How does Facebook Messenger for Firefox work?

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  • Creator: Michael Verdi
  • Comment: Wording changes for accuracy, remove like button, use shorter name "messenger for firefox" when possible, only documenting the landing page method of turning on necessary
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  • Reviewed by: Verdi
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Messenger for Firefox lets you use Facebook in a sidebar so there's no need to switch between tabs. The ticker and chat stay put as you browse around the web. Of course, when you need to focus, you can also hide it away.

Note: This applies to the latest Firefox Beta version which can be downloaded from mozilla.org/beta.

Turn on Messenger for Firefox

In order to use Messenger for Firefox you'll need the latest Firefox Beta (download it here) and a Facebook account. Then follow these steps to turn the feature on:

  1. Log into your Facebook account at facebook.com
  2. Visit facebook.com/about/messenger-for-firefox
  3. Click the green Turn On button. The messenger sidebar will open and confirmation message will be shown.
  4. Click OK in the confirmation message to turn the feature on.

How to use Messenger for Firefox

Messenger for Firefox allows you to keep up with friends wherever you go on the web.

View your notifications, friend requests and messages

When you enable Messenger for Firefox you'll get four buttons added to the right side of the navigation toolbar:

  • Facebook button: Click to access your Facebook profile, show or hide the sidebar and show or hide desktop notifications.
  • The Messages, Friends and Notifications buttons work just like the ones on Facebook. Click them to see your recent friend requests, messages and notifications.
    Facebook buttons - Win7

View and reply to posts

  • If the ticker is active on your Facebook account it will show up in the sidebar. Just mouse over the entries to see details, play videos, like, comment and share.
    Facebook Ticker - Win
Don't see the ticker? See the Facebook help article, Why don't I see ticker on my account?

Chat with friends

  • Just click on a friend's name in the chat section of the sidebar to send them a message. Messages you send will become part of your ongoing conversation on Facebook.
    Facebook chat - Win
    • If you don't see the person you want in the list, you can use the search field at the bottom to find them.

You can log out of chat by clicking the gear menu in the bottom right-hand corner and selecting Turn Off Chat.

Learn more about Facebook Chat: See the Facebook help article, Chat Basics.

Messenger for Firefox and your privacy

The same preferences you’ve set in your privacy settings on facebook.com apply when you’re using Messenger for Firefox. Enabling this feature doesn't change what Facebook can see about your online behavior.

Turn off Messenger for Firefox

Got to get some work done? Here's how to temporarily turn things off.

Show or hide the sidebar

  • Click the Facebook button in the toolbar and select Show sidebar to toggle the sidebar on and off.
    Toggle sidebar - Win

With the sidebar off, you will still see friend requests, messages and notifications.

Log in or out of Messenger for Firefox

  • With the sidebar open, click the gear menu in the botton right-hand corner and select Log Out to log out of Facebook. The Friends, Messages and Notifications buttons will be removed from the toolbar.
    Log out of Facebook - Win
  • To log back in, open the sidebar if it's not already open and click the Log In button. A tab with the Facebook login screen will open. Once you log in there the sidebar will fill in with the ticker and chat sections.

Completely disable Messenger for Firefox

If you'd rather not use Messenger for Firefox you can completely disable it with these steps:

  • At the top of the Firefox window, click the Tools menu and select Facebook Messenger for Firefox. The sidebar will close and the buttons will be removed from your toolbar.
  1. Press the Alt key to temporarily display the menu bar.
  2. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Tools menu and select Facebook Messenger for Firefox. The sidebar will close and the buttons will be removed from your toolbar.
  • On the menu bar, click the Tools menu and select Facebook Messenger for Firefox. The sidebar will close and the buttons will be removed from your toolbar.