In a move signalling a major shift in its desktop strategy, Meta is officially discontinuing the standalone desktop versions of its Messenger app for both Mac and Windows — the cutoff is December 15, 2025. After that date, users will be unable to log into their Messenger desktop apps and will instead be automatically redirected to Facebook.com (or Messenger.com for those without Facebook accounts). The company is already notifying users via in-app alerts, granting a 60-day transitional window during which Mac users in particular must activate “Secure Storage” and optionally set a PIN to preserve chat history before losing access entirely. Although Meta has not provided a full explanation for the decision, analysts point to low usage and cost of maintaining separate native desktop clients as key drivers. This change follows September 2024’s switch of Messenger to a Progressive Web App (PWA) for desktop.
Key Takeaways
– The desktop versions of Messenger for Mac and Windows will cease to function after December 15, 2025; users will be redirected to the web version of Messenger or Facebook.
– Meta is giving users a transition window (about 60 days via in-app notice) and encouraging enabling secure storage and PIN protection to preserve chat history before the shutdown.
– Although Meta hasn’t publicly detailed the full reasoning, consolidation of resources and low user adoption of the desktop apps are likely factors driving the decision.
In-Depth
For years, desktop users of the messaging platform offered by Meta have relied on native apps for Windows and Mac to engage in one-on-one chats, group conversations, video calls and more. But as of December 15, 2025, those native clients will be officially retired. This decision represents a deliberate shift by Meta to de-emphasize standalone desktop apps in favour of web-based access and cross-platform uniformity.
Meta’s announcement, confirmed via its Help pages and echoed in third-party reporting, states that when users attempt to log into the Messenger desktop apps after December 15, they will be automatically redirected to Facebook.com (or Messenger.com for users without Facebook accounts). For Mac users the window is even shorter — once they receive the in-app deprecation warning they’ll have just 60 days before the app is blocked entirely. In advance of this shutdown, the Mac version has already been removed from the Mac App Store, and the Windows version is being pulled in stages. The company urges users to remove the app once it becomes unusable.
One practical concern raised by this move: how will chat history and security play out? Meta has tried to address that by recommending users enable the “Secure Storage” feature in Messenger’s settings (under Privacy & Safety → End-to-End Encrypted Chats → Message Storage) and set up a PIN. This step is intended to ensure that encrypted chat histories carry over to the web client, maintaining continuity. By redirecting all desktop usage to the browser (or packaged Facebook desktop app on Windows), Meta can streamline maintenance, reduce the number of codebases (native vs web) it supports, and focus on its mobile and web experiences where user volumes are highest.
Critics and power-users of the desktop apps aren’t thrilled about this change. Those who preferred the convenience of a discrete desktop window (with native notifications, system-level integration, background behaviour, and potentially lower resource consumption) may find the migration to browser-based messaging less seamless. Some feel the decision erodes choice and forces users into Meta’s web ecosystem even if they valued the standalone client’s advantages. On the other hand, for users who already rely on Messenger primarily via mobile apps or browser tabs, the change may be barely noticeable. Meta’s pattern of de-supporting less-used native clients (and moving toward web-first or PWA equivalents) has been visible for some time. For example, in September 2024 Meta replaced its native Messenger desktop client with a Progressive Web App (PWA) in many regions, signalling the start of the transition.
From a broader business-perspective, the move aligns with Meta’s overarching objective of consolidation and cost-efficiency in its software portfolio. Maintaining native apps across multiple operating systems demands significant development, testing, patching, and security overhead. Given that many users already accessed Messenger via mobile or browser platforms (and given the rise of web-app capability), the economics of native desktop apps become harder to justify. While Meta hasn’t publicly spelled out the cost numbers, several outlets estimate that low desktop usage and the need to align more closely with web technologies drove the decision.
For everyday users, the message is clear: if you rely on Messenger on your Mac or Windows desktop, you should take action now. Make sure your chats are secure, enable the required settings, set a PIN if prompted, and plan to switch your workflow to Facebook.com or Messenger.com when the desktop client becomes unusable. Failure to do so could mean losing convenient access to your chats (or facing a less optimized browser experience). Although mobile versions of Messenger remain unaffected, and desktop browser access continues, the loss of the standalone desktop app carries implications for user experience and signal that Meta’s real priority is aligning all its messaging properties into unified, cross-platform web and mobile services rather than separate native desktop footprints.
As we approach the shutdown date, it’s worth watching how users respond – whether power users complain about the loss of native functionality, whether alternative platforms (like Signal, Telegram or Discord) gain traction among desktop users frustrated by this change, and whether Meta signals further de-support of other native clients in favour of web-first models. Either way, those desktop Messenger apps that became familiar over the years are heading into retirement, replaced by the browser, and Meta is nudging users (or pushing them) to adapt.