# Send a single SMS

Once you have logged in using your Panacea Mobile username and password, select the **Compose** button in the upper left-hand corner and mouse over the **Send Single SMS** option. 

Once you click this option, you will be taken to the **Message** screen:

![Send a single SMS](/files/B4aCZ6kGncXxlcz7uO6c)

On this page you will be able to construct the SMS that you wish to send using the following fields:

**To:** This is the destination number that you want to send the message to. 

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Number Formatting:** Always include the correct country prefix when sending messages. For example, use 27831230007 for recipients in South Africa.
{% endhint %}

**From:** This is a custom number that you can select as the source number for the SMS. This number can be anything you need to it be and will be used to cross-reference incoming messages back to a campaign if you need to track this. 

{% hint style="info" %}
The **From** value can be alpha or numeric and will not be displayed on the handset unless it is a sender ID requirement for international messages outside South Africa.
{% endhint %}

**Message Body:** This is where you would type in the message that you want to send. 

Please keep the **Character Count** and **SMS Count** fields at the bottom of the box in mind as they will help you keep track of the size and quantity of messages you are sending.

Once you are happy with the SMS, select **Send** in the lower-right corner of the screen. You can click the **Cancel** button to stop the process and go back to the previous screen.

For more information on character counts and Unicode characters, please refer to the below guides:

{% content-ref url="/pages/8PmPPrmMO0yWvixZFlhA" %}
[Multipart SMS](/panacea-mobile-help-centre/overview/multipart-sms.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/LEfuF5lyy9ReogedIlzo" %}
[Unicode Characters](/panacea-mobile-help-centre/overview/unicode-characters.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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