Meta has discontinued Facebook Messenger’s native desktop app for Mac and Windows, ending access to the standalone application on December 15, 2025, and directing users to continue using the messaging service through Facebook’s website or Messenger.com.
Desktop App No Longer Available
As of Monday, the Messenger desktop app is no longer available for download or use on Mac or Windows. Existing users opening the app are being redirected to the Facebook website to access their messages. Users who use Messenger without a Facebook account are instead being sent to Messenger.com, where they can log in without creating a Facebook profile.
Meta has published guidance on Facebook’s help center to explain the transition, with separate instructions for Mac and Windows users.
Limited Features and Declining Role
Messenger’s desktop app was originally launched at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for remote communication tools increased sharply. However, the app lagged behind business-focused competitors such as Zoom, as it supported fewer video call participants and lacked features such as screen sharing and easily shareable meeting links.
Those limitations contributed to the app’s declining relevance within Meta’s broader product lineup, even before the company confirmed plans to shut it down in October.
Shift Back Into the Facebook App
In 2023, Meta began reintegrating Messenger more tightly into the main Facebook app, reversing earlier efforts to separate the messaging service. That move signaled a shift in strategy, with Messenger increasingly positioned as a feature within Facebook rather than as a standalone platform.
The decision to discontinue the desktop app aligns with that direction, as users are now encouraged to access Messenger through the web version of Facebook.
Technology Changes on Mac and Windows
Meta also altered the technology underlying the desktop app in recent years. According to the company’s help documentation, Messenger for Mac was rebuilt using Apple’s Catalyst framework, which allows iPad apps to run on macOS.
Catalyst-based apps have faced criticism from developers, who have cited added development complexity, and from users, who have noted that such apps often feel less native than traditional Mac software.
Before adopting Catalyst, the Mac version of Messenger was built using Electron and later migrated to React Native Desktop, according to a former Meta software engineer. On Windows, Meta transitioned Messenger to a progressive web app last year.
Preparation for the Shutdown
Meta warned users earlier this fall that the desktop app would be deprecated by the end of the year. At the time, the company advised users to set up a PIN to preserve their chat history before switching to the web-based version of Messenger.
The company has not announced plans to replace the standalone desktop app with another native client.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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