How to make video calls with facebook messenger

Making free internet calls with Facebook is easy

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What to Know

• Start a video call on Facebook: Open a conversation and select the video camera icon.
• Make a voice call on Facebook: Open a conversation and select the phone icon.
• Voice and video calls are not supported on the Facebook mobile app or mobile website.

This article explains how to make voice and video calls on Facebook, whether it’s via the website and app, or the Facebook Portal device. The process for doing so is the same whether you’re on your computer or your phone or tablet.

Make Voice Calls on Facebook

To make a free phone call from Facebook.com, Messenger.com, or the Messenger app, open a conversation with the recipient and select the phone icon at the top of the message box.

While you’re in a voice call on Facebook, select the video button to request that the recipient enable video on their side. If they do, your audio call is converted to a video call.

Facebook voice calls used to work in the Facebook app in 2013. However, now you can only make an audio call with Facebook from a phone or tablet through the Messenger app.

Make Video Calls on Facebook

Starting a video call on Facebook is as easy as making a phone call. Open a conversation with the recipient, then select the video camera to start the video call. This works anywhere you can access the calling features: Facebook.com, Messenger.com, and the desktop and mobile Messenger apps.

During a Facebook video call, select the video icon to disable the video camera. This converts the conversation to an audio call.

Facebook Calling Requirements

The Facebook mobile app and mobile website don’t support audio or video calls. What you need is access to either the Facebook desktop website or the messaging app called Messenger.

Messenger works on computers at Messenger.com, or you can download Messenger to your computer. Another way to use the Facebook voice calling or video calling feature is to get the Messenger app on your phone or tablet. It’s available for iOS and Android.

When you make a VoIP Facebook call from a mobile device, you use the device’s mobile data plan, so it doesn’t count against the voice minutes you’re limited to by your carrier. If you use Facebook calling over Wi-Fi, it doesn’t count against your mobile data usage.

The same app is used for both video calls and audio calls, so you don’t need a separate Facebook app for each. To have a private video chat with someone over Facebook, use the same Messenger app that lets you make voice calls.

Not all devices running the Messenger app can make video and voice calls. Some only support text messaging.

You cannot make a video call without a camera, nor are audio calls possible without a microphone. Your device needs to have those pieces of hardware either built-in or plugged in externally to call another user.

Help With Facebook Calls

Using Facebook’s video and voice calling features requires that the computer or mobile device is set up correctly to accept these requests. Without these parameters in place, you can’t talk or share your video with your Facebook friends.

If you’re making a Facebook call from a computer, make sure that the webcam and microphone are properly plugged in and working. If you use a web browser for the Facebook call, pop-up blockers might interfere with the call. You must also enable the browser to access the camera and microphone, or the other person can’t see or hear you.

For example, to make Facebook calls from Chrome, allow camera and mic access to permit Facebook to use the hardware during the call. Chrome also needs to allow pop-ups for Facebook or Messenger to ensure that calls can come through.

Another example where you need to set up proper permissions is when you use an iPad to make a video call or voice call on Facebook. Open Settings > Messenger and enable Microphone and Camera so that your friends can see and hear you during a call. Similar steps are necessary for Android and other mobile devices.

Did you know that you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger? The next time you want to reach out to friends, family members, or colleagues, you might consider using Facebook Messenger to initiate a video chat, and it works for easy video calls on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows PC too.

There’s no doubt that Facebook is the biggest social network in the world with over 2.6 billion monthly active users, and many of us already have Facebook accounts. Whether you’re an iOS, Mac, Android, or Windows user, you will be able to use the Messenger app on your devices since it has multi-platform support.

Interested in taking advantage of Messenger’s video calling feature to stay in touch with your loved ones? Well you’ve certainly come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be discussing exactly how you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger on an iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows PC.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on iPhone & iPad

First of all, you need to install the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple App Store. As long as you have a Facebook account, you should be able to use it right away. If you don’t, sign up for a Facebook account (and don’t forget you can Like us on Facebook too) and simply follow the steps below.

