Windows Live Messenger

(Redirected from Windows Messenger)
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger Icon.png
WLM2011-Win7.png
Windows Live Messenger 2011
Type
Developer(s)Microsoft Corporation
Operating system
Supported platforms
Initial release version
Initial release date
Latest release version16.4.3528.331 (2012)
Latest release date2014-04-17
Latest pre-release version
Latest pre-release date
Other name(s)
LicenseProprietary, freeware
Website
Succeeds
Successor

Windows Live Messenger (previously also known as MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger) was a messaging service from Microsoft. It was launched on 22 July 1999 and discontinued on 8 April 2013[1] with the migration to Skype, although the client protocol has since then been reversed, making modified variants of the clients usable with unofficial servers.

Availability[edit | edit source]

MSN or Windows Messenger is available as a component of Windows Me and XP. For older systems, there were either stand-alone installers in form of IExpress, as well as the installer for Internet Explorer 5.5, which included the messenger as an option. It is also available in pre-reset builds of Longhorn, but was scrapped from the installation image after development reset. Since then, Windows Live Messenger needed to be downloaded from the Microsoft web site[a]. It can be installed standalone or as part of the Windows Live suite. With the EOL of the Windows Essentials 2012 in 2017, it is no longer available for download at Microsoft.

List of known builds[edit | edit source]

Version 1.0[edit | edit source]

Version 2.0 - 2.2[edit | edit source]

Version 2.5 for Mac[edit | edit source]

Version 3.0 - 3.6[edit | edit source]

Version 4.0[edit | edit source]

Version 4.5 - 4.7[edit | edit source]

4.5[edit | edit source]

4.6[edit | edit source]

4.7[edit | edit source]

Version 5.0 - 5.1[edit | edit source]

Version 6.0 - 6.5[edit | edit source]

Version 7.0 - 7.5[edit | edit source]

Version 8.0[edit | edit source]

Version 8.1[edit | edit source]

Version 8.5[edit | edit source]

Version 2009[edit | edit source]

Version 2011[edit | edit source]

Version 2012[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. Instead of shipping with Windows Live Messenger, a link to download it was placed into Welcome Center in Windows Vista.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Even though the official shutdown date is 8 April 2013, WLM could still be used if you decline the "switch to Skype" prompt until 30 April 2013. After that, WLM could be used with third-party tools like Messenger Reviver, until the shutdown of the last Windows Live Messenger server on 18 May 2017.