Meta has announced a significant shift for users of its Messenger app on macOS. The company is officially discontinuing the Messenger application for Mac, directing users to transition to the web version for their messaging needs. This change comes with a timeline: new downloads of the app have already been halted, and existing users will have approximately 60 days before the app ceases to function entirely.
During this wind-down phase, users can expect to receive an in-app notification alerting them to the impending deprecation. Once the 60-day period concludes, access to the Messenger app will be completely blocked, prompting users to shift their messaging activities to the Facebook website.
What Meta says
What’s happening to the Messenger app on desktop?
The Messenger app for Mac is being deprecated. After deprecation, you won’t be able to log into this app and will be automatically redirected to use Facebook website for messaging.
Will I get notified about this change?
Yes. If you’re using the Messenger desktop apps, you’ll get an in-app notification once the deprecation process begins.
You will have 60 days to use the Mac Messenger app before it is fully deprecated.
Once the 60 days are over, you’ll be blocked from using the Mac Messenger app. We encourage you to delete the app since it will no longer be usable.
For those concerned about losing chat history, Meta advises users to enable secure storage within the Messenger app and set up a PIN to safeguard their conversations before making the switch to the web version. While a native app offers seamless switching, notifications, and keyboard shortcuts, the web experience may feel like a step back, as it confines users to a browser tab.
What To Do Now
- Turn on secure storage and set a PIN so your chat history is saved before the cutoff.
- Export anything critical. Screenshots, file attachments, and group rules are easy to lose in a transition.
- Pin the Facebook site as an app-like window in your browser to keep it separate from your other tabs.
- If you juggle multiple platforms, consider a unified client that supports web wrappers so you can dock Messenger alongside Slack, Discord, or WhatsApp.
As Meta moves forward with this transition, users are encouraged to back up their important data and adapt their workflows to accommodate the new web-based messaging experience. The deadline is set, and the shift to browser-based communication is imminent for Mac users.