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or iPad.

In the Chats section, tap on the “compose” icon at the top-right corner to start a new conversation. Alternatively, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and open the particular conversation.

Now, you can use the search bar to find the Facebook friend you want to video call with. Once their profile shows up in the list, tap on the name to select them and press “Done” as shown below.

Next, simply tap on the “video” icon located at the top-right corner to start the video call session.

That’s it. Now you know how to make video calls using the Messenger app on an iPhone or iPad.

The same procedure can be followed for video calling from an Android device too.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on Windows / Mac

If you’re on Windows, you’ll need to install the Messenger app from Microsoft Store before going ahead with the procedure. However, if you’re on Mac, you can download the app from the Mac App Store. The procedure is identical on both platforms.

1. Open the Messenger app on your macOS device or Windows machine.

Here, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and click on the particular conversation. To start a new conversation, tap on the “compose” icon located right next to Messenger. Use the search bar to find the Facebook contact you want to video call. You’ll need to send a text message first before you’re able to video call.

Once you’ve sent a text message, the calling options will show up at the top. Tap on the “video” icon to begin the video call session.

Whether you’re a Mac or Windows user, that’s pretty much all you need to do for making video calls with Messenger.

Likewise, you can also make group video calls within the Facebook Messenger app. Instead of selecting one contact as we described above, you can select multiple people to create a new group and begin a group video chat session within seconds. Facebook allows users to create group video calls with up to 50 people.

Looking for alternative solutions to make video calls? There are so many competing services you can try out, like Google Hangouts, Google Duo, Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp to name a few. All of these services are multi-platform and can be used to stay connected with your loved ones while you’re away. And if you want to do big online meetings, another option for video conferencing is setting up and joining Zoom meets, which allows up to 100 participants. And of course there’s FaceTime in the Apple ecosystem as well.

To compete against Zoom and its huge spike in popularity recently, Facebook is currently testing Messenger Rooms in certain countries, which makes it easy to set up online meetings and classrooms. Once it’s available, we’ll be covering that too.

We hope you managed to get in touch with your friends, family and relatives with Facebook Messenger. What other video calling services have you tried before and how do they stack up to Messenger? Do share your thoughts and experience in the comments section down below.

Out of all the messaging apps out there, Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular. It’s no surprise as to why: Facebook has billions of users around the world and if you have a Facebook account, you have a Messenger account.

But while a majority of users probably spend their time texting in the app, Facebook Messenger also supports video calling. And video calling is something we’re all doing MUCH more of lately.

So how do you make a video call on Facebook Messenger? It’s pretty simple, so read on…

Make a Facebook Messenger Video Call On iPhone

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular apps for iPhone, so chances are you already have it installed. If not, open up the App Store on your iPhone and download it.

Got it? Good. Now after you’ve logged into your Facebook account in it, follow the following steps to make a call.

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing message thread (with the person you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Video Call On Android

Thankfully, Facebook has designed Messenger to look and work similarly on Android as it does on iPhone. Again, if you don’t have the Messenger app on your Android first open up the Play Store on your Android and download it.

Now after you’ve logged into your Facebook account in it, follow the following steps to make a call.

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing message thread (with the person you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Group Video Call On iPhone

Facebook Messenger can also handle group video calls. This means you can video chat with a group of people, like your entire family.

Making a group video call on Facebook Messenger for iPhone is really easy:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing group message thread (with the people you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the group video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Group Video Call On Android

No surprise here…Facebook Messenger on Android can also handle group video calls just like the iPhone can. This means you can video chat with a group of people, like your entire family. Also, note that you can video chat with people no matter if they are using Facebook Messenger on an iPhone or Android.

Making a group video call on Facebook Messenger for Android is as easy as it is on iPhone:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing group message thread (with the people you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

As above, once you do the above the group video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.

