Meta ends its Messenger desktop apps for Mac and Windows on December 15, 2025. After this date, users can no longer log into the standalone apps.
Instead, anyone using Messenger on these desktops will be redirected to the Facebook website for messaging. Following Meta’s September 2024 decision to supplant the native Messenger app with a Progressive Web App, this modification indicates a shift towards browser-based experiences.
Users have 60 days from the notification to continue using the Mac or Windows applications before they become unusable. Meta intends to provide in-app notifications to current app users upon the commencement of the shutdown process.
To prevent confusion, it is advised to eliminate the applications once they cease functioning. Mac and Windows users can access Messenger via the web, while Windows users can transition to the Facebook desktop app.
Meta recommends using safe storage and setting a PIN before switching to the web version to preserve chat history. After the changeover, conversations will be cross-platform. To check safe storage, go to Settings, Privacy & Safety, and End-to-End Encrypted Chats.
Meta’s decision to abandon these desktop apps may annoy multitaskers and work communicators, but the company says the web Messenger will offer secure conversation and media sharing. The goal is to reduce message platforms and boost Meta’s online ecosystem traffic.