RIP to Facebook Messenger’s desktop app.
As of December 15, 2025, Meta has officially shut down the native Messenger apps for Mac and Windows, pushing users to continue their conversations via the Facebook website instead. Existing users opening the app are now redirected to the web experience.
Launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Messenger’s desktop app was meant to capitalize on the explosion of remote communication. But it never quite kept up. Compared to business-focused rivals like Zoom, the app struggled with limited video call capacity, lacked screen sharing, and didn’t offer easy link-based call sharing, features that quickly became table stakes.
In hindsight, the shutdown feels less like a surprise and more like the final step in a long retreat.
Back in 2023, Meta began folding Messenger back into the main Facebook app, signaling a shift away from treating Messenger as a standalone platform. That move alone suggested declining strategic importance.
The technical evolution of the desktop app didn’t help either.
On Mac, Messenger was rebuilt using Catalyst, Apple’s framework for porting iPad apps to macOS. The result drew criticism from both developers (who cited extra complexity) and users (who noticed the lack of a truly native feel). Before Catalyst, the Mac version had already gone through multiple identity changes, from Electron to React Native Desktop, according to a former Meta engineer. On Windows, Messenger was downgraded to a progressive web app last year.
Each transition stripped away polish and performance, likely accelerating the decline in user demand for a standalone desktop experience.
A Strategic Bet on Facebook (Again)
At a higher level, the decision reflects Meta’s ongoing effort to funnel activity back into its aging flagship platform. By merging Messenger into Facebook and deprecating the desktop app, Meta appears to be consolidating engagement rather than maintaining parallel products.
Earlier this fall, the company officially warned users that Messenger’s desktop app would be deprecated by year’s end, urging them to set up a PIN to preserve chat history before switching to the web version.
Users with Facebook accounts are redirected to Facebook.com to continue using Messenger. Users who rely on Messenger without a Facebook account are sent to Messenger.com, where they can still log in independently.
Messenger’s desktop app joins a growing list of pandemic-era tools that never fully found their footing long term. What began as a push toward platform expansion ultimately ended as a consolidation play, less about innovation, more about focus.
For users, it’s the end of a native app. For Meta, it’s another reminder that not every product needs (or survives) its own icon in the dock. And for Facebook? One more attempt to pull attention back home.