It’s about time! Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram are now officially available on Windows 10 –. However, there is a catch, currently users can only download Facebook and Facebook Messenger on PC, and Instagram is only available on Windows 10 Mobile.
While there has been a Facebook and Messenger app for the operating system, they were only designed for Windows 8.x. The new apps have been built from scratch to take advantage of all the benefits of Windows 10. These apps are also fast and they will be kept up to day through the Store.
If you’ve ever use web version of Facebook, the new app will look very familiar. In fact, if it wasn’t for the shade of colors and navigation bar located on left edge of the app, you would think you’re using the web version of the social network.
The Facebook app is very complete. It supports Live Tiles, so you can pin the app and get notifications at glance, and Action Center notifications are also supported.
You can easily share photos straight from the app, using your favorite apps, or even from File Explorer.
The app couldn’t be complete without Reactions, stickers in comments, and with the column in the right side to display birthdays, events, and trending topics of interest to you.
Microsoft Edge is also built into the app to offer in-app browser — just like you would expect from a mobile app.
Facebook | Download
Facebook Messenger
The popular Facebook Messenger app is also arriving to Windows 10. Like the mobile version, the desktop version of Messenger for Windows 10 packs all the must have features, including stickers, group conversations, and GIFs.
Alongside support for Live Tiles, Messenger also includes native desktop notifications to make the experience more complete for Windows 10 users.
Facebook Messenger | Download
Only on Windows 10 Mobile — at least for now — is Instagram. The popular photo and video sharing app is available for Windows users as beta. Instagram includes features such as Direct Messaging, Videos, new Search and Explore, and Account Switching.
Similar to the other two apps, Instagram for Windows 10 Mobile supports Live Tiles and notifications.
Instagram | Download
These new apps will replace the previous apps available for Windows 8.x and Windows Phone 8.x. Facebook says that users will still be able to use old apps in the older version of the operating system, but to use the new apps users must upgrade to Windows 10.
Although, these new apps have been designed specifically for Windows 10, they’re not universal apps. Probably they will be in the future, but not now. Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps are available in all form factor devices, which is not the case with these three new apps. However, it’s good that Facebook is delivering on the promise to allow Windows 10 users to experience the social network through these new apps.
The Facebook apps are available for download immediately from the Windows Store. If you have installed the old Facebook app, it will update automatically to the new version. Also, remember that Instagram is only available for the mobile version of the operating system.
Have you tried the new Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram on your Windows 10 devices? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].