If you’re used to opening messenger.com, it’s time to change your habit. 

Starting April 14, 2026, the site will officially close. Anyone who types in the URL will automatically be redirected to facebook.com/messages, marking the end of Messenger as a standalone web portal. This is the final step in Meta’s gradual move away from separate desktop apps and sites, after retiring the Messenger apps for Windows and Mac last December.

For most users, chats aren’t going anywhere. Your conversation history will still be accessible through Facebook or the Messenger mobile app. But if you rely on Messenger without a Facebook account—just using your phone number—web access will no longer be available. You’ll need the mobile app to keep messaging. Meta suggests setting up a PIN in Secure Storage to back up encrypted chats safely during the transition.

The closure of messenger.com is part of a wider shake-up at Meta. The company has been phasing out older tools and services, including AR platforms, enterprise apps, and VR studios, while shifting focus to mobile-first experiences, wearables, and AI integration across its apps. Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger are all getting deeper AI features, while Facebook aims to keep everything connected in one central place.

Messenger isn’t disappearing—it’s coming home. The shutdown simplifies where users can chat on desktop, reduces the need for multiple apps, and lets Meta focus on building the future of AI-powered messaging. For those who still have that old messenger.com tab bookmarked, now’s the time to update it.