Windows Live Messenger – formerly MSN Messenger – is set to shut down on March 15, 2013.  Microsoft is replacing it with Skype and migrating Windows Live IDs (now known as Microsoft accounts) to Skype.

If y'all are a Windows Live Messenger user, times are changing.  You lot volition demand to employ the Skype application for chatting – third-party instant messaging clients and quondam versions of Windows Live Messenger will no longer role.

Goodbye Windows Live Messenger and Third-Party Clients

On March 15, y'all will no longer be able to sign into Messenger using the Windows Alive Messenger desktop awarding.  If y'all attempt to sign in, yous will exist prompted to download Skype and uninstall Messenger from your calculator.

If you lot apply some other application to conversation on Windows Alive Messenger – such as Pidgin or Trillian – these applications will likely terminate to function as well.  However, it will not exist as simple equally irresolute your customer to employ Skype instead of Windows Live Messenger.  The Skype plug-in for Pidgin only allows you to chat with your Skype buddies while Skype is already open up and running in the groundwork.  Trillian's Skype support is a bit more than integrated, but information technology notwithstanding needs Skype installed and does not work at the moment because of changes to the Skype protocol.

If yous want to chat on Skype, your only real pick at the moment is the official Skype customer.  Luckily, Skype is available for Windows 8, the traditional Windows desktop, Mac Bone 10, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, and so in that location is no shortage of options.  Still, some of the clients – such as Skype for Linux and Skype for Android – are not equally polished and have been rather buggy, in our experience.

Migrating to Skype

If you lot want to go along using your Windows Alive Messenger business relationship and chatting with your contacts, y'all volition need to migrate your Messenger business relationship to Skype.  This migration can go 1 of ii means, depending on whether you already have a Skype business relationship you want to merge your account with or not.

First, ensure you have the latest version of Skype installed.  You tin download it from Skype's website or utilise the Help > Bank check for Updates selection inside Skype.  If you are already signed into Skype, use the Skype > Sign Out option to sign out and become back to the login screen.

From the login screen, select the selection to sign in with a Microsoft account.

Sign in with your Microsoft account (formerly known as your Windows Live ID: the same account you use to sign into Windows Live Messenger).

You will run into a screen request you if you already have a Skype business relationship.  If you exercise not, click the I'thou new to Skype push and your Microsoft account will be linked with a new Skype account.  If you do, click the I have a Skype business relationship option and y'all will be able to merge your Microsoft account with your existing Skype business relationship.

Whichever option you select, yous will run into your Windows Live Messenger contacts announced on your Skype Contacts list.  Bold everyone switches over, y'all will be able to proceed chatting with your contacts from within Skype.

While Skype is mainly focused on audio and video chats, it can besides be used for text chatting.  You can also make the Skype interface into a more minimal buddy list – just click the View carte du jour and select Compact View.

Windows Alive Messenger will not be shutting down completely in March.  It volition however continue to function in mainland People's republic of china.