Facebook Video Calling is not supported on Linux platforms. You may use Facebook video calling using your web browser Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Safari. Have a look at the simple how to guide to experience the Facebook Video Calling.

In order to enable and make a free facebook video call to your friend, all you have to do is visit https://www.facebook.com/videocalling and click on “Get Started“. Then it will prompt you to select the person you like to make a video call through facebook.

How to Make Facebook Video Call ?

Now click on Video Call Button you may see at the top right corner of your friends chat window.

As this is the first time, video calling has to be setup in your computer by downloading and installing a plugin. This works well with Windows and Mac computers. Facebook video calling is not supported on Linux (UBUNTU) Operating Systems so far. We can expect in near future that facebook developers team brings this awesome feature to let Linux users also do face to face video calling.

You will get another prompt to download an APPLET from Facebook.com. As this is legitimate you may “Allow” the operation.

This is the final step to setup video calling in facebook.

Once done, you will see the download progress bar. Let it complete and move to next step.Thats it. You will be automatically connected with your friend and enjoy making unlimited free pc to pc calls through your facebook with friends and family.

This new feature really fixes the gap between friends and family very much. This should have done before Google+ jump into the Social Media battle. Anyhow, enjoy free video calling feature in facebook and do let us know your experience via comments. Happy Facebook-ing.

You may follow us on Twitter or like us at Facebook to get more Facebook News and Updates Quickly.

Out of all the messaging apps out there, Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular. It’s no surprise as to why: Facebook has billions of users around the world and if you have a Facebook account, you have a Messenger account.

But while a majority of users probably spend their time texting in the app, Facebook Messenger also supports video calling. And video calling is something we’re all doing MUCH more of lately.

So how do you make a video call on Facebook Messenger? It’s pretty simple, so read on…

Make a Facebook Messenger Video Call On iPhone

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular apps for iPhone, so chances are you already have it installed. If not, open up the App Store on your iPhone and download it.

Got it? Good. Now after you’ve logged into your Facebook account in it, follow the following steps to make a call.

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing message thread (with the person you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Video Call On Android

Thankfully, Facebook has designed Messenger to look and work similarly on Android as it does on iPhone. Again, if you don’t have the Messenger app on your Android first open up the Play Store on your Android and download it.

Now after you’ve logged into your Facebook account in it, follow the following steps to make a call.

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing message thread (with the person you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Group Video Call On iPhone

Facebook Messenger can also handle group video calls. This means you can video chat with a group of people, like your entire family.

Making a group video call on Facebook Messenger for iPhone is really easy:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing group message thread (with the people you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

Once you do the above the group video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Make a Facebook Messenger Group Video Call On Android

No surprise here…Facebook Messenger on Android can also handle group video calls just like the iPhone can. This means you can video chat with a group of people, like your entire family. Also, note that you can video chat with people no matter if they are using Facebook Messenger on an iPhone or Android.

Making a group video call on Facebook Messenger for Android is as easy as it is on iPhone:

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.
2. Tap the Chats button.
3. Select an existing group message thread (with the people you want to video call) by tapping it.
4. Inside the conversation tap the video button (it’s a blue icon that looks like a camera).

As above, once you do the above the group video call will commence and you can video chat as long as you want.

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.

Did you know that you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger? The next time you want to reach out to friends, family members, or colleagues, you might consider using Facebook Messenger to initiate a video chat, and it works for easy video calls on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows PC too.

There’s no doubt that Facebook is the biggest social network in the world with over 2.6 billion monthly active users, and many of us already have Facebook accounts. Whether you’re an iOS, Mac, Android, or Windows user, you will be able to use the Messenger app on your devices since it has multi-platform support.

