Workaround to Hide and Minimize Windows Live Messenger Icon/Button to Notification Area (System Tray) in Windows 7
When running Windows Live Messenger, aka MSN Messenger of latest version (as installed Windows Live Essentials 2009) in Windows 7, the main Messenger Contact window, display picture, and all chat or conversation windows now have full fledged button or icon on Windows Taskbar, even when minimized, instead of placing main WLM Contacts window icon in system tray or notification area.
In previous Windows Vista, XP or Server operating system, Windows Live Messenger (MSN) Messenger will load itself into notification area, also known as system tray, which located at the far right end of Taskbar beside the clock, while the rest of the windows such as IM chat dialog box have their own Taskbar button when the windows are opened.
Windows 7 has removed the notification area icon for Windows Live Messenger though, thus the main button for Messenger window now appears in Taskbar, along side with all its conversation or chat windows. The Taskbar button icon won’t go away even when Messenger window is minimized. When mouse over the WL Messenger icon on Taskbar, the thumbnail preview may show two confusing Messenger’s windows, where one is actual WLM Contacts main window, and another is display picture (DP, which does not show if user clicks on ‘X’ button to close the main window).
It’s possible to instruct Windows Live Messenger to revert back to classic style, where its main window is represented by notification tray area icon. The hack is to run Windows Live Messenger in Windows Vista compatibility mode in Windows 7 in order to move WLM icon back to system tray.
- Exit Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger completely (Right click on WLM button/icon on Taskbar and select Exit).
- Go to Start Menu, locate the Windows Live Messenger shortcut.
Tip: It’s also possible to deal directly with the actual WLM program, msnmgsr.exe located in %ProgramFiles%\Windows Live\Messenger\ folder.
- Right click on the Windows Live Messenger shortcut or executable, and select Properties.
- Go to Compatibility tab.
- Tick the check box for Run this program in compatibility mode for under “Compatibility Mode”, and then select Windows Vista from the drop down list.
- Click OK.
- Run Windows Live Messenger.
With the hack, Windows Live Messenger will minimize to system tray (notification area).
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Entries (RSS)
March 26th, 2009 04:48
I have the same problem as Mavamaarten.
It works the first time i change the compatability mode. But after restarting or simply turning off one evening and on the next. It no longer starts automatically.. Nor does it allow me to open the program manually… I have tried changing it back to run on Windows 7. But nothing happens.
March 21st, 2009 02:24
Great! I was also very annoyed by this!
March 18th, 2009 04:18
Awesome…2 icons in the task bar was so annoying..
You made my day
March 16th, 2009 03:19
Hey my love iam just trying if i can go through .love you.
February 26th, 2009 13:44
Brilliant! thankyou, it was annoying the sh*t out of me!!
i did it with the executabl itself and not the shortcut, if that helps anyone above.
February 26th, 2009 05:54
You are quite the genius friend. Thanks for the great information.
February 24th, 2009 21:41
Thank you very much
February 18th, 2009 21:46
THANKS DUDE!
this worked on the built 7022!
thanks again man,
i apreshate it!
February 17th, 2009 04:09
Running Build 7022. Went directly to file and told it to run in vista compatibility mode and it works great. It’s funny how that the way to fix many things in 7 is to change the compatibility mode. Thank you.
February 9th, 2009 03:51
Great post! This is the only “problem” I was having after a Windows 7 install today. This should be a very popular post.
Thanks a bunch.
January 31st, 2009 11:23
thnx alot dude
January 30th, 2009 19:31
[...] to: Workaround to Hide and Minimize Windows Live Messenger Icon/Button to Notification Area (System Tray… Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009 12:31 PM by Alessandro Teglia Filed under: Beta, Vista, Windows [...]
