diff --git a/webapp/components/profile_picture.jsx b/webapp/components/profile_picture.jsx
index 17a4ddc65f..26e9f30d9a 100644
--- a/webapp/components/profile_picture.jsx
+++ b/webapp/components/profile_picture.jsx
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ import React from 'react';
 import {OverlayTrigger} from 'react-bootstrap';
 
 export default class ProfilePicture extends React.Component {
+    constructor(props) {
+        super(props);
+
+        this.hideProfilePopover = this.hideProfilePopover.bind(this);
+    }
     shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps) {
         if (!Utils.areObjectsEqual(nextProps.user, this.props.user)) {
             return true;
@@ -35,6 +40,10 @@ export default class ProfilePicture extends React.Component {
         return false;
     }
 
+    hideProfilePopover() {
+        this.refs.overlay.hide();
+    }
+
     render() {
         let statusClass = '';
         if (this.props.status) {
@@ -43,6 +52,7 @@ export default class ProfilePicture extends React.Component {
         if (this.props.user) {
             return (
                 <OverlayTrigger
+                    ref='overlay'
                     trigger='click'
                     placement='right'
                     rootClose={true}
@@ -52,6 +62,7 @@ export default class ProfilePicture extends React.Component {
                             src={this.props.src}
                             status={this.props.status}
                             isBusy={this.props.isBusy}
+                            hide={this.hideProfilePopover}
                         />
                 }
                 >
diff --git a/webapp/components/profile_popover.jsx b/webapp/components/profile_popover.jsx
index 8b431b643c..d7d9929ee5 100644
--- a/webapp/components/profile_popover.jsx
+++ b/webapp/components/profile_popover.jsx
@@ -4,14 +4,17 @@
 import * as Utils from 'utils/utils.jsx';
 import UserStore from 'stores/user_store.jsx';
 import WebrtcStore from 'stores/webrtc_store.jsx';
+import TeamStore from 'stores/team_store.jsx';
 import * as GlobalActions from 'actions/global_actions.jsx';
 import * as WebrtcActions from 'actions/webrtc_actions.jsx';
+import {openDirectChannelToUser} from 'actions/channel_actions.jsx';
 import Constants from 'utils/constants.jsx';
 const UserStatuses = Constants.UserStatuses;
 const PreReleaseFeatures = Constants.PRE_RELEASE_FEATURES;
 
 import {Popover, OverlayTrigger, Tooltip} from 'react-bootstrap';
 import {FormattedMessage} from 'react-intl';
+import {browserHistory} from 'react-router/es6';
 import React from 'react';
 
 export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
@@ -19,8 +22,10 @@ export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
         super(props);
 
         this.initWebrtc = this.initWebrtc.bind(this);
+        this.handleShowDirectChannel = this.handleShowDirectChannel.bind(this);
         this.state = {
-            currentUserId: UserStore.getCurrentId()
+            currentUserId: UserStore.getCurrentId(),
+            loadingDMChannel: -1
         };
     }
     shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps) {
@@ -60,6 +65,33 @@ export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
         return false;
     }
 
+    handleShowDirectChannel(e) {
+        e.preventDefault();
+
+        if (!this.props.user) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        const user = this.props.user;
+
+        if (this.state.loadingDMChannel !== -1) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this.setState({loadingDMChannel: user.id});
+
+        openDirectChannelToUser(
+            user,
+            (channel) => {
+                this.setState({loadingDMChannel: -1});
+                if (this.props.hide) {
+                    this.props.hide();
+                }
+                browserHistory.push(TeamStore.getCurrentTeamRelativeUrl() + '/channels/' + channel.name);
+            }
+        );
+    }
+
     initWebrtc() {
         if (this.props.status !== UserStatuses.OFFLINE && !WebrtcStore.isBusy()) {
             GlobalActions.emitCloseRightHandSide();
@@ -73,6 +105,7 @@ export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
         delete popoverProps.src;
         delete popoverProps.status;
         delete popoverProps.isBusy;
+        delete popoverProps.hide;
 
         let webrtc;
         const userMedia = navigator.getUserMedia || navigator.webkitGetUserMedia || navigator.mozGetUserMedia;
@@ -203,6 +236,28 @@ export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
             );
         }
 
