Can I put Facebook Messenger on my desktop?

Quick Answer

Yes, you can use Facebook Messenger on your desktop computer by accessing it through the Facebook website or downloading the Messenger desktop app. The desktop app provides dedicated access to Messenger without having to log into Facebook.

Accessing Messenger Through Facebook.com

The easiest way to use Messenger on desktop is to access it through the Facebook website:

Go to www.facebook.com and log into your account

Click on the Messenger icon in the top right corner that looks like a speech bubble
This will open the Messenger window where you can see your conversations and send/receive messages

The advantage of using Messenger through Facebook.com is that you don’t need to download anything extra. The downside is that you have to be logged into Facebook to use it.

Downloading the Messenger Desktop App

If you want dedicated access to Messenger on your desktop without having Facebook open, you can download the official Messenger desktop app:

Go to www.messenger.com/desktop and click “Download for Windows” or “Download for Mac”
Run the installer and follow the prompts to install Messenger

Once installed, open Messenger and log in with your Facebook account
The app will stay logged in so you can access Messenger anytime without Facebook

The Messenger desktop app provides some advantages:

Access Messenger without having Facebook open
Desktop notifications for new messages
Custom themes and chat colors

Keyboard shortcuts

The only requirement is that you need to download and install the app on each computer you want to use it on.

Messenger on Mobile vs Desktop

Messenger works basically the same way on mobile and desktop platforms. Here is an overview of the differences:

Feature	Mobile App	Desktop App
One-on-one chats	Yes	Yes
Group chats	Yes	Yes
Voice/video calls	Yes	Yes
Message reactions	Yes	Yes
Chat colors/themes	Yes	Yes
Notifications	Push notifications	Desktop notifications

As you can see, the core messaging features are available across both platforms. The main difference is that the desktop app relies on desktop notifications rather than push notifications. Overall the user experience is very similar.

Messenger Desktop Features

The Messenger desktop app provides a full set of features for messaging:

One-on-one chats – Send private messages to friends.

Group chats – Create group conversations with multiple people.
Reactions – React to any message with a like, love, laugh, wow, sad, or angry emoji.
Photos/videos – Send and receive photos and videos in chats.

GIFs – Search for and share fun GIFs with friends.
Stickers – Express yourself with hundreds of stickers.
Chat colors – Personalize any chat with custom colors and themes.

Notifications – Get notified of new messages with desktop notifications.
Voice/video calls – Make free voice and video calls to friends.

So you get a fully-featured messaging platform on desktop very similar to the mobile experience.

Benefits of Messenger on Desktop

There are a few advantages to using Facebook Messenger on your desktop:

Larger screen makes it easier to view and share photos/videos
Typing is faster on a full physical keyboard

Easier to multitask while messaging on a computer
Notifications make it convenient to respond without checking phone
Works seamlessly across devices when linked to same account

Overall, the desktop platform makes a great complement to messaging on mobile.

How to Use Messenger on Windows

To use Messenger for Windows desktop, follow these steps:

Go to www.messenger.com/desktop and click “Download for Windows”

Double click the .exe file to run the installer
Accept the terms and click “Install” to install Messenger
Once installed, the Messenger app will open automatically

The Windows app provides the full Messenger experience optimized for Windows PCs. You’ll have access to features like:

Seeing who is available to chat in the Sidebar

Customizing chat colors and themes
Keyboard shortcuts for common actions
Spellcheck, GIF search, stickers, and more

You can pin Messenger to your taskbar or Start menu to launch it easily. It will stay logged in so you can access your messages anytime.

Messenger for Windows Requirements

Messenger desktop requires the following environment to run on Windows:

Windows 7 or newer

2 GB RAM
3 GB disk space
1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution

Windows Media Player version 12 or newer

As long as your PC meets those basic specs, Messenger should install and run smoothly. The app is around 75MB in size.

How to Use Messenger on Mac

Here is how to download and install Messenger for Mac:

Go to www.messenger.com/desktop and click “Download for Mac”
Open the .dmg file once it finishes downloading
Drag the Messenger icon into your Applications folder to install

Open Messenger from the Applications folder or Launchpad
Enter your Facebook login info when prompted

Messenger for Mac has all the same core features as the Windows app, with an interface optimized for Mac. Highlights include:

Native Mac app with dark mode support
Keyboard shortcuts for quick actions
Dock icon with unread message count

Share content from other Mac apps into Messenger
Supports Mac features like split view multitasking

Once installed, Messenger will run smoothly on Mac OS X 10.10 or newer versions. It takes up around 75MB of disk space.

Messenger for Mac Requirements

Here are the system requirements for the Messenger for Mac app:

Mac OS X 10.10 or later
2 GB RAM

76MB storage space
1280 x 800 minimum resolution

As long as you have a relatively modern Mac running Yosemite or later macOS versions, Messenger will install and work seamlessly. Older operating systems are not officially supported.

Troubleshooting Messenger on Desktop

Here are some troubleshooting tips for issues with Messenger on desktop:

Can’t Log In

If you’re unable to log into Messenger on desktop, try the following steps:

Make sure you enter the correct email/password for your Facebook account

Try resetting your Facebook password if you cannot remember it
Check that you don’t already have Messenger open and logged in on another device
Restart your computer and try logging in again

This issue is usually caused by incorrect credentials or another active Messenger session. Resetting your password and rebooting your device can resolve many login problems.

App is Slow or Unresponsive

A slow, laggy, or unresponsive Messenger on desktop is often fixed by:

Closing other programs to free up RAM

Updating your graphics drivers
Restarting your computer
Reinstalling the Messenger app

If Messenger slows down over time, a fresh reinstall clears out any accumulated junk or issues from corrupt files. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements as well.

Notifications Not Working

If you aren’t getting notifications from Messenger on desktop:

Check notification settings for Messenger in your OS settings

Make sure notifications are enabled in the Messenger app
Try restarting both Messenger and your computer
Reinstall Messenger to clear any software issues

Notifications may stop working due to OS or app problems. Restarting and reinstalling the app typically resolves any notification bugs.

Conclusion

Facebook Messenger provides a great messaging experience across mobile and desktop. The desktop apps make it simple to access your chats from a computer with dedicated apps for both Windows and Mac. With features like notifications, chat customization, video calling and more, Messenger desktop provides a fully featured platform for messaging friends without needing your phone. Troubleshooting steps like reinstalling the app, rebooting your computer and resetting your Facebook password can help fix any issues you encounter. Overall, Messenger integration with desktop gives you more flexibility to message how and when you want.