What does it mean when a guy texts you that he misses you?

Look at what happened in the days before he wrote. If the two of you were texting daily and then the chat thinned out, he may have noticed the quiet and decided to say something. That is a fairly direct signal that he enjoys talking to you and is willing to show it. If the message arrived after a long stretch of nothing, or after you had already made it clear you were busy, it may be more of a check in, a way to see if you are still open to him.

Also look at the rest of his behavior. Does he suggest plans, ask about your week, remember small details? A guy who says he misses you and also follows through is giving you two kinds of evidence at once. A guy who says it while never proposing anything, and never asks a question back, is offering the feeling without the effort. You do not need to decide what he feels from one text. You need to see whether his words and his actions line up over the next week or two.

There are a few kinds of reply that tend to fit this situation. A warm, brief acknowledgment keeps things light: it says you noticed and you are glad he said it, without trying to match the intensity. This works well when the two of you have only just started talking. Its job is to receive the message so he does not feel he has to explain himself.

A more direct reply turns the feeling toward a concrete next step. It names the thing that would make the missing feel less far away, such as a coffee, a walk, or a specific evening. You can tell this kind of reply is working when it contains an offer or a question about when, and when it leaves out any commentary about what the missing means. The mistake to avoid is making the plan sound like a test or an ultimatum.

A third kind is a light, playful reply that teases him a little, which suits people who already joke a lot together. It should be easy to read as affectionate, not as a retreat. In all three cases, skip any long paragraph explaining your feelings. A short message that gives him something to respond to will do more than a careful essay.

If he sent the message late at night, you do not need to reply right away with the same energy. A reply the next morning often reads as more relaxed and more confident than one sent at 1am, and it gives you time to decide what you actually want to say. Waiting a few hours during the day is almost always fine and rarely reads as playing games, as long as you are not leaving him on read for a full day when the conversation was flowing.

If he does not reply to your message, give it a day or two before you follow up, and make any follow up lighter than the first, such as a simple question about something he mentioned. If two of your messages in a row go unanswered and nothing has come back, let it rest. Do not send a third message asking whether he is still interested. If he comes back warmly later, you can pick it up then. If he does not, the message told you what you needed to know about how much effort he is willing to put in.