+        if (this.props.user.id !== UserStore.getCurrentId()) {
+            dataContent.push(
+                <div
+                    data-toggle='tooltip'
+                    key='user-popover-dm'
+                    className='popover-dm__content'
+                >
+                    <a
+                        href='#'
+                        className='text-nowrap text-lowercase user-popover__email'
+                        onClick={this.handleShowDirectChannel}
+                    >
+                        <i className='fa fa-paper-plane'/>
+                        <FormattedMessage
+                            id='user_profile.send.dm'
+                            defaultMessage='Send Message'
+                        />
+                    </a>
+                </div>
+            );
+        }
+
         return (
             <Popover
                 {...popoverProps}
@@ -218,7 +273,8 @@ export default class ProfilePopover extends React.Component {
 ProfilePopover.propTypes = Object.assign({
     src: React.PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     user: React.PropTypes.object.isRequired,
-    status: React.PropTypes.string.isRequired,
-    isBusy: React.PropTypes.bool.isRequired
+    status: React.PropTypes.string,
+    isBusy: React.PropTypes.bool,
+    hide: React.PropTypes.func
 }, Popover.propTypes);
 delete ProfilePopover.propTypes.id;
diff --git a/webapp/components/user_profile.jsx b/webapp/components/user_profile.jsx
index 807c5f023d..d0267c0d80 100644
--- a/webapp/components/user_profile.jsx
+++ b/webapp/components/user_profile.jsx
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ import {OverlayTrigger} from 'react-bootstrap';
 import React from 'react';
 
 export default class UserProfile extends React.Component {
+    constructor(props) {
+        super(props);
+
+        this.hideProfilePopover = this.hideProfilePopover.bind(this);
+    }
     shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps) {
         if (!Utils.areObjectsEqual(nextProps.user, this.props.user)) {
             return true;
@@ -42,6 +47,10 @@ export default class UserProfile extends React.Component {
         return false;
     }
 
+    hideProfilePopover() {
+        this.refs.overlay.hide();
+    }
+
     render() {
         let name = '...';
         let profileImg = '';
@@ -60,6 +69,7 @@ export default class UserProfile extends React.Component {
 
         return (
             <OverlayTrigger
+                ref='overlay'
                 trigger='click'
                 placement='right'
                 rootClose={true}
@@ -69,6 +79,7 @@ export default class UserProfile extends React.Component {
                         src={profileImg}
                         status={this.props.status}
                         isBusy={this.props.isBusy}
+                        hide={this.hideProfilePopover}
                     />
                 }
             >
diff --git a/webapp/i18n/en.json b/webapp/i18n/en.json
index ecc25e42fe..641c8daa8e 100644
--- a/webapp/i18n/en.json
+++ b/webapp/i18n/en.json
@@ -2162,6 +2162,7 @@
   "user.settings.security.title": "Security Settings",
   "user.settings.security.viewHistory": "View Access History",
   "user_list.notFound": "No users found",
+  "user_profile.send.dm": "Send Message",
   "user_profile.webrtc.call": "Start Video Call",
   "user_profile.webrtc.offline": "The user is offline",
   "user_profile.webrtc.unavailable": "New call unavailable until your existing call ends",
diff --git a/webapp/sass/components/_popover.scss b/webapp/sass/components/_popover.scss
index 1bd1f2c3b6..b4839bd1f9 100644
--- a/webapp/sass/components/_popover.scss
+++ b/webapp/sass/components/_popover.scss
@@ -34,6 +34,32 @@
             }
         }
     }
+
+    .popover-dm__content {
+        -webkit-border-radius: 0;
+        -moz-border-radius: 0;
+        -ms-border-radius: 0;
+        -o-border-radius: 0;
+        border-radius: 0;
+        max-width: 100%;
+        overflow: hidden;
+        padding: 5px 5px 5px 0px;
+        text-overflow: ellipsis;
+        margin: 0;
+        font-size: 14px;
+        border-top: 1px solid #ebebeb;
+        border-color: rgba(221, 221, 221, 0.2);
+        margin-top: 5px;
+        margin-bottom: -5px;
+        > a {
+            > i {
+                margin-right: 5px;
+            }
+            > span {
+                text-transform: capitalize;
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 .channel-header__info {
diff --git a/webapp/utils/utils.jsx b/webapp/utils/utils.jsx
index 38d59a82cc..1ddb286903 100644
--- a/webapp/utils/utils.jsx
+++ b/webapp/utils/utils.jsx
@@ -595,6 +595,7 @@ export function applyTheme(theme) {
         changeCss('.app__body .popover.left>.arrow', 'border-left-color:' + changeOpacity(theme.centerChannelColor, 0.25));
         changeCss('.app__body .popover.top>.arrow', 'border-top-color:' + changeOpacity(theme.centerChannelColor, 0.25));
         changeCss('.app__body .suggestion-list__content .command, .app__body .popover .popover-title', 'border-color:' + changeOpacity(theme.centerChannelColor, 0.2));
+        changeCss('.app__body .suggestion-list__content .command, .app__body .popover .popover-dm__content', 'border-color:' + changeOpacity(theme.centerChannelColor, 0.2));
         changeCss('.app__body .suggestion-list__divider:before, .app__body .dropdown-menu .divider, .app__body .search-help-popover .search-autocomplete__divider:before', 'background:' + theme.centerChannelColor);
         changeCss('.app__body .custom-textarea', 'color:' + theme.centerChannelColor);
         changeCss('.app__body .post-image__column', 'border-color:' + changeOpacity(theme.centerChannelColor, 0.2));