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Meta is shutting down Messenger’s standalone desktop apps for Windows and Mac on December 15, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday.
Starting December 15, users will no longer be able to log into the apps and will automatically be redirected to the Facebook website to access Messenger.
“If you use the Messenger desktop app, you will receive an in-app notification when the deprecation process begins,” a Messenger Reading the help page. “You will have 60 days before the Mac Messenger app is completely deprecated. Once the 60 days are up, you will be blocked from using the Mac Messenger app. We encourage you to delete the app as it will no longer be usable.”
Meta’s plan to shut down these desktop apps was first seen AppleInsider.
The company is now warning users about the upcoming changes to give them time to familiarize themselves with other options. For example, Windows users can use the Facebook desktop app, and both Windows and Mac users can access Messenger Online.
Meta is encouraging users to enable secure storage and set up a PIN to save their chat history before going to the web version Once users migrate to Facebook.com, their chat history will be available on all platforms. Users can check if their secure storage is turned on by clicking the Settings icon above their profile picture and then clicking “Privacy and security, and then “End-to-end encrypted chats.” From there, they should click on “Message storage” to check if “Turn on secure storage” is turned on.
The move comes a year after the Met The native Messenger app has been replaced with a progressive web app Back in September 2024. Of course, Meta’s decision to completely shut down desktop apps will see some backlash from avid users of the apps.
