Make Windows Live Messenger Minimize to the System Tray in Windows 7
If you’ve used Windows Live Messenger in Windows 7, you’ve probably noticed that instead of minimizing to the system tray, the taskbar button always stays put. Luckily you can force Messenger to work the way you are expecting with a simple tweak.
To accomplish this, we are going to use the Compatibility Mode feature—which will trick the application into using the old behavior for previous versions of Windows.
Force Messenger Into the System Tray
Firstly, you’ll need to close Windows Live Messenger completely by right-clicking on the icon and choosing Close window.
You then need to go to the start menu and find the program. In this case it’s Start, All Programs, Windows Live, Windows Live Messenger.
From here we are going to utilize the lovely Windows 7 right-click and select Properties.
Then click on the compatibility tab on the right.
Then check the “Run this program in compatibility mode” box, choose Windows Vista, and click apply. This is the magical step that tricks Messenger into using the old behavior instead of the new Windows 7 mechanism.
When you reopen the program it will still display itself in the taskbar as it did before.
However if you now close it by clicking the fabled “X” in the top right hand corner, your system tray will be complete with a little blueish green man.
He’s been known to associate with some less than savoury fully green characters, so you can now sleep easy knowing you’ve done him a world of service by separating him from those other shady messengers.
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Sweet! About the only thing that annoyed me about 7, thanks for that.
Now I can’t sign in. There is a problem with the ‘Hosts’ file. Any ideas?
Great! Thanks for help.
Thanks a ton! It was very annoying otherwise!
I rarely comment on blogs but yours I had to stop and say Great Blog!!
After 4 emails to Microsoft support & a month of waiting for reply’s which were nothing but Scripted reply’s, after having me jump threw the most basic of hoops and to come up of course with nothing more than telling me what they can do for me now is to forward my issue to a higher level of support for further investigation. HA-HA. What a nerd I was to think this group of support Techs. could help me. I just finished with my reply to Microsoft this is it:
I found a solution to this problem with one Google search found a site, HOW TO GEEK and it took me about 5 min’s to find and solve my problem! After 4 emails to you goofy dept. & a month of waiting for Microsoft to find an answer; with nobody even understanding anything other than to “stick to the scripts.” you all have been GIven to follow no matter what you may really think; It’s a wonder Microsoft is a leader in anything. If it hadn’t been for Bill Gates buying DOS ( A totally Flawed OS from IBM who had he morals & values to throw out the DOS flawed forever OS but poor business sense to sell it to anyone that came along, Oh crap, I’m just rambling; you get the picture etc. Anyway here is the work around in windows 7 that everybody is needing you to fix so they can use your program windows live messenger. (I may be wrong) your programmers can solve this one.
your site will stay in my favorites forever Thanks!!
You can also click on the little arrow next to the notification area, then click on customize.
Select MSN Messenegr and change the default behaviour to “show icon and notifications”
This works for all applications.
Cheers
Luke
Thanks a million!
GOSH THANK YOU!!
This article and how to put back the quick launch bar on made my day. I was so annoyed with the new (forced) layout on 7. Of course some things do come in handy, but certain others are just pointless with the windows taskbar.
Thank you so much! I am a control/neat freak and I couldn’t stand having that icon there all the time.
hmm, alternative: use Miranda.
combines all the IMs in one, Open Source, and doesn’t suck.
awesome thanks!!!
Nice, thank you!
Thanks!!!!
Excellent!
There is a cool utility which makes this super easy called MessengerToTray it is available in German and English!
http://www.kentdome.com/messengertotray
Ciao
Worked perfectly, solved me another problem
Thanks alot, Geek
thank you very much for your help, it did work…
Step-by-step clear instructions to exactly what I wanted fixed. Thanks a ton!
PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Great! its working
OH THANK HEAVENS….
That annoyed the mess out of me, especially when i only have 1 conversation window up and yet still i have to click into the win7 preview screen…
again…Thank you so much!