# man > MESG(1)

> **TLDR:** Check or set a terminal's ability to receive messages from other users, usually from the `write` command.
>
- Check terminal's openness to write messages:
  `mesg`
- Disallow receiving messages from the write command:
  `mesg n`
- Allow receiving messages from the write command:
  `mesg y`

*Source: tldr-pages*

---

[_MESG_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MESG/1/markdown)                                     User Commands                                    [_MESG_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MESG/1/markdown)

## NAME
       mesg - display (or do not display) messages from other users

## SYNOPSIS
       **mesg **[_option_] [**n**|**y**]

## DESCRIPTION
       The **mesg **utility is invoked by a user to control write access others have to the terminal
       device associated with standard error output. If write access is allowed, then programs such
       as [**talk**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/talk/1/markdown) and [**write**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/write/1/markdown) may display messages on the terminal.

       Traditionally, write access is allowed by default. However, as users become more conscious of
       various security risks, there is a trend to remove write access by default, at least for the
       primary login shell. To make sure your ttys are set the way you want them to be set, **mesg**
       should be executed in your login scripts.

       The **mesg **utility silently exits with error status 2 if not executed on a terminal. In this
       case executing **mesg **is pointless. The command line option **--verbose **forces **mesg **to print a
       warning in this situation. This behaviour has been introduced in version 2.33.

## ARGUMENTS
       **n**
           Disallow messages.

       **y**
           Allow messages to be displayed.

       If no arguments are given, **mesg **shows the current message status on standard error output.

## OPTIONS
### -v --verbose
           Explain what is being done.

### -h --help
           Display help text and exit.

### -V --version
           Print version and exit.

## EXIT STATUS
       The **mesg **utility exits with one of the following values:

       **0**
           Messages are allowed.

       **1**
           Messages are not allowed.

       **>1**
           An error has occurred.

## FILES
       _/dev/[pt]ty*_, _/dev/pts/[0-9]*_

## HISTORY
       **mesg **(I) appears in the UNIX Programmer’s Manual. It used to invert the current state with no
       argument before Version 7 AT&T UNIX.

## SEE ALSO
       [**login**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/login/1/markdown), [**talk**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/talk/1/markdown), [**write**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/write/1/markdown), [**wall**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/wall/1/markdown), [**xterm**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/xterm/1/markdown)

## REPORTING BUGS
       For bug reports, use the issue tracker at <https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues>.

## AVAILABILITY
       The **mesg **command is part of the util-linux package which can be downloaded from Linux Kernel
       Archive <<https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/>>.

util-linux 2.39.3                            2023-11-21                                      [_MESG_(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MESG/1/markdown)