Your favourite desktop messenger app is going soon.
The Messenger PC app will no longer work, which is bad news if you use it to stay in touch while you work from home. Meta has made it clear that after December 15, 2025, its Messenger desktop apps for Mac and Windows will no longer be updated. After that date, you won’t be able to log in; you’ll be taken to the Facebook page instead.
It’s not just a correction or update. A tool that a lot of people use every day is being shut down by Meta. Fans of different desktop apps who prefer browser tabs may feel this change is a step backward. But why does Meta do that? So what does this really mean for your past chats, your job, and your ability to stay in touch?
This is what’s going on. This is why Meta made this choice. This is what you need to do right now to protect your chats before they disappear.
Why were Messenger apps for computers useful in the first place?
For Mac in 2020, Meta made Messenger PC apps. Soon after, they did the same for Windows. Both times, it was a big deal. It couldn’t have come at a better time—the world was locked down, and more and more people were working from home. They needed safe ways to stay in touch on their computers.
The PC app had tools that were very helpful. Desk top alerts were set up to make sure you never missed an important message. When screens got bigger, group video calls worked great. This made virtual hangouts and work meetings a lot more fun than having to strain your eyes to see a phone. The app could be opened and closed while you worked on other things, making it easy to switch between jobs. And on your computer, phone, and tablet, everything worked just fine. You could start a chat on your computer and pick up right where you left off on your phone.
For late-night chats, the app had a dark mode. You could also send GIFs and stickers, and voice and video calls were clear. For computer workers, having Messenger as a separate app instead of just another internet tab made talking to others feel more professional and organised.
Desktop Messenger Apps: The Good and Bad Before the Shutdown
The Positives People Really Liked
Desktop Messenger apps were famous because they had a lot of benefits. Compared to using a browser, the app ran much faster, messages loaded faster, and alerts worked better overall. You didn’t have to keep a browser tab open, which saved space and made it easier to switch between chores.
You could make as many group video calls as you wanted with this app, and you didn’t need to enter a phone number or email address. If you were friends on Facebook, you could join right away. This made it very easy to have quick video calls with family or check in with the team. Users also liked how much easier it was to share files with the app than with the mobile version.
Privacy features, such as the Secret discussions mode, encrypt one-on-one chats from beginning to end. This gives users peace of mind when having private discussions. And because the app wasn’t connected to Facebook, you could just message without being interrupted by Facebook’s news feeds or alerts. It’s
The bad things that made users angry
It wasn’t great, though, the desktop apps. After Meta switched from native apps to Progressive Web Apps in September 2024, a lot of users grumbled about bugs and slow performance. It felt slower, used about 30% more RAM than the original version, and took a lot longer to start up. It’s
Users’ favourite features started going away. It stopped working to share your location, the notification dot in the taskbar went away, and the app would flicker annoyingly when moving between chats. Some users said that the PC app had trouble syncing between devices, which made messages show up in the wrong order or not at all. It’s
It became impossible to use the search tool after Meta made all users use end-to-end encryption. People couldn’t easily search through message threads or find old talks. Also, the app didn’t have some features that the mobile version did, like the ability to play games with friends or use certain third-party connections.
Why Meta Is Really Killing Off Office Apps
Although Meta hasn’t officially given a reason, it’s easy to see why when you look at the bigger picture. These choices are meant to streamline processes and lower costs, not make the user experience better.
Getting rid of debt saves money.
To save money, tech companies all over the world are combining their software products. It takes a dedicated development team, regular updates, security patches, and ongoing assistance to keep up with separate native apps for Mac and Windows. Meta only has to keep up with one set of code that works on all devices because everyone is using the web version.
This plan isn’t just used by Meta. Recently, WhatsApp replaced its original Windows app with a web wrapper. Microsoft got rid of its old Remote Desktop app, and Google stopped making Google Desktop years ago for the same reason. Companies are moving away from platform-specific native apps and towards web-based options that work on all devices.
The decision was based on low adoption.
The harsh truth is that PC Messenger apps were never as popular as mobile ones. Meta saw more than 100% more people using Messenger on their desktop browsers in the month before the announcement, but the standalone app traffic stayed pretty low. Most of Messenger’s 947 million users around the world prefer to use their phones.
Meta released the PC apps in 2020, right at the height of the pandemic, when a lot of people were working from home. But as people’s work habits became more regular and phones got better, fewer people thought they needed a separate desktop app. Meta clearly decided that the amount of users wasn’t enough to justify the costs of development.
