bad Words to the Blacklist**: comma-separated list of words - **Remove words from the Blacklist**: remove existing entries |
| **Keep Per Message Editing History** | Store full edit history for each message. |
| **Maximum Channel Size for ALL Message** | Maximum number of users allowed in a channel for `@all` mentions. |
| **Maximum Allowed Characters Per Message** | Maximum length of a message, including webhook messages. |
| **Allow converting long messages to attachment** | Prompt users to send long messages as `.txt` file attachments. |
| **Grouping Period (in seconds)** | Time window for grouping consecutive messages from the same user. |
| **Embed Link Previews** | Generate previews for shared links. Configure: - **Embed Request User Agent**: user agent used for requests - **Embed Cache Expiration Days**: cache duration - **Embed Ignored Hosts**: hosts or CIDR ranges for which link previews are not generated. Enter hostnames without a protocol, path, port, or trailing slash. To exclude a subdomain, enter its complete hostname, for example, `subdomain.example.com`. - **Safe Ports**: allowed ports (e.g., `80, 443`) - **Embed Request default timeout (in seconds)**: request timeout. |
| **Time Format** | Time format used throughout the workspace. See [Moment.js](http://momentjs.com/docs/#/displaying/format/) for format tokens. |
| **Date Format** | Date format used throughout the workspace. See [Moment.js](http://momentjs.com/docs/#/displaying/format/) for format tokens. |
| **Time and Date Format** | Combined time and date format used throughout the workspace. See [Moment.js](http://momentjs.com/docs/#/displaying/format/) for format tokens. |
| **Maximum Number of Chained Quotes** | Maximum number of message quotes that can be nested in a single message. |
| **Hide system messages** | System-message types to hide from rooms. Select one or more from the drop-down menu. |
| **Max users in direct messages** | Maximum number of users permitted in a multi-user direct message. |
| **Message Erasure Type** | Define how messages are handled when a user is removed. Select one of the following: - **Keep Messages and User Name**: The user's message and file history is deleted from direct messages but retained in all other rooms. - **Delete All Messages**: All messages and files from the user are permanently deleted from the database, and the user can no longer be located. - **Remove link between user and messages**: All messages and files from the user are reassigned to the `rocket.cat` bot, and direct messages are deleted. |
| **Code highlighting languages list** | Comma-separated list of languages used for code highlighting. See [highlight.js](https://github.com/highlightjs/highlight.js/tree/9.18.5#supported-languages) for supported languages. |
| **Video Recorder Enabled** | Allow users to record and send video messages. Requires `video/webm` to be an accepted media type in [File Upload](https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/file-upload) settings. |
| **Allow Message Pinning** | Allow users to [pin messages](https://docs.rocket.chat/v1/docs/message-actions#pin-messages) |
| **Allow Message Starring** | Allow users to [star messages](https://docs.rocket.chat/v1/docs/message-actions#star-messages). |
| **Allow Custom Fields in Messages** | Allow messages to include custom fields via API endpoints. Custom fields can only be set through the following API endpoints: - [Update Message](https://developer.rocket.chat/apidocs/update-message) - [Post Message](https://developer.rocket.chat/apidocs/post-message) - [Send Message](https://developer.rocket.chat/reference/api/rest-api/endpoints/messaging/chat-endpoints/send-message) - [Upload File to a Room](https://developer.rocket.chat/reference/api/rest-api/endpoints/rooms/rooms-endpoints/upload-file-to-a-room) Available on workspaces from [6.8.0](https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat/releases/tag/6.8.0) onward. |
| **Custom Fields Validation** | JSON schema used to validate custom-field values. The `type` and `additionalProperties` properties are forced to `object` and `false` respectively. See [ajv.js.org](http://ajv.js.org) for schema options. Example: ```json { "properties": { "priority": { "type": "string", "nullable": false, "enum": ["low", "medium", "high"] } }, "required": ["priority"] } ``` |

## Enable hex color preview

To access this setting, go to **Manage → Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message** → **Hex Color Preview**.

When enabled, hex color codes are rendered inline as a color swatch next to the code. Use the format `color:#000000` and it will be displayed as:

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/6ae79a05-7252-45d0-96e8-8f375e07b1b2/Images/Documentation/hex color preview.png)

## Message attachment settings

To access this setting, go to **Manage → Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message** → **Message Attachments** tab.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Enable image thumbnails to save bandwidth** | When enabled, thumbnails are served in place of full-resolution images to reduce bandwidth usage. Users can still download originals using the icon next to the attachment name. - **Thumbnail's max width (in pixels)**: Maximum thumbnail width. - **Thumbnail's max height (in pixels)**: Maximum thumbnail height. |
| **Remove EXIF metadata from supported files** | When enabled, EXIF metadata is stripped from supported image files, such as `jpeg` and `tiff`. This setting is not retroactive, files uploaded while the setting was disabled retain their EXIF data. |

## Audio message settings

To access this setting, go to **Manage → Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message** → **Audio Message** tab.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Audio Recorder Enabled** | When enabled, users can record and send audio messages. |
| **Audio Message Bit Rate** | Bit rate, in kbps, used when encoding audio messages. |

## Google Maps

To access this setting, go to **Manage → Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message** → **Google Maps**.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Enable Mapview** | When enabled, a location-share button appears to the right of the chat input, allowing users to share their location in rooms. |
| **Google Static Maps API Key** | API key for the Google Maps [Static API](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/maps-static/overview). You can obtain one free of charge from the Google Developers Console. |

## Katex

To access this setting, go to **Manage → Workspace** → **Settings** → **Message** → **Katex**.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Katex Enabled** | When enabled, [KaTeX](http://khan.github.io/KaTeX/) math typesetting is allowed in messages. |
| **Allow Parenthesis Syntax** | When enabled, messages support `[katex block]` and `(inline katex)` syntax. |
| **Allow Dollar Syntax** | When enabled, messages support `$$katex block$$` and `$inline katex$` syntax. |

> [!WARNING]
> - For message read-receipt settings, see [Read Receipts](https://docs.rocket.chat/v1/docs/read-receipts).
> - For auto-translation settings, see [Auto-translate Messages](https://docs.rocket.chat/v1/docs/auto-translate-messages).