Meta axes Messenger on Windows and macOS, deadline revealed

Meta is officially discontinuing the Messenger desktop apps for Windows and macOS, with the app being removed from the Microsoft Store and App Store.

Meta axes Messenger on Windows and macOS, deadline revealed
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Tech and Science Editor
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TL;DR: Meta is discontinuing the Messenger desktop apps for Windows and macOS, removing them from the Microsoft Store and App Store. Users will need to switch to the web or mobile versions for messaging, as Meta focuses on consolidating its platform and enhancing user experience across devices.

Meta has removed the Messenger app from both the Windows and macOS application marketplaces, as the company is discontinuing the desktop app entirely.

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Messenger on Windows will officially stop working on December 14, 2025, according to a notification within the app itself. On Mac, Messenger will undergo a deprecation process, which allows users 60 days to use the app before it is fully deprecated.

Once the 60 days are over, users will be blocked from using the Mac Messenger app, and instead, will be automatically directed to Facebook for messaging. Users will be informed that the deprecation process has begun with an in-app notification.

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Meta is redirecting users to Messenger via a browser and moving away from native clients, as it reduces the number of platforms it has to continuously update, which enables faster rollouts for updates and ultimately closer alignment across Windows and macOS.

Notably, Windows users will still be able to access Messenger through the native Facebook app, while Mac users will be restricted to the browser version of Messenger. Furthermore, WhatsApp is getting the same treatment on Windows, with the app set to run a WebView that loads web.whatsapp.com.

Meta has already removed the listings for Messenger on both the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store. So, what should you do if you are one of these users? Users can turn on secure storage and set a PIN. Do this by heading to Settings, Privacy and Safety, End-to-End Encrypted Chats, Message storage, and enabling secure storage. By doing this, chats will be saved across devices.