How to Use FaceBook Messenger on Mac OS X via Messages App
Facebook Messenger is a popular means of communicating, but the Mac doesn’t have a dedicated Facebook messaging app like the iPhone or Android does… or does it!?! Indeed, you can use Facebook Messenger to message friends from OS X, and in moments you can set up the Mac Messages app to function as a Facebook Messenger client in OS X.
Using Facebook Messenger from the Mac is really quite simple, but it’s entirely separate from configuring Facebook sharing from the Mac, so if you have done one but not the other, you’d need to complete both to have the full Facebook functions of sharing, posting, and messaging available to you in OS X.
How to Add Facebook Messenger to Messages in OS X
This basically turns your Messages app into a full fledged Mac Facebook Messenger client, you’ll be set up in just a few seconds with these instructions:
- Open the Messages app on the Mac if you haven’t done so yet
- Pull down the “Messages” menu and choose “Add Account…”
- From the message account screen, choose “Other messages account…” and click on “Continue”
- Pull down the menu next to “Account Type” and select ‘Jabber’ from the list
- In “Account Name” enter your Facebook account user name as follows: YourUserName@chat.facebook.com (a Facebook username is whatever your Facebook profile URL is, for example: ‘www.facebook.com/your_name_here’ the username would be “your_name_here” and the account name would then be your_name_here@chat.facebook.com)
- Enter your Facebook account password in the password field, this is the same one you use to login to Facebook from the web or the apps
- Ignore all other settings and choose “Create” – this will setup Facebook messaging client and in a moment you’ll see your Facebook Friends list populate as a buddy list, complete with friend names and friend profile pictures
- Message anyone in the list as usual, the conversations are going through Facebook Messenger
If you’re on a Mac, the ability to have Facebook Messenger conversations right in the Messages app of OS X is really quite nice, the conversations will appear alongside other text messages and iMessages, Google Chat, Yahoo Messenger, or AOL / AIM communications.
Once you have Facebook Messenger added to Messages, you will be automatically logged into Facebook Messenger when the Messages app opens. To log out of Facebook Messenger in Messages, simply pull down the “Messages” menu item and choose “Log out of chat.facebook.com” – similarly, you can log in that way as well.
You can access the Facebook Friends buddy list at any time from the “Windows” menu item in Messages app, where you can also set your status to be online or offline, or away.
This certainly beats having a web browser window open to Facebook.com on a Mac, and if you have set up Facebook posts and sharing in OS X you now have much of the Facebook functionality right in OS X without having to go to the website to talk to friends, share stuff, or post status updates.
What if you don’t have Messages for OS X? All modern Macs should, but if you’re using an older version of Mac system software that has the iChat app instead, don’t worry, you can also use Facebook chat in iChat too. The configuration and setup process is a little bit different, but the protocol is the same as is the ability to have a full conversation with your Facebook buddies. So, whatever your version of OS X on whatever your Mac, you’ll be Facebooking. Good for you. And no, if Facebook has been blocked on the network or hosts file, this will not bypass it.
My version on the Mac has no spot on the dropdown to “add an account” like messenger. What’s uP?
Delete this page if it no longer works. Or at least put a comment at the top of the page so people don’t need to read all of the posts.
Geez.
Yes, pls do….
Big price for a small perk.
Holy Toledo! The installation app closed Safari, and when it reopened it, it did not restore my previous session! All of my open tabs … GONE!
Safari’s history only keeps track of recent pages opened, so if you have several windows with multiple tabs, you’re screwed!
Hello,
Can anyone help me?
I followed the above instructions to add fb Messenger to my Macbook pro. Then I logged out, but I forgot to record my password. Now I can’t get back into fb messenger and I see no option for resetting the password.
Use FaceBook messenger on the web https://www.messenger.com
Tried this and it doesn’t work. Says my username or password is incorrect but they’re not.
You can at least have a pop-out style FB messenger in a separate browser window by using
https://www.messenger.com/
Same here w Yosemite, gives me the sam wrong password error in Messages :(
Didn’t work :( with El Capitn OS
Just tried this and it did not work. Won’t accept my FB password after triple checking. iMac OSX Yosemite 10.10.5
Unfortunately this is not working any more.
Facebook messenger still works in Mac Messages app if you already have it in there, if you try to load a new account it doesn’t always work.
But if Messages is not working, you can use this on Mac: https://fbmacmessenger.rsms.me/
Since Messages App on Mac doesn’t connect to FB Messenger anymore, I’ve been using http://www.messenger.com and it’s working just fine!
I can talk to the right people without having my attention disturbed by the ever-changing timeline!
This did not work for me. Waste of time. Fail. I followed the instructions and nothing works. FAIL
Stopped working for me a few days ago. I’m using fluid + messenger.com but it’s not the same thing, no notification and no icon badge :(
What a shame… Well, it was nice when it lasted!
You might want to update your readers this is now broken as facebook disabled XMPP usesage in early 2015. If there is a work around I’d love to know it.
Stopped working fro me this month as well.
Anybody got a solution as this was really useful for me.
Chat stopped working on Dec 21st 2015. I get wrong username/password message.
