{"id":30832,"date":"2012-12-03T22:52:58","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T17:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=30832"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:18:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:48:30","slug":"turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Messenger for Firefox: What Happened and How to Chat Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Facebook Messenger for Firefox<\/strong> was a sidebar that let you chat with Facebook friends and see notifications while you browsed other sites. I turned it on the week it launched in December 2012. This guide explains what it was, why you can&#8217;t turn it on anymore, and the easiest ways to use Messenger in Firefox today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Facebook Messenger for Firefox guide card\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> The Facebook Messenger for Firefox sidebar no longer exists. It was built on Firefox&#8217;s Social API, which Mozilla later removed, so there is no &#8220;Turn On&#8221; button anymore. Today you can chat by opening Facebook&#8217;s messages page in a pinned Firefox tab, or by using the Messenger app on your phone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1a47132da0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af1a47132da0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#What_Facebook_Messenger_for_Firefox_was\" >What Facebook Messenger for Firefox was<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#How_you_turned_it_on\" >How you turned it on<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#What_happened_to_it\" >What happened to it<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#How_to_use_Facebook_Messenger_in_Firefox_today\" >How to use Facebook Messenger in Firefox today<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#Other_ways_to_chat_while_you_browse\" >Other ways to chat while you browse<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#Can_I_still_turn_on_Facebook_Messenger_for_Firefox\" >Can I still turn on Facebook Messenger for Firefox?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#Is_there_a_Messenger_desktop_app_for_Windows_or_Mac\" >Is there a Messenger desktop app for Windows or Mac?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#Does_Messengercom_still_work\" >Does Messenger.com still work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/turn-on-facebook-messenger-firefox\/#Are_old_add-ons_that_promise_a_Messenger_sidebar_safe\" >Are old add-ons that promise a Messenger sidebar safe?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Facebook_Messenger_for_Firefox_was\"><\/span>What Facebook Messenger for Firefox was<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30833\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox.jpg\" alt=\"Facebook Messenger sidebar running in Firefox\" width=\"320\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-firefox-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In late 2012 Mozilla partnered with Facebook to launch Facebook Messenger for Firefox. It was the first service built on the new Firefox Social API. Once you turned it on, a sidebar on the right of the browser showed your Facebook friends and chats, so you could reply to messages without opening Facebook in a separate tab or window.<\/p>\n<p>Your Facebook notifications, friend requests and messages also appeared as small icons in the Firefox toolbar. It was a handy way to stay connected while browsing (and, honestly, a handy way to get distracted from real work too).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30836\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger.gif\" alt=\"Facebook Messenger notification buttons in the Firefox toolbar\" width=\"452\" height=\"171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger.gif 452w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-300x113.gif 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_you_turned_it_on\"><\/span>How you turned it on<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You visited the Facebook Messenger for Firefox page and clicked &#8220;Turn On&#8221;. You needed the latest version of Firefox, and you had to be logged in to Facebook. You could hide the sidebar with a single click and keep only the toolbar buttons, or switch the whole feature off.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30837\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-login.png\" alt=\"Facebook Messenger for Firefox login panel in the sidebar\" width=\"256\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-login.png 256w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/facebook-messenger-login-221x300.png 221w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_it\"><\/span>What happened to it<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The sidebar depended on Firefox&#8217;s Social API. Mozilla deprecated and later removed that API, and with it went the Facebook Messenger sidebar. If you search for the old &#8220;Turn On&#8221; page today, you won&#8217;t find a working version, and no official Firefox add-on replaced it.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook&#8217;s own desktop options have also shrunk. Meta discontinued its standalone Messenger desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and in April 2026 it stopped supporting messaging on the separate Messenger.com website, sending visitors to Facebook&#8217;s messages page instead. The Messenger mobile apps for Android and iPhone still work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_use_Facebook_Messenger_in_Firefox_today\"><\/span>How to use Facebook Messenger in Firefox today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can still get a sidebar-like experience in Firefox with a few simple steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Open Facebook messages.<\/strong> Log in to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> in Firefox and open your chats from the Messenger icon at the top right.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pin the tab.<\/strong> Right-click the tab and choose Pin Tab. It shrinks to a small icon at the left of the tab bar and stays there every time you open Firefox.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Allow notifications.<\/strong> When Facebook asks to show notifications, allow them so new messages pop up even when you are on another tab.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep Firefox updated.<\/strong> Get the latest version of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mozilla.org\/firefox\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Firefox<\/a> so Facebook&#8217;s web chat works properly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_ways_to_chat_while_you_browse\"><\/span>Other ways to chat while you browse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Messenger on your phone:<\/strong> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.messenger.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Messenger<\/a> app for Android and iPhone is now Meta&#8217;s main dedicated chat app.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Facebook Container:<\/strong> if you worry about Facebook tracking you across sites, Mozilla&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/addons.mozilla.org\/firefox\/addon\/facebook-container\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook Container<\/a> add-on keeps your Facebook login in its own isolated tab.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other messengers:<\/strong> if your friends use WhatsApp, you can chat from the browser too. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/use-whatsapp-online-pc-web-browser\/\">how to use WhatsApp Web on a laptop or PC<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Looking for more social tools inside the browser? We have a list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/06\/social-networking-firefox-extensions\/\">best Firefox extensions for social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_still_turn_on_Facebook_Messenger_for_Firefox\"><\/span>Can I still turn on Facebook Messenger for Firefox?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. The sidebar was built on the Firefox Social API, which Mozilla removed. There is no official replacement, so use Facebook&#8217;s messages page in a pinned tab instead.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_Messenger_desktop_app_for_Windows_or_Mac\"><\/span>Is there a Messenger desktop app for Windows or Mac?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Meta has discontinued its standalone Messenger desktop apps. On a computer, use Facebook in your web browser.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Messengercom_still_work\"><\/span>Does Messenger.com still work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Meta stopped supporting messaging on Messenger.com in April 2026 and sends visitors to Facebook&#8217;s messages page. Your chats are still available through Facebook and the mobile app.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_old_add-ons_that_promise_a_Messenger_sidebar_safe\"><\/span>Are old add-ons that promise a Messenger sidebar safe?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Be careful. Unofficial add-ons can ask for access to all your browsing data. Only install extensions from addons.mozilla.org with good reviews, and never enter your Facebook password into a third-party add-on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facebook Messenger for Firefox was a sidebar that let you chat with Facebook friends and see notifications while you browsed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apps"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67250,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30832\/revisions\/67250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}