A lightweight native macOS wrapper for Facebook Messenger. The goal is simple: provide a clean, native desktop experience for Messenger without the bloat of Electron-based apps.
If you just want Messenger as a standalone app without building anything:
- Open messenger.com in Google Chrome (Safari doesn't support this)
- Click the three dots menu (⋮) → Save and Share → Install page as app...
- Done! Messenger will now open as a standalone app
Limitations of Chrome PWA: No dock badge for unread count, and native macOS notifications may not work reliably. This native app solves these issues with proper dock badge, menu bar icon, and notification filtering.
- Lightweight - Uses native WKWebView instead of bundling an entire Chromium browser
- Fast startup - Launches instantly, no heavy framework to load
- Low memory - Uses significantly less RAM than Electron alternatives
- Native integration - Real macOS notifications, menu bar icon, dock badge
- Native Notifications - Shows sender name and message preview
- Filter Groups & Pages - Option to filter out notifications from groups and pages
- Menu Bar Icon - Quick access with unread badge counter
- Dock Badge - Shows unread message count
- Dark/Light Mode - Automatically syncs with macOS appearance
- Do Not Disturb - Respects macOS Focus mode
- Facebook Links - Shared reels and posts open in a popup window with shared login session
Note: Facebook/Meta blocks WebRTC in WKWebView, so video and audio calls cannot work directly in the app.
Workaround: When you're in a conversation, a floating button appears that opens the conversation in Chrome (or your default browser), where calls work normally.
- Floating call button in conversations
- "Accept in Chrome" button for incoming calls
- Configurable: Chrome or default browser (Menu Bar → right-click → "Open calls in Chrome")
- File Uploads - Native file picker for attachments
- Downloads - Save files with native save dialog
- Window Position - Remembers window size and position
- Always on Top - Optional floating window mode
- Hide to Menu Bar - Close window, app keeps running
- English and Czech language support
- macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
- Google Chrome (recommended for video/audio calls)
- Xcode 15.0+ (for building from source)
Download the latest release from the Releases page.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ACiDekCZ/messenger-macos.git
cd messenger-macos
# Open in Xcode
open Messenger.xcodeproj
# Or build from command line
xcodebuild -project Messenger.xcodeproj -scheme Messenger -configuration Release build- Launch the app
- Sign in to your Facebook/Messenger account
- Allow notifications when prompted
- The app will run in the background with a menu bar icon
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd + N |
New message |
Cmd + F |
Search |
Cmd + R |
Refresh |
Cmd + [ |
Back |
Cmd + ] |
Forward |
Cmd + W |
Hide window |
Cmd + Shift + O |
Show window |
Cmd + Shift + T |
Toggle always on top |
- Open Messenger - Show the main window
- New Message - Start a new conversation
- Always on Top - Toggle floating window
- Filter Groups & Pages - Toggle notification filtering
- Open calls in Chrome - Toggle Chrome for calls (default: on)
- Quit - Exit the app
This app is just a wrapper around the official Messenger web interface. Your credentials and messages are handled directly by Facebook - this app does not collect, store, or transmit any of your data.
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
This is an unofficial app and is not affiliated with, authorized, maintained, sponsored, or endorsed by Meta/Facebook or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries.