---
title: "Preview and Test Message"
slug: "transactional-journeys-preview-and-test-message"
updated: 2026-01-27T10:52:45Z
published: 2026-01-27T10:52:45Z
canonical: "academy.insiderone.com/transactional-journeys-preview-and-test-message"
---

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

# Preview and Test Message

> **Suggested readings**: [Test Transactional Journeys](/v1/docs/test-transactional-journeys), [Test API for On API Call Starter](/v1/docs/transactional-journeys-test-api-for-on-api-call-starter)

Preview and Test Message allow you to review message content and sender details before sending to real users.

Preview and Test Message is available on the **Email** and **SMS** channel pages.

Preview and Test Message supports two actions:

- **Preview** shows how the message content appears in the message, inbox view, or lock/message screen.
- **Test Message** sends the previewed message content to selected recipients for review on real devices.

This feature does not activate the journey or send messages to actual journey users.

## How does Preview work?

The preview reflects how the message content is rendered based on the dynamic content values provided on the preview screen.

If no dynamic content is provided, **Preview and Test Message** > **Dynamic Content** will not appear.

If you used dynamic content in your message, you can use the **Use Random Values** option or manually enter the values.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/c6df4583-da94-4cb2-bb8a-be0cbdd11109/Images/Documentation/Bildschirmfoto 2025-12-29 um 20.43.14 (1).png)

When you click **Use Random Values**:

- Transactional Journeys generates **sample** **values** for all detected dynamic content fields.
- Generated values are used only for preview and test messages.
- Random values do **not** **overwrite** manually entered values.

Using random values helps quickly visualize message formatting without manually entering data.

When **custom** **values** are entered manually:

- The preview uses the provided values exactly as entered.
- The preview updates immediately to reflect the entered data.

This option is recommended when validating specific scenarios, such as order details, user names, or identifiers.

> [!NOTE]
> Any **change** to dynamic content values triggers a new preview generation. You can **update** values and **re-send** test messages as needed until the content and formatting are confirmed

## How does Test Message work?

Test Message sends the previewed message content to real recipients for visual verification. When sending a test message, you can use an **email address** for Email and **phone numbers** for SMS channels.

Each recipient receives the message with the same dynamic content values used in the preview. Dynamic content is not fetched from any external source during testing.