Facebook Messenger for Desktop: What Users Need to Know

Facebook Messenger is the most popular iPhone app, but you don’t need to rely on your iPhone or Android to send messages to Facebook friends. Instead of using the Facebook website, you can use one of the Facebook Messenger for desktop options.

We’ll show you how to use Facebook Messenger for desktop without buying any apps or add-ons so you can safely send Facebook Messages from your computer without the small windows that Facebook uses.

Read: Facebook Tips & Tricks

With the Facebook Messenger for Windows and Mac options you can also get Facebook Messenger notifications on your desktop so that you know when you get a new message.

For users that rely on Facebook Messenger to stay in touch with friends, family and coworkers this is an essential tool that is much better than just sending messages from the Facebook website.

The primary way to use Facebook Messenger for desktop is directly connected to Facebook, so you don’t need to worry about the security any more than if you logged into the Facebook website. Additional options use Facebook Login, similar to how you can sign into other apps with Facebook and should offer the same account security.

Facebook Messenger for Desktop

You don’t need to look for the Facebook Messenger download to use the popular message platform on your Mac or PC. The Facebook Messenger desktop option is in your web browser, but you get the benefits of a desktop application.

When you use the Facebook Messenger for desktop service you will see a larger list of Friends, more of the conversation and you don’t need to see any ads on screen while you use the service. This is a vastly better way to use Messenger on Windows or Mac.

To get started you will need to be logged into Facebook already. If not, go ahead and do that now.

In a new tab go to Messenger.com. This is a website owned by Facebook that will ask you to verify the user that you want to login with. As soon as you login you will be using the official Facebook Messenger for desktop option. This works in any web browser and on any computer we tested. If you want to use this at work, you also don’t need to worry about installing a Facebook Messenger desktop application that security settings might not allow.

When inside this web application, click on the Settings Cog in the upper right and then on Settings. You can control the account, turn sounds on or off and choose if you want to use desktop notifications.

If you turn on Facebook Messenger desktop notifications you should see a small alert on the screen when you get a new message, similar to the new mail indicator that appears online when you get a new work email or Gmail.

While using the Facebook Messenger for desktop application in your browser you can respond to messages, send new messages and use the same video and audio call options as on you smartphone. While in a conversation, click on the phone icon to start a call or the camera to start a video call. Under information you can choose to block a contact if they send annoying messages.

 

Just like on the iPhone or Android app, users can search for conversations and create a new message. All of this is connected to your Facebook account and you will see the same messages on your smartphone, tablet or on the main Facebook page.

Other options to use Facebook Messenger on desktop include browser plugins that let you send messages in a special window of your browser dedicated to Facebook Messenger. The most popular options are for Chrome and FireFox. You don’t need to use these options, but some users will prefer a small icon in the browser that offers fast access to Facebook Messenger.

All of the Facebook Messenger options listed in this article are free to use and allow you to use all of the features that are available on the iPhone, Android or Windows Phone.