Meta to shut down Messenger desktop apps for Mac and Windows
Meta is shutting down its stand-alone Messenger desktop apps for Windows and Mac on December 15, 2025. Users will be redirected to Facebook.com to continue chatting and are advised to enable secure storage to retain their message history.
Meta plans to stop support of its Windows and Mac stand-alone Messenger desktop applications on December 15. Users would not be able to log into the apps after the date, and they would be redirected to the Facebook site and use Messenger. In-app notifications regarding the change have already started to be received by the users as part of the depreciation process.
As noted on the Messenger help page by Meta, one will have 60 days to keep using the Mac application before it becomes unusable. Once this time ends, the user will not be allowed to log in, and Meta suggests that the app should be deleted because it will not work anymore. AppleInsider was the first to notice the company make the move and another move towards streamlining the services offered by the company on various platforms.
Transition to Web-Based Messenger
Meta proposes users to take the web version of Messenger through Facebook.com, with Windows users having the opportunity of using the Facebook desktop app, and both Windows and Mac users can still chat using a browser. The company is also recommending to its users to enable secure storage and create a PIN so that they can access their chat history across platforms. Chat history is also set to automatically synchronise across devices once secure storage is enabled.
It was announced a year after Meta had initially replaced the native Messenger app with a Progressive Web App (PWA) in September 2024. Though the web version also provides comparable features, the removal of the specific desktop apps will disappoint all those who were used to using the standalone version. The most recent move by Meta is to strengthen its objectives of integrating user experiences within the Facebook ecosystem.