Meta has officially discontinued the Facebook Messenger desktop app for Mac and Windows as of December 15, 2025.

Users are now being redirected to the Facebook website to continue using the messaging service.

The desktop app, originally launched during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, struggled to compete with business-focused rivals like Zoom. It supported fewer video call participants and lacked features such as screen sharing and shareable meeting links.

Signs of the app’s declining importance appeared well before Meta confirmed its shutdown plans in October. In 2023, the company began reintegrating Messenger into the main Facebook app, signaling a shift away from standalone experiences.

Meta also made several changes to the desktop app’s underlying technology. On macOS, Messenger was rebuilt using Apple’s Catalyst framework, which allows iPad apps to run on Macs. Catalyst has faced criticism from both developers, who cited added development overhead, and users, who noted the apps felt less native. Before Catalyst, the Mac version went through multiple transitions, including Electron and later React Native Desktop, according to a former Meta engineer.

On Windows, the Messenger app was downgraded to a progressive web app (PWA) last year, further reducing the appeal of a standalone desktop client.

Meta warned users earlier this fall that the app would be deprecated by year’s end and advised setting up a PIN to preserve chat history before moving to the web. Users who access Messenger without a Facebook account are now redirected to Messenger.com, where they can sign in without creating a Facebook profile.

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Additional details about the transition are available through Facebook’s Help Center, with separate guidance for macOS and Windows users.


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