Messenger Website Shutdown Announced by Meta for April 2026
The Messenger website shutdown will take effect in April 2026. Meta confirmed it will close messenger.com permanently. As a result, users must access messages through Facebook or the mobile app. After the shutdown, visitors will automatically redirect to facebook.com/messages. Therefore, people can still send and receive chats on a computer. However, they must log in through Facebook. Users without a Facebook account will face limits. They can continue conversations only through the Messenger mobile app. In addition, they can restore chat history using their backup PIN.
Meta Shifts Strategy as Users React
This move follows Meta’s earlier decision to close Messenger desktop apps for Windows and Mac. At that time, the company redirected users to Facebook instead of the standalone site. Therefore, many expected this next step. Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi first spotted the change. Soon after, Meta began showing pop-up notifications about the update. The company has not shared further comments.
Many users expressed frustration online.
Some prefer using Messenger without relying on Facebook. Others deactivated Facebook accounts but still use Messenger. Despite criticism, Meta likely aims to reduce costs. Maintaining fewer platforms lowers technical and operational expenses. As a result, the company can streamline its services. Messenger started as Facebook Chat in 2008. Later, Meta launched it as a standalone app in 2011. In 2014, Facebook removed messaging from its main app to push Messenger growth. However, Meta reversed course in 2023 and merged Messenger back into Facebook. Now, the Messenger website shutdown marks another shift in strategy. Clearly, Meta continues to consolidate its messaging services under one platform.
