- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP/Vista
- Date added: September 02, 2009
- Total Downloads: 18,093,172
- Downloads last week: 64,798
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 526 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Jasmine France on January 31, 2010
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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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.4 stars out of 526 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 114 user reviewsSee all 114 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.0726
"I have little use for it; friends do not use it"
Pros: would be quickler than e-mail
Cons: I know how to click it on so do not appreciate having to always turn it off
Summary: It would be useful if only my friends would use it
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Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.0726
Pros: Nice interface, intuitive and will walk you through if you know nothing
Cons: None that I could find
Summary: It's great if you like to use IM
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Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.0726
"will not retain sign in data"
Pros: very little
Cons: have spent many hours diligently trying to get it to keep working have sent about 6 emails for help and only received automated answers. have submitted two grueling surveys and various and sundries and after 5 months - to no avail, i've had it!
Summary: still wishin' and hopin'...
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Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.0726
"brilliant messenger tool very easy to use"
Pros: good tool easy to use
Cons: nothing bad to say about it
Summary: easy sign in remembers I D and password for easy sign ins
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Version: Windows Live Messenger 14.0.8089.0726
Pros: I get to chat with my family who are all over the globe every weekend
Cons: Someone is always booted from the conversation and we have to change windows because they can't be added back to the conversation since Messenger says that they are already there.
Summary: I like this product for it's convenience, ease of use, fun emoticons for the kids and the ability to keep us all in touch no matter where we are in the world. I don't like that even if I check mark not to allow/add strangers as contacts, inevitably ... read more >>
- See all 114 user reviews Write review
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