Windows Live Web Messenger is the discontinued browser-based version of

Windows Live Messenger MSN Messenger (also known colloquially simply as "Messenger"), later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, was a cross-platform instant-messaging client developed by Microsoft. It connected to the Microsoft Messenger service and, in later versio ...

developed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...

which allowed users to send instant messages online and in real-time with others using the

Microsoft Messenger service Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger Service, .NET Messenger Service and Windows Live Messenger Service) was an instant messaging and presence system developed by Microsoft in 1999 for use with its MSN Messenger software. It was used by instant mess ...

from within a

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...

. The service allowed users without administrative privileges on their computer, such as at a shared public computer, to chat with others on their Messenger contact list without having to install the Windows Live Messenger client. On October 30, 2008, Microsoft officially discontinued the beta version of Windows Live Web Messenger and integrated the service into

Windows Live Hotmail Outlook.com is a webmail service that is part of the Microsoft 365 product family. It offers mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks services. Founded in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith as Hotmail, it was acquired by Microsoft in 19 ...

and

Windows Live Contacts Outlook.com is a webmail service that is part of the Microsoft 365 product family. It offers mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks services. Founded in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith as Hotmail, it was acquired by Microsoft in 1 ...

. In 2010, as part of the Windows Live "Wave 4" release, Windows Live Web Messenger is integrated into all

Windows Live Windows Live is a discontinued brand name for a set of web services and software products developed by Microsoft as part of its software-as-a-service platform. Chief components under the brand name included web services (all of which were expose ...

web services' headers, allowing users to sign into the Messenger service via the web browser on any Windows Live properties.

History

MSN Web Messenger was first launched in August 2004. On the contact list for MSN Messenger users, the status of a contact using Web messenger is either displayed as a globe, or by appending the word (Web) after their name, depending on the version of MSN Messenger used. MSN Web Messenger was officially discontinued on June 30, 2009. In September 2007, Microsoft began developing a new version of the service named Windows Live Web Messenger. This version was released to internal beta testers and was not available to the public. Windows Live Web Messenger featured the ''Windows Live 2.0'' user interface, integrated Personal Status Message and display picture functionalities, and allowed tabbed conversations in a "conversation workspace". Windows Live Web Messenger was officially discontinued on October 30, 2008, and its capabilities were integrated into

and

. However many functionalities in the beta version of Windows Live Web Messenger, such as tabbed conversations, were unavailable in the

and

Hotmail Outlook.com is a webmail service that is part of the Microsoft 365 product family. It offers mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks services. Founded in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith as Hotmail, it was acquired by Microsoft in 19 ...

version. There are other services from various localities (such as China, Taiwan, and Singapore) that are also titled ''Windows Live Web Messenger'', however these versions are only an implementation of the Windows Live Messenger Web Toolkit.

References

External links

Official website
(Archive)
Hotmail Customer Support
(Archive) {{Windows Live Web Messenger 2004 software