Ecosystem Data and Control Plan
Meta keeps users in its core environment by sending them to Facebook.com or Messenger.com when they click on a link. This gives the business more power over the user experience, more chances to show ads, and more data to collect from platforms that work together. With Progressive Web Apps and browser-based services, Meta can add features, test them against each other, and gather data without having to wait for users to update their apps.
How it Works in Real Life for Users and What the Data Says
Real people with real work are affected by the shutdown. Take Sarah, a freelance artist who works on projects and uses Messenger desktop to keep in touch with clients. She keeps the app open all day so she can quickly talk to people without having to open Facebook. She will either have to keep a browser tab open after December 15 or switch to the Facebook desktop app for Windows. However, that app is now just a web wrapper too.
Maybe you should think about Miguel. He runs a small online business and uses Messenger to help customers. The desktop app let him reply quickly while keeping track of stock and taking care of orders. Now he has to switch between computer tabs or find other ways to communicate, which will make his daily tasks more difficult.
According to research, app crashes and changes have a big effect on how engaged users are with the app. When mobile apps crash, users’ sessions are cut short and they watch less material. This is because of the Zeigarnik Effect, which is the psychological need to finish unfinished goals. A single crash can briefly increase page views, but repeated problems will keep people away for good.
The information we have on platform merging is not all black and white. When businesses combine their tech providers, they can save a lot of money and make things run more smoothly. One case study showed that unified desktop technology helped a company save more than $54 million a year in productivity costs. But these benefits go to the company, not always to the end users, who often lose features and have their functionality cut back.
42.6% of Facebook Messenger users open the app every day, according to the numbers. However, desktop use is still a small part of mobile use. Globally, there are 1.04 billion daily users, so even a small percentage of desktop users means millions of people will be affected by this change.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Close the Messenger Desktop
When will the PC apps for Messenger stop working?
The government will shut down on December 15, 2025. You won’t be able to log in again after that, and the apps will send you to Facebook.com or Messenger.com instead.
Will I lose the chats I’ve had?
Not if you act now. Before you shut down, you need to set up a PIN and make sure that safe storage is turned on. Select Privacy & Safety from the menu, then End-to-end encrypted talks. Finally, select Message storage. Check that “Turn on secure storage” is turned on. You might lose the chats that were only on your desktop if you don’t do this.
After December 15, can I still use Messenger on my computer?
Yes, but you can only do it on Facebook.com or Messenger.com in your computer browser. The Facebook desktop app can also be used on Windows, but it’s mostly just a web shell. Mac users can only use browsers to get in.
But I don’t have a Facebook account. What can I do?
You’ll be taken to Messenger.com, where you can keep chatting without having to make a Facebook account.
How can I get the old PC app back?
No, unfortunately not. The apps are gone for good once Meta turns them off. After December 15, you won’t be able to restore them or use them anymore.
Will everything be the same on the web version?
Not really. The web version isn’t as good as the desktop app; it might be slower, use more resources, and not have some features, like the warning dot on the taskbar. But texting, video calls, and the most important features will still work.
Exactly what you need to do now
We are running out of time, so here is what you need to do. To start, open the Messenger desktop app, click Settings, then go to Privacy & Safety. Choose End-to-end encrypted chats, and finally set a PIN to turn on safe storage. It’s
Second, export or take a picture of any important talks that you might need later. Even though your history should be transferred if secure storage is turned on, it’s always a good idea to have backups, especially for important business or personal talks. It’s
Third, choose whether you want to always use Messenger in your computer or look into other options. Save messenger.com or Facebook.com as a link right now so you can get to them quickly. Check out alternatives like Discord, Telegram, or WhatsApp if you want to switch. They have good desktop apps that work better.
Fourth, make sure you test the browser version before December 15. Learn how to use the new interface, make sure your current process still works, and find any features you’ll need to find other ways to do. So, when the PC app stops working, you won’t have to rush to figure out what to do.
Lastly, tell everyone you know who uses Messenger PC about it. Too many people will not see the in-app message or understand what’s going on until their apps stop working.
In Short
Meta’s choice to shut down Messenger desktop apps is part of a bigger trend in tech: companies are putting cost savings and ecosystem control ahead of user experience and preferences. Since Meta needs to make the change for business reasons, millions of users will have to figure out how to use a different service.
The PC apps weren’t perfect, especially after they switched to PWA, which made them slower and more prone to bugs. But they did have something useful to offer: a place to talk without being interrupted by social media, and they worked better than computer tabs.
That choice is no longer available. Users are sucked into Meta’s favourite channels even if they don’t want to be there. These days, you don’t really own the software you use, and companies can remove features and goods whenever they see fit.
