Get started with Messenger for Mac

Send instant messages to any contact who is online. You can check the contact's status option to determine at a glance who is available to chat. For information about status options, see Online status options in Messenger.

Note  You need a Windows Live IDAn e-mail address from any of the Windows Live services. These include all e‑mail accounts ending in "@live.com," "@hotmail.com," "@msn.com," and other accounts that are registered with Windows Live. account to use Messenger for Mac. To sign up for a free Windows Live ID account, visit the Windows Live ID Web site.

Converse with a group of friends. Invite up to 15 friends to participate in the same conversation. For more information, see Send and receive instant messages.

See and hear your contacts. Make computer-to-computer audio or video calls for face-to-face interaction with your contacts. For more information, see Make an audio call in Messenger and Make a video call in Messenger.

Send and receive instant messages to your mobile contacts. Use your computer to exchange instant messages with many models of mobile devices. For more information, see Send an instant message to a mobile device.

Choose a display picture.  You can select from a variety of display picturesAn image that's associated with your display name. It appears in the main Contacts window and in all conversation windows to help other users recognize you. or create your own. For more information, see Add or change your display picture.

Change your personal message.  Create a customized message that appears next to your name in the Messenger for Mac main window, and change it as often as you want. For more information, see Customize your personal message.

Express your feelings.  Add emoticonsA small image that can be inserted into a message to represent a certain mood or attitude. to your messages or create your own. For more information, see: Express yourself with emoticons.

Note  You can use the following file formats to create custom emoticons: JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF, and Animated GIF. To be used as an emoticon, a file must be 150 KB or smaller. Animated GIFs must also be 50 x 50 pixels or smaller.

Block messages from specific people.  Don't tolerate annoying messages. With the click of a button, you can block a contact from sending messages to you or seeing your status. For more information, see Set your status option.

Block messages from people you don't know.  Help protect your privacy by restricting incoming messages from people who are not on your allow listThe list of people who can see when you are online and can contact you.. For more information, see Add, delete, or block a contact from Messenger for Mac.