On your phone, the Messenger app has its own account switcher. On a computer, things changed recently: Meta retired the Messenger apps for Mac and Windows, and Messenger on the web now runs through your Facebook account.
That leaves one Facebook login per browser session on desktop. If you need more than one Messenger account signed in on the same computer, for example on a shared family Mac, WebCatalog Desktop can keep each one open in its own window. This guide covers both, plus what to use for business Page messages.
What changed for Messenger on computers
Meta's help center says the Messenger apps for Mac and Windows no longer work and points computer users to the web. Meta has also announced that messenger.com is going away as a separate place to chat, sending computer users to their messages on facebook.com instead.
In practice, chatting on a computer now means signing in with a Facebook account. If you use Messenger without a Facebook account, Meta says you can continue only in the Messenger mobile app.
Switch accounts in the Messenger mobile app
The Messenger app for iPhone and Android lets you add and switch between accounts. Open the menu, go to Settings, tap Switch accounts, then Add account and sign in. To switch later, return to the same screen and tap the account you want. Meta's help page notes this feature is for mobile devices only.
Keep Meta's rules in mind: its Community Standards don't allow a person to create or maintain multiple Facebook accounts. Multiple accounts usually means different people sharing a device, not a second personal account. For a business's Facebook Page, reply from the Meta Business Suite inbox, which you open with your own account. Our guide to managing multiple Facebook Pages covers that setup.
Keep several Messenger accounts signed in with WebCatalog Desktop
WebCatalog Desktop turns Messenger into a desktop app with its own window and Dock or taskbar icon. With profiles, each copy keeps its own cookies and session, so several Facebook accounts stay signed in at the same time.
- Install WebCatalog Desktop and add Messenger from its app catalog.
- Open Profiles, choose Add profile, and name it after the person, such as "Mai".
- Open Messenger with that profile and sign in with that person's Facebook account. If Meta sends you on to Facebook's messages page, you stay in the same profile.
- Add a second profile, such as "Tom", and sign in with the other account.
For example, a couple sharing one Mac can each keep their own Messenger window open without signing each other out. A profile can be reused across apps, so the same profile can also open Facebook with that account. Deleting a profile removes its local data, not the Facebook account; the profiles help article has the details.
If you also handle a business Page, a space can group Messenger with Meta Business Suite and your other work apps in one window. Spaces organize apps; profiles keep the logins apart.
WebCatalog Desktop uses Meta's web version, so it can't sign in accounts that have no Facebook account, and it follows Meta's rules on accounts.
FAQ
Can I still use Messenger on a computer without a Facebook account?
According to Meta, no. Messenger accounts created without Facebook can continue only in the Messenger mobile app.
Conclusion
Use the Messenger mobile app's switcher on your phone and Facebook's web messages on a computer. When several people or accounts need Messenger open at once on one computer, download WebCatalog Desktop and give each account a profile.
