Tip: Send a message to PC screen on the same LAN

There’s a cool little trick to do when in a LAN (local area network) where multiple of PC-s are conneted to the same network. You can send a closeable computer message to a PC in the same network as yours using only the command line.

The message looks like this on the receiving computer.

How to send a command line message to another PC on the network?

1. Start command prompt (cmd) – type cmd in the searchbox and run the app

2. Type the command as follows:

msg /SERVER:DestinationPC * /TIME:60 “This is the message to be sent to a PC named DestinationPC and closes in 60 seconds.”

– Replace DestinationPC with your destination PC name (see your computer network for the list of computers in that network if you don’t know the name pf the PC you are trying to send the message to.

– Replace the value of TIME with desired seconds before the message closes

– Replace the text between quotation marks with the message text you want to be displayed.

3. Hit enter and voila, the message is sent.

That’s how you send a message to another PC straight to desktop in the same network as you!

Cool little trick and fun too, if you’d like to send a message let’s say to all workers in your company or all teachers in a small school or just the kid playing a PC game to tell him/her the dinner’s served.

Works in Windows 10. Enjoy!

If that doesn’t work for you…

If that doesn’t work for you, there’s also a handy utility called LAN Messenger https://messenger.softros.com that you can try. It’s a collaboration tool made by software company Softros that works with Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10. They also offer Android and Mac versions of the app, ensuring that it’ll work with any mix of network computers and mobile devices.

How Does It Work?

Softros designed this app for convenience and security. When you install it onto two or more network workstations, each copy establishes a peer-to-peer connection with the others. They automatically populate a contacts list based on the user accounts on the other machines, so you can start messaging with other users as soon as the installation is complete.

Step 1: Starting a Conversation with a User

To begin a conversation using this messenger app, you simply click a user’s name in the contacts list in its main window. Alternatively, you can right-click a username to see other options in addition to starting a conversation. Either way, a conversation window will open.

Step 2: Composing and Sending Messages

You can type any message you want into the bottom pane of the conversation window. Other features like sending files or sharing your desktop are available using buttons at the top. The conversation history with each user is displayed in the top portion of the window. The app stores the last 30 messages sent and received by default. When you’re ready to send a message, click the “Send” button.

File Transfer and Desktop Sharing

Softros messaging app is a full-featured workplace collaboration tool. Text messaging is its primary function, but it also supports secure file transfers. You can send individual files to another user or entire folders. The data is encrypted both during transfer and while it’s stored by the app after receipt.

This app also doubles as a tech support tool. Desktop sharing can be negotiated by sending or receiving an invitation to start a session with another user. This starts a remote desktop session that allows the other user to see and interact with your computer directly. This can be useful for solving simple troubleshooting problems or virtual training sessions.

Softros LAN chat app is a great option if you need a secure workplace messenger. It’s designed to keep sensitive data and communications secure, and its streamlined design puts common collaboration tools at the user’s fingertips. You can download this app at Softros’s website and try it for yourself.

Windows send message to all computers

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Question

I have a domain with 2 DCs and a mix of 200 XP and Win7 stations. In case of emergency I need to send an alert to all computers where someone is logged on; I know NET SEND doesn’t work anymore and msg.exe only seems to send the message to one server/station».

How can I do this from my win7 station?

thanks in advance

All replies

starting with Windows Vista Net send is not longer available but msg.exe should do the job also. Maybe you should search for 3rd party tools if msg.exe doesn’t provide the required result.

Which exact command do you run with msg.exe? Are you aware of the «@filename» option which «Identifies a file containing a list of usernames, sessionnames, and sessionids to send the message to.»?

Is the Messenger service enabled on the Windows XP client machines?

Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided «AS IS» with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

Send a message to all logged in users Windows Server 2012 R2

A simple task in prior versions — open task manager, users, select all, send a message.

In 2012 — you can’t select more than one user. So if I want to send them a message, I’d have to do it one at a time.

I’ve tried msg command in elevated command prompt but it errors out — permissions setting which is unlocatable (not sure if that’s a word but I like it) in 2012.

Why is such a simple task so difficult. I would go on a further rant about 2012 but I’ll curb my tongue. Suffice to say — the enemy of good is better.

