Facebook Messenger’s desktop app is no more

Facebook Messenger’s native desktop app has officially reached its end. As of December 15, 2025, the standalone apps for Mac and Windows are no longer available, and remaining users are directed to the Facebook website to continue using the messaging platform.

Initially launched in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Messenger’s desktop app struggled to keep pace with business-focused competitors such as Zoom. It lacked key features, including the ability to host large video calls, screen sharing, and shareable meeting links — limitations that prevented it from becoming a genuine productivity alternative.

Signs that the desktop app was losing priority at Meta appeared well before the company confirmed its shutdown plans in October.

In 2023, Facebook began merging Messenger back into the main Facebook app, reversing the earlier decision to separate the two services. More recently, the underlying technology of Messenger’s desktop versions shifted significantly. According to Meta’s documentation, Messenger for Mac was restructured using Catalyst, Apple’s framework for bringing iPad apps to the Mac. Catalyst has faced criticism from both developers and users — the former for the additional development effort required, and the latter for Catalyst apps often failing to feel truly native on macOS.

Before transitioning to Catalyst, Messenger for Mac was built as an Electron app, then later as a React Native Desktop app, according to a former Meta engineer. On Windows, the app was converted into a progressive web app last year.

These changes, combined with a strategic shift to direct users back to Facebook, likely contributed to declining demand for a standalone desktop experience.

This fall, Meta notified users that Messenger’s desktop app would be deprecated by the end of 2025 and encouraged them to set up a PIN to preserve chat history before transitioning to the web.

Users who rely on Messenger without a Facebook account are now being redirected to Messenger.com, where they can continue using the service without creating a Facebook login.

More details about the transition are available in Facebook’s Help Centre, with guidance specifically for Mac and Windows users.