Disclosed in the present invention are a method for transmitting an instant message, which comprises that a transmitting client transmits an instant message to a receiving client via an instant communication system; the transmitting client determines that the instant message is not received by the receiving client; the instant message is converted into a short message or a multimedia message; the short message or the multimedia message into which the instant message is converted is transmitted to the receiving client via a short message system or a multimedia message system. With the technical solution of the invention, not only are costs of communications reduced, but also instant communications at any time and at any place are ensured.