Interested in taking advantage of Messenger’s video calling feature to stay in touch with your loved ones? Well you’ve certainly come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be discussing exactly how you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger on an iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows PC.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on iPhone & iPad

First of all, you need to install the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple App Store. As long as you have a Facebook account, you should be able to use it right away. If you don’t, sign up for a Facebook account (and don’t forget you can Like us on Facebook too) and simply follow the steps below.

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or iPad.

In the Chats section, tap on the “compose” icon at the top-right corner to start a new conversation. Alternatively, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and open the particular conversation.

Now, you can use the search bar to find the Facebook friend you want to video call with. Once their profile shows up in the list, tap on the name to select them and press “Done” as shown below.

Next, simply tap on the “video” icon located at the top-right corner to start the video call session.

That’s it. Now you know how to make video calls using the Messenger app on an iPhone or iPad.

The same procedure can be followed for video calling from an Android device too.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on Windows / Mac

If you’re on Windows, you’ll need to install the Messenger app from Microsoft Store before going ahead with the procedure. However, if you’re on Mac, you can download the app from the Mac App Store. The procedure is identical on both platforms.

1. Open the Messenger app on your macOS device or Windows machine.

Here, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and click on the particular conversation. To start a new conversation, tap on the “compose” icon located right next to Messenger. Use the search bar to find the Facebook contact you want to video call. You’ll need to send a text message first before you’re able to video call.

Once you’ve sent a text message, the calling options will show up at the top. Tap on the “video” icon to begin the video call session.

Whether you’re a Mac or Windows user, that’s pretty much all you need to do for making video calls with Messenger.

Likewise, you can also make group video calls within the Facebook Messenger app. Instead of selecting one contact as we described above, you can select multiple people to create a new group and begin a group video chat session within seconds. Facebook allows users to create group video calls with up to 50 people.

Looking for alternative solutions to make video calls? There are so many competing services you can try out, like Google Hangouts, Google Duo, Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp to name a few. All of these services are multi-platform and can be used to stay connected with your loved ones while you’re away. And if you want to do big online meetings, another option for video conferencing is setting up and joining Zoom meets, which allows up to 100 participants. And of course there’s FaceTime in the Apple ecosystem as well.

To compete against Zoom and its huge spike in popularity recently, Facebook is currently testing Messenger Rooms in certain countries, which makes it easy to set up online meetings and classrooms. Once it’s available, we’ll be covering that too.

We hope you managed to get in touch with your friends, family and relatives with Facebook Messenger. What other video calling services have you tried before and how do they stack up to Messenger? Do share your thoughts and experience in the comments section down below.

– It’s free and easy to do!

(Pocket-lint) – Facebook allows you to use its Messenger platform to make one-on-one video calls and group video calls with up to 50 people – sort of like a virtual hangout, where friends can just drop in just to say hi. Here’s everything you need to know about making video calls on Messenger.

Getting started with Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger is one of the most widely used messaging services, with more than 700 million people making calls on it every day. It’s free and offers several communications features including video calling, and it’s available around the globe, across a range of devices.

You can install the Messenger app on your iPhone or Android phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play, respectively. There’s also a Messenger app for MacOS and Windows desktops. You can even access Messenger from Facebook on the web or from the dedicated Messenger web app. Installing or using the latest version of Messenger ensures you will have access to the latest features.

• Go here to grab the latest version of the Messenger app

If you should ever deactivate your Facebook account, you can still use Messenger. In fact, you can share photos, videos, start group chats, and more – all without a Facebook account. Eventually, Facebook said it hopes to integrate all its messaging platforms, including WhatsAapp and Instagram, so that users will be able to start a conversation and access it across from any of Facebook’s services.

The first phase of this effort comes in the form of Messenger Rooms, a new video-calling feature, which we discuss in detail below.

How to video chat with someone or a group on Messenger

You can video chat with just one person or with a group of people using Messenger.

Messenger mobile app for iOS and Android

From the chats area, open a conversation with the person or group you want to video chat, and then click the video call icon (see above).