Thanks in advance

Since you were using the task manager, I’m assuming you were doing this on the server itself ? If you open a command prompt, type the ‘msg’ command to get the syntax.

I think it would be:

Msg * «Buy Me Lunch»

16 Replies

What’s wrong with Server 2012 R2? I found it to be excellent. 2012 was terrible but R2 is great.

I’m guessing Powershell would be a good way to go for this. Create a script that uses https://psterminalservices.codeplex.com/ and checks for each logged on user and sends a message to all of them.

Since you were using the task manager, I’m assuming you were doing this on the server itself ? If you open a command prompt, type the ‘msg’ command to get the syntax.

I think it would be:

Msg * «Buy Me Lunch»

i think windows server 2k12 R2 is one of the best windows servers ever made!

kevin’s answer is correct.. give it a shot

In my original post I mentioned using the msg command but I’m getting an error.

The message pops up for me but no one else — yes I’m logged in as an adminitrative user and opening cmd prompt as admin.

Error sending message to session Console : Error 2147500058

Error [2147500058]:The server process could not be started because the configure

d identity is incorrect. Check the username and password.

When I research that, I get posts about setting permissions but they all refer to 2008.

Upon further testing the message is going through to the users, I’m not sure what the error message is from. Thanks to all.

If you are in a session while doing this, I suspect the problem is sending the message to either your own session, or the ‘console’, which is I think session #1.

So, if you typed:

It would be curious if you get the same error. The ‘*’ sends to every session, so one of them is having a problem. But oh well, it works !

to send msg please run cmd as administrator

What is the syntax to send this to all logged on Domain users on their own individual PC’s?

How do you assign permissions for a normal TS user to send messages?

Here is the MSG Syntax — If you type MSG by itself in Command Prompt you get this along with more details on how to use it.

MSG [Username Sessionname Sessionid @filename] This allows you to send a message to very specific users, or to send to all sessions, skip this part and put *

Sending to all users would look like this.

MSG * /Server: Please Log Out ASAP!

You can also leave Servername blank and it will send to the current server you are connected to.

MSG * Please Log Out ASAP

You will see something like this (since it is going to all users)

msg * (type the message)

the Only problem with this I just want to do to the people in this district, there 12 districts. ours along have 2500 users.

This simple task should be built in.

I tried kevins answer. but it is not displaying clients screen.. any gp update need?

To notify users about a server reboot, you can use the -c (comment) modifier on the shutdown command to send a message to all users that the server is rebooting.

On Server 2016 the wildcard is not working.

Doing this on the domain controller, logged in as domain admin with elevated CMD. For this post we will hypothesize my domain controller is named «ID10T»
MSG * «This is a test» — will result in only the local machine receiving the message.
MSG * /SERVER:ID10T «This is a test» — will also result in only the local machine receiving the message.
MSG /SERVER:* «This is a test» — — first asks to enter message to send; end message by pressing CTRL-Z on a new line, then ENTER. So I type the message again «This is a test» and press ENTER to get a new line, then press CTRL-Z and ENTER again. Now I get this error: Error 1722 getting session names.

Doing this on my workstation, from a domain admin account, with elevated CMD.
MSG * «This is a test» — will result in only the local machine receiving the message.
MSG * /SERVER:ID10T «This is a test» — will result in only the domain controller receiving the message.
MSG /SERVER:* «This is a test» — will first ask me to enter the message to send, do the CTRL-Z on new line & ENTER again. Same error as above, Error 1722.

My goal is to send a message to all users. I can send direct messages to a user or workstation using the following, but have no luck using the wildcard * for all.

For this example, I am sending the message from the domain controller, logged in as a domain admin with elevated CMD. The user I’m sending the message to is logged in to workstation name «PEBKAC» and the user name is «PICNIC» (notice a trend yet?)
MSG /SERVER:PEBKAC Picnic «This is a test» — will display the message on that workstation for the user.
MSG /SERVER:* Picnic «This is a test» — Error 1722 getting session names.

So my next attempt is to use the file that I define all my users in there, then call the file in the syntax. I cannot find the information on using this file anywhere online, where do I store the file and in what directory? What fields are required in the file and in what format? Perhaps an example file would be useful also as a template. Any help you can offer my friends, would be greatly appreciated!