How to restart Messenger?

What is Messenger?

Messenger is a messaging app and platform developed by Facebook. It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, voice messages, make video and voice calls, and share location and stickers with friends and connections.

Messenger can be accessed via the standalone Messenger app on mobile and desktop, and also integrated into Facebook’s main app and website. It has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.

Some key features of Messenger include:

• Messaging – Send unlimited text, audio, video and photo messages
• Group chats – Create groups with up to 250 people
• Video calling – Make video calls to individuals and groups
• Voice calling – Make free VoIP audio calls
• Stories – Share photo and video stories that disappear after 24 hours
• Games – Play instant games with friends
• Payments – Send and receive payments securely
• Bots – Interact with artificial intelligence bots for services
• Business profiles – Connect with businesses and make purchases

Messenger is available for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and as a web browser app. Users can access it via mobile apps, desktop apps or by visiting www.messenger.com.

Why Does Messenger Need Restarting?

There are a few common reasons why you may need to restart or reset Messenger:

Messenger is Frozen or Unresponsive

Sometimes Messenger can become frozen or unresponsive. You may find you are unable to send or receive new messages or access parts of the app. Restarting Messenger can help get it working again.

Fixing Connection Issues

If Messenger is having trouble connecting to the internet or Facebook servers, restarting the app can often resolve temporary connection problems. This is a quick first step when troubleshooting issues.

After App Updates or Changes

Whenever Messenger is updated, or if you change settings like your chat theme, restarting helps ensure the changes are properly applied.

Resolve Bugs or Glitches

Like any app, Messenger can sometimes have bugs or glitches. If things aren’t working as they should be, restarting the app often helps get things back on track.

Clear Cache and Free Up Space

Restarting Messenger also clears out any cached data and helps free up storage space used by the app. Over time the cache can build up and lead to performance issues.

How to Restart Messenger on iPhone

Here are the steps to restart Messenger on an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the App Switcher – Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up your open apps.
2. Locate Messenger – Find the Messenger app preview in the App Switcher.
3. Swipe Up to Close – In one quick motion, swipe up on the Messenger preview to fully close the app.
4. Reopen Messenger – Tap the Messenger icon on your home screen to relaunch the app.

Restarting this way fully quits out of Messenger before reopening it, clearing any glitches.

Force Restart Messenger

You can also force restart Messenger using these steps:

1. Double-click the Home button to open the App Switcher.
2. Swipe left on the Messenger preview to reveal the “Close” button.
3. Tap the “Close” button to force quit the Messenger app.
4. Open Messenger again from your home screen.

This will force Messenger to fully close, which can help if it is totally frozen.

How to Restart Messenger on Android

To restart Messenger on Android:

1. Open your Recent Apps – Tap the Recent Apps button, which is usually the square center button.
2. Find Messenger – Scroll through your recent apps and locate Messenger.
3. Swipe Up to Close – In one motion, swipe up on the Messenger preview to dismiss it.
4. Reopen Messenger – Tap the Messenger icon on your home screen or app drawer to relaunch it.

Just like on iPhone, fully closing out of Messenger will restart the app when you open it again.

Force Stop Messenger

You can also force stop Messenger:

1. Open Settings – Open your Android device’s Settings app.
2. Tap Apps – Go to the Apps or Application Manager section.
3. Select Messenger – Locate and select the Messenger app.
4. Tap Force Stop – Choose the “Force Stop” option to force close Messenger.
5. Open Messenger – Launch Messenger again from your home screen.

Using Force Stop will fully reset Messenger if it is totally unresponsive.

How to Restart Messenger on PC

On Windows or Mac, close Messenger fully then reopen it:

1. Close Messenger – Click the “x” button in the Messenger window to close it.
2. Right-click the icon – Find and right-click the Messenger desktop app icon.
3. Select Quit – Choose “Quit” to fully force close the Messenger process.
4. Restart Messenger – Launch the Messenger desktop app again.

This will completely reset the app, which can help fix any issues occurring.

Force Quit Messenger

If Messenger won’t close normally, you can force quit:

On Windows:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click the Processes tab.
3. Find messenger.exe.
4. Click End Process to force quit Messenger.
5. Restart Messenger normally.

On Mac:

1. Press Command + Option + Esc to open Force Quit.
2. Select Messenger.
3. Click Force Quit to force close it.
4. Reopen Messenger.

Using Force Quit will terminate Messenger if it freezes or hangs.

Restarting Messenger on Mobile Browsers

To restart Messenger when accessing it via a mobile web browser:

1. Refresh the Page – Pull down and release on the Messenger tab to refresh the page.
2. Clear Cache – Open your browser settings and clear your cache and cookies.
3. Close and Reopen Browser – Fully close then reopen your mobile browser.
4. Reload Messenger – Go back to www.messenger.com to restart the web app.

Clearing your cache and reloading the page can help fix browser-related issues.

Restarting Messenger on Desktop Browsers

If using Messenger on a desktop web browser, restart it by:

1. Reload the Page – Press Ctrl + R on Windows or Command + R on Mac to refresh.
2. Clear Cache – Open your browser settings to clear cache and cookies.
3. Close Browser – Fully quit your browser through the menu.
4. Reopen Browser – Launch the browser again.
5. Go to Messenger – Return to www.messenger.com to restart.

Reloading the page and cache usually resolves common browser problems.

Restarting Messenger After Closing Your Facebook Account

If you close your Facebook account, Messenger will automatically become disabled:

• You will no longer be able to message friends and groups.
• Your Messenger profile, messages and data will be inaccessible.
• You cannot reactivate Messenger without reactivating your Facebook account.

To restart using Messenger:

1. Reactivate your Facebook account by logging back in.
2. Messenger will automatically be restored.
3. You may need to reset your notifications and settings.
4. Your Messenger history and data will be recovered.

You cannot use Messenger without an active Facebook account. Reactivate your account first.

Conclusion

In summary, here are some key tips for restarting Messenger:

• Fully close the Messenger app and reopen it to restart.
• Force stop or force quit Messenger if it is totally frozen.
• Clear browser caches and reload pages to reset the web version.
• Restart Messenger anytime it is acting buggy or has connection issues.
• Restart Messenger after app updates for changes to take effect.
• You must have an active Facebook account for Messenger to work.

Restarting Messenger can quickly fix bugs, glitches, performance issues and connection problems. Just fully close the app or browser, clear caches if needed, and launch Messenger again. This resets the app and usually gets things working smoothly again.