Simply visit the Messenger website (Opens in a new window) and enter your Facebook login information to get started. The generous white space successfully masks how little is actually on the page once a small chat widgets blows up to full-screen. Instead of appearing in a tiny box beneath a Facebook news feed, group lists, pictures of friends' heads, and blue, iOS-style messages now dominate the browser screen, Google Chrome in my case. However, while Messenger remains a great way to chat with friends, this Web version, unlike its mobile cousin, never really justifies its existence as a separate product.Īnyone who's ever used Facebook Messenger for iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone will be instantly familiar with Messenger for Web. This new web-based service provides instant text and video messaging with Facebook friends without all of that other Facebook clutter. But the social networking juggernaut has even greater ambitions for the platform and is now bringing it to desktops and laptops with Facebook Messenger for Web (free).

Why take an already great app and chop it into two less-useful halves? Fortunately, the split allowed Messenger to mature as an independent service while leveraging Facebook's all-powerful social ecosystem. When Facebook decided to spin off its messaging service as a wholly separate mobile app last year, the move was met with skepticism and even paranoia.

Video chat requires logging into Facebook itself.Lacks third-party messaging apps and other mobile features.How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

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