Meta retires Messenger desktop apps on Windows and Mac on December 15

Meta will discontinue its standalone Messenger desktop applications for Windows and Mac on December 15, the company announced, directing users to access chats through the Facebook website or the Messenger web client instead. The move affects existing installations, which will stop accepting logins after that date, and prevents new downloads of the Mac app from app stores.

Meta said users of the desktop apps will receive an in‑app notification when the deprecation process begins. For Mac users the notice triggers a 60‑day grace period during which the app remains usable; after those 60 days the application will be blocked and will no longer permit logins. The company advised, "We encourage you to delete the app since it will no longer be usable." Users who attempt to open the app after deprecation will be automatically redirected to Facebook.com, while those who use Messenger without a Facebook account will be rerouted to Messenger.com.

To preserve message history during the transition, Meta is urging users to enable secure storage and to set up a personal identification number on their accounts before moving to the web version. The company’s support documentation lays out the...