Meta is shutting down the standalone Messenger website and will end access to messenger.com in April 2026, directing web users to Facebook’s messaging interface while keeping the Messenger mobile app as the other option for continuing conversations.
What Is Changing For Web Users
The company said in a help page that starting April 2026, the Messenger website will no longer be available. Users who want to send and receive messages on a computer will be redirected to facebook.com/messages. “After messenger.com goes away, you will be automatically redirected to use facebook.com/messages for messaging on a computer,” the help page says. “You can continue your conversations there or on the Messenger mobile app.”
For people who use Messenger without a Facebook account, the change means they will only be able to continue their conversations on the Messenger mobile app. Meta said users can restore their chat history on any platform using the PIN they created when they first set up a Messenger backup. If the PIN is forgotten, it can be reset.
Recent Platform Closures And Redirections
The decision follows Meta’s move a few months ago to shut down Messenger’s standalone desktop apps for Windows and Mac. At the time, the company began redirecting desktop app users to the Facebook website to continue using the messaging service instead of the Messenger website.
The latest change was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi. Meta is now notifying users about the shutdown through a pop-up message on the Messenger website and in the app.
User Reaction And Access Concerns
Users have posted complaints on social media about the update, with many saying they do not want to rely on the Facebook website to send and receive Messenger messages on the web. Some of those comments come from people who have deactivated their Facebook accounts and prefer to keep Messenger separate from Facebook.
While the company has not detailed the reasons in the help page, the move reduces the number of platforms Meta has to maintain by consolidating web access around Facebook.
A Service That Moved In And Out Of Facebook
Messenger began as “Facebook Chat” in 2008. Facebook launched Messenger as a standalone app in 2011 and later positioned it as a service separate from the main social network. In 2014, Facebook removed messaging from its main mobile app to push users toward Messenger. That approach changed in 2023, when the company began merging Messenger back into the Facebook app.
The shutdown of the Messenger website continues that shift by moving web-based messaging fully under Facebook’s interface while keeping the mobile app as the remaining standalone option.
Featured image credits: Roboflow Universe
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