Stopped working for me today. RIP to easy Facebooking.
Not working since December 2015, Any solution?
Stopped working for me earlier this week.
Announce at:
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/chat
Chat API (Deprecated)
On April 30, 2014, we announced the deprecation of the XMPP Chat API as part of the release of Platform API v2.0.
After April 30th, 2015 apps will no longer be able to access the service or API. This includes both access to chat.facebook.com and the xmpp_login permission.
We recommend people access Facebook Messages on the desktop via Facebook.com or Messenger.com.
Still works for me this week, set it up again and FaceMessenger works
This no longer works since Facebook shutdown it’s chat API. You may want to update this post.
Not working anymore… Any solution?
It does not work for me since the begin of December.
Anyone knows the reasons?
It’s December 7th and it hasn’t worked in a few weeks. It says my login and password are incorrect. Bummer! Sometimes I wonder why I’m still on facebook as it’s just ads and garbage.
Facebook Messenger continues to work in Messages regardless of the date, but yes Facebook itself is a load of rubbish that cultivates narcissism, ADHD, loathing, jealousy, and unhappiness. Nobody should use it.
It stopped working for me in the beginning of December :(.
It does work. Check again if you already have installed facebook on your notification centre, which is apparently a requirement.
Working on October 31th!
October 15th and and it works fine.
ForAllOfYou,WhoStillStruggle.ItDidn’tWorkForMeUntilIFoundOut(I’mAnIdiot)….OfCourseYouGotToActivate”chat”OnTheFacebook-Interface ;-)
What do you mean you have to activate chat on the facebook interface?
Go to the Facebook website, you should see your Facebook friends on the right. Enable chat by pressing the options button at the bottom, and click “Turn on chat”. Worked for me, buddies appeared in iMessage.
It’s August 25, 2015, and Facebook via Jabber still works on Messages.app for me ❤️
For all u guys that say that messenger does not work it still does, we use it at work as our comm platform, if it’s not working check your settings. Cheers!
It’s August 12th here, and it doesn’t work for me. Kept saying I got the wrong username and password, but I am able to login from the web using the same username and password.
It’s 6th August and it’s still working. Yoo hoo!
Still working here too! :) It’s August now and I’m connected just fine.
still working here :P
Still working here!
July 16 here … still works.
Agreed, just tried it out today as well. Works fine. Thank goodness, less tabs on my browser.
Just a heads up that FB has appeared to have shut off their XMPP access so they’ve officially closed all their 3rd party access points.
https://www.chatformac.com/
http://www.goofyapp.com/
these both work for mac? and you can get yourself apps out @app store like “chat for facebook”, and those work all great?
Try a fluid app: http://fluidapp.com
I have good …
Settings:
URL: https://www.messenger.com/
Name: Messenger (or as you like)
Location: Application
Icon: Download what you like, or website icon
Nice that I don’t have to have FB open in a browser to use messenger. Thanks!
This doesn’t work (anymore?). Connection unexpectedly closed, please try again later.
As mentioned above, facebook have removed this functionality.
wow i love it
still working 26 May it is very cool
I’ve used it but doesn’t work correctly with many participants of the chat. Now I’m using this: http://fbmacmessenger.rsms.me, works perfectly :)
Contrary to previous comments, FB hasn’t closed this portal down. It still works as of May 10th.
Still works nicely as far as I can see.
if security is a concern of yours, you shouldn’t be using fb chat, anyway! for the love of god, use a messenger with end-to-end-encryption, like adium (otr). (on your idevice, you could be using something like threema or telegram.)
My phone is broken right now and I can’t send SMS messages to my friends with android products, to use SMS I would have to have my phone with me so using Facebook messages is necessary for me.
This did not work for me.
Glad I read the comments before I sat down to do this. I’m new to Mac and was surprised and slightly disappointed to see no Facebook/Instagram app support.
Good tip, but there are some other (quite possibly, better) options too.
Standalone Mac app: http://www.goofyapp.com
Facebook also has a web app that works just as well: https://www.messenger.com/
Goofy is only for Yosemite, so thats a no no here.
Unfortunately you can only enjoy this ability for 5 more days. The service is being deprecated on 4/30/2015: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/chat
Wow what a bummer, I guess the web app or iOS app will have to do!
Isn’t this functionality going away on April 30?
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/apps/changelog
Facebook Messenger still works in Messages for me just fine I send Facebook messages through it all the time. It seems like it development was no longer ongoing and no longer supported but it still works fine for messaging on Facebook.
Another option is to use the FB Mac Messenger app, it’s a free download for OS X:
https://github.com/rsms/fb-mac-messenger
hi. I think macOS Sierra broke the “Messenger” app… Can someone verify this?
I just stumbled onto this thread, I’ve tried setting up the internet account in System Preferences and the Messenger app separately and it will not work…I’m running Sierra too. I’ve verified my username with FB and changed the password to ensure everything was set correctly. I tried the url username and the “m.me/” extension the iOS FB Messenger app shows in front of my username. Nothing works.
Thanks for the update Doug. I followed the directions above and didn’t have the same success. I’m running messages Version 9.1 (5085). Which release of messages are you using?