Note: If you’re not connected to Wi-Fi when placing a video call with your mobile device, the feature will use your existing data plan.

Facebook.com or Messenger.com

From the chats area, open a conversation with the person or group you want to video chat, and then click the video call icon (see above).

Note: Calling on messenger.com or facebook.com is only available using the browsers Chrome or Opera.

Messenger desktop app for Mac and Windows

From the chats area, open a conversation with the person or group you want to video chat, and then click the video call icon (see above).

Facebook Portal devices

Portal calls can be received on Portal devices, the Messenger app on mobile phones or tablets, messenger.com or facebook.com, or on WhatsApp on mobile phones. But you can’t use Portal to call Messenger connections that don’t have Facebook accounts – confusing we know.

Anyway, to make a video call on a Portal, be sure to add your Facebook Messenger account when you initially set up the device, and then you can simply say to it: “Hey Portal, call [contact name].” Portal may ask you to confirm which contact you’re trying to call.

How do Messenger Rooms work?

Facebook is rolling out a new video-calling feature called Messenger Rooms. It allows you and up to 49 others to join a group video call – which Facebook calls a “room”. You’ll be able to start a room from Messenger, Facebook, Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, or Portal, and you can open the call to all or lock it to stop uninvited people from joining. You can remove participants, too.

While in a Room, you can use Facebook’s augmented reality filters and change out your background to a virtual one. Facebook is including 360-degree views of exotic locations for backgrounds, and it’s working on beauty filters as well as filters designed to brighten a dark room. Keep in mind Zoom, a popular alternative, also lets you join large group video calls and use virtual backgrounds.

Create a Messenger Room

Once it’s available to you, here’s how to create a Room from your phone:

1. Open the Messenger mobile app.
2. Tap the People tab at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap Create a Room.
4. Select the people who you want to join.
5. You can also share the room in your News Feed, Groups, and Events.
6. To share a Room with people who don’t have Facebook, you can share a link with them.

Rooms are now available globally in the Messenger app. It’s going live in the Facebook app for some countries from spring 2020. Messenger Rooms are coming to all of Facebook’s products, starting with Messenger and Facebook, and then Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, and Portal.

You can join a room from your phone or computer — no need to download anything, Facebook said. Room calls are not end-to-end encrypted.

Started as a typical social media, Facebook has now reached the maximum, as it could become one of the best and most used chatting platforms. Initially, the facebook only allowed the users to text message each other, while other platforms including Skype had audio and video call options. Later, the company integrated the Skype with the Facebook and enabled the video calls to the Facebook platform. Here is how you can set up a video call in Facebook.

Earlier with facebook, there was a setup page to initialize and enable the video call. You needed to visit a particular page that allows making video calls. Also, the other user is necessary to set up the video call integration. After enabling, you could be able to make video calls from the PC Web browser.

But now, the methods have changed a lot, and you can make video calls within few clicks. Apart from the Facebook chat screen, the company also introduced a standalone app, as well as website named “Messenger.” Check out the following methods to find out how well you can connect with your friends on facebook through Video calls.

Setup Video Calling on PC

If you are using a computer, you can visit both the Facebook and messenger to make video calls. The same is available on both the platforms. Here is how you can setup video call right from the Facebook web.

• Open Facebook.com on your PC web browser and log in using your credentials.
• Tap on “Turn on Active Status” if it is off, to see your active friends. Whoever you see with a green dot beside the name is currently active on Facebook, for your information.
• Select any of your friends, and you can see the floating chat box at the bottom.
• Click on Video Camera icon. It will open a new popup page, where you will have to allow the Microphone and Web camera usage access to the facebook.
• You can hang up and close the window anytime.

If you are using the Messenger(m.me) web, follow these methods.

• Open Messenger on your browser window.
• Log in with Facebook.
• Choose your contacts from the left panel.
• Click on the Video chat icon at the top right corner.
• Similar to the Facebook Web, a popup window will appear and start making video calls. You also need to provide hardware permissions.

Setup Video Calling on Mobile

Unlike using PC, the Facebook has concentrated its users on the standalone app that has no inbuilt chat option. You need to install the Messenger app separately, in case you want to start making video calls, or even calls or text someone. Here are the complete methods to setup Facebook/Messenger video call on Android and iOS.

• Download and Install Facebook Messenger app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
• Log in with your Facebook account.
• Tap on one of the contacts or search for someone who you would like to video chat with.
• After opening the chat session, tap on the video call icon at the top. This will dial a call for you.
• In messenger app, there are many filters, stickers and visual effects that you can use to enhance the video calling.

Hope now you understand how we can set up the video calling feature in Facebook and Messenger.

Did you know that you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger? The next time you want to reach out to friends, family members, or colleagues, you might consider using Facebook Messenger to initiate a video chat, and it works for easy video calls on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows PC too.

There’s no doubt that Facebook is the biggest social network in the world with over 2.6 billion monthly active users, and many of us already have Facebook accounts. Whether you’re an iOS, Mac, Android, or Windows user, you will be able to use the Messenger app on your devices since it has multi-platform support.

Interested in taking advantage of Messenger’s video calling feature to stay in touch with your loved ones? Well you’ve certainly come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be discussing exactly how you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger on an iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows PC.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on iPhone & iPad

First of all, you need to install the Facebook Messenger app from the Apple App Store. As long as you have a Facebook account, you should be able to use it right away. If you don’t, sign up for a Facebook account (and don’t forget you can Like us on Facebook too) and simply follow the steps below.

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone or iPad.

In the Chats section, tap on the “compose” icon at the top-right corner to start a new conversation. Alternatively, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and open the particular conversation.

Now, you can use the search bar to find the Facebook friend you want to video call with. Once their profile shows up in the list, tap on the name to select them and press “Done” as shown below.

Next, simply tap on the “video” icon located at the top-right corner to start the video call session.

That’s it. Now you know how to make video calls using the Messenger app on an iPhone or iPad.

The same procedure can be followed for video calling from an Android device too.

How to Make Video Calls with Facebook Messenger on Windows / Mac

If you’re on Windows, you’ll need to install the Messenger app from Microsoft Store before going ahead with the procedure. However, if you’re on Mac, you can download the app from the Mac App Store. The procedure is identical on both platforms.

1. Open the Messenger app on your macOS device or Windows machine.

Here, if you want to video call someone you’ve already had a conversation with, scroll through the chats and click on the particular conversation. To start a new conversation, tap on the “compose” icon located right next to Messenger. Use the search bar to find the Facebook contact you want to video call. You’ll need to send a text message first before you’re able to video call.

Once you’ve sent a text message, the calling options will show up at the top. Tap on the “video” icon to begin the video call session.

Whether you’re a Mac or Windows user, that’s pretty much all you need to do for making video calls with Messenger.

Likewise, you can also make group video calls within the Facebook Messenger app. Instead of selecting one contact as we described above, you can select multiple people to create a new group and begin a group video chat session within seconds. Facebook allows users to create group video calls with up to 50 people.

Looking for alternative solutions to make video calls? There are so many competing services you can try out, like Google Hangouts, Google Duo, Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp to name a few. All of these services are multi-platform and can be used to stay connected with your loved ones while you’re away. And if you want to do big online meetings, another option for video conferencing is setting up and joining Zoom meets, which allows up to 100 participants. And of course there’s FaceTime in the Apple ecosystem as well.

To compete against Zoom and its huge spike in popularity recently, Facebook is currently testing Messenger Rooms in certain countries, which makes it easy to set up online meetings and classrooms. Once it’s available, we’ll be covering that too.

We hope you managed to get in touch with your friends, family and relatives with Facebook Messenger. What other video calling services have you tried before and how do they stack up to Messenger? Do share your thoughts and experience in the comments section down below.