CNET Editors' note: The Download Now link will direct you to the developer's site where you will be offered an installer file corresponding to your OS.
CNET Editors' review
Previously known as MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger is Microsoft's answer to instant messaging. While largely the same as its predecessor, Windows Live Messenger is unique for allowing you to share folders and files locally with fellow users. It also serves up the usual animated emoticons, winks, and buzzes, along with multiplayer gaming, free PC-to-PC calling, mobile phone messaging, and video chatting. Plus it adds VoIP capabilities that let you call telephones around the world for a fee. Its one major omission, though, is it lacks the capability to receive inbound calls from landlines or cell phones, a service that competitor Yahoo Messenger with Voice offers.
Once installed, Windows Live Messenger displays a drop-down menu of features along the top, contacts within the center pane, a search box on the bottom, and tabs for eBay, Rhapsody, and other services along the left. Microsoft fans will like the integration with MSN Spaces and the company's other properties. Also a plus is that Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Live Messenger now let you directly connect with buddies who use either tool. To do so in the past, you'd have to use a tool such as Trillian.
We like Windows Live Messenger's Sharing Folders feature, which lets you to transfer files to and from your buddy's computer by displaying a mirror of each others' files on your desktops. The service can also store hundreds of contacts, and with a Webcam installed, you can make video chats with a full 640x480-pixel screen. In fact, we recommend Windows Live Messenger's video chat over that of other IM tools. Anyone who is entrenched within the Microsoft world will probably be best served by this particular IM client.
Watch the CNET video review of Windows Live Messenger:
Publisher's Description
From Microsoft:
Windows Live Messenger includes support for the im Initiative! Every time you start a conversation using im, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. So any time you have an im conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about. It's simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation.
Key Features: Call your friends' PC (free), mobile or landline phones. Calls require a microphone and speakers or a headset and broadband connection. Make calls for less than $.02 a minute to most places around the world with Verizon Web Calling. Start a video conversation within minutes with a webcam. Drop in photos and other stuff for friends in a Sharing Folder, as many as your computer can handle. With Windows Live Messenger you can now connect with your Yahoo! IM contacts.
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All versions:
3.4 starsout of 619 votes
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Current version:
3.0 starsout of 211 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Avoid at all costs"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
None whatsoever
Cons
This is why I want to give up on Windows Live Messenger completely. It is almost impossible to install and uninstall. The whole process is utterly infuriating. For some bizarre reason, Messenger has decided not to co-operate, and I can no longer open it. It is clearly not installed on my system anymore. However, whenever I try to reinstall it, I'm blocked, as I am falsely told that I already have it installed? And, you can forget about support. Forums are just another word for "Accountability avoidance". Grrr!!
Summary
Utterly infuriating and illogical install process and no support.
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"Live Messenger 11 is a failure"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
Slick and pretty interface
Operates smoothly
Integrates facebook
FreeCons
Option to block contacts removed.
Bloated with ads, need to use A-Patch to remove ad ware.
Ugly emoticons.
Deleted contacts can still contact you.
Display name is tied to your hotmail account and will not allow use of alias' anymore.
Adding contacts doesn't work sometimes.Summary
Live messenger used to be known as MSN messenger and it used to be a nice chat program. Now it's become sadly disappointing. Considering the amount of money and technical power Microsoft has at its command it is truly shocking something as awful as Live Messenger can come out of that organisation especially as they had something good before.
Now we have a chat client full of ads, an interface that automatically opens a gratuitous Windows Live portal window, you can no longer block contacts, adding new contacts sometimes fails and the list goes on.
Recommend to use something else instead eg Pidgin and wait for MS to hopefully release something decent in Live Messenger 12. -
"a wonderful software"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
You can IM with your windows messanger freinds. I love how it connects with your hotmail account!
Cons
None that I can think of
Summary
Very Nice Software
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"I love this!"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
You can IM with your windows messanger freinds. I love how it connects with your hotmail account!
Cons
None that I can think of
Summary
This is a very nice IM tool.
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"I love this!"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
You can IM with your windows messanger freinds. I love how it connects with your hotmail account!
Cons
None that I can think of
Summary
This is a very nice IM tool
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"Better than ever"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
easy to use,dont have to open other progams
Cons
Don't have anything to complain for.
Summary
I use the software every day
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"Better than ever"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
100% improvement
Cons
none so far
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"keeps every thing in one place"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
easy to use,dont have to open other progams
Cons
can be annoying at times
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"could be better"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
it's a free simple to use chat software
Cons
could be so much better. would never have gone back to using it without other software add-ons (messenger plus, etc.)
Summary
I think microsoft should invest a little more in developing this software. we should't have to wait til 3rd party apps take it over and turn it into a mad market industry.
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"I use the software every day"
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8117.0416
Pros
Easy to use.
Cons
Don't have anything to complain for.
Summary
I use the software every day
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