Meta to turn off Messenger desktop apps for Mac and Windows

Meta will retire standalone Messenger desktop apps for Windows and Mac on December 15, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday.

Starting December 15, users will no longer be able to log in to apps and will be automatically redirected to the Facebook website to access Messenger.

“If you use the Messenger desktop apps, you will receive an in-app notification once the deactivation process begins,” reads the Messenger help page. “You will have 60 days to use the Mac Messenger app before it will be completely shut down. Once the 60 days are up, you will be blocked from using the Mac Messenger app. We encourage you to delete the app as it will no longer be usable.”

Meta’s plan to shut down these desktop apps was first spotted by Appleinsider.

The company is now alerting users about the upcoming change to give them time to learn about other options. For example, Windows users can use the Facebook desktop app, and Windows and Mac users can access Messenger online.

Meta encourages users to activate secure storage and set up a PIN to save chat history before moving to the web version. Once users move to Facebook.com, their chat history will be available on all platforms. Users can check if they have secure storage turned on by tapping the Settings icon above their profile picture and then selecting “Privacy and Security,” then tapping “End-to-End Encrypted Chats.” From there, they need to click on Message Storage to verify that Turn on Secure Storage is turned on.

The move comes a year after Meta replaced the original Messenger app with a Progressive Web app back in September 2024. Of course, Meta’s decision to discontinue desktop apps entirely will likely see some backlash from users who are passionate about the apps.