Meta is shutting down its Messenger app for macOS and Windows and pushing users to the web. Meta confirmed over email to Engadget that the app will be fully shutdown on December 15, after which the easiest ways to access Messenger chats when you’re not on your phone will be the Facebook app on Windows, or the Facebook and Messenger websites.
The company hasn’t provided an explanation for why it’s abandoning its desktop Messenger apps, but Meta’s support article does say that users will receive a notification informing them of the shutdown, and will be blocked from accessing the app after December 15.
In order for your chats to be saved going forward, the company says you’ll have to turn on secure storage and add a pin code to your account. To make sure your chats will be archived:
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Click on the gear icon above your profile picture.
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Click on Privacy & Safety, and then End-to-end encrypted chats.
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Click on Message storage, and then make sure Turn on secure storage is toggled on.
Meta officially cut Messenger out of Facebook in 2014 to create a focused messaging experience separate from the tangle of features the social media platform offered at the time. The company later tried to connect Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging into one communication platform, but backed away from the idea in 2023. Rather than Meta’s interest in messaging suddenly waning, abandoning the desktop apps likely reflects the fact that most people prefer to use the company’s mobile apps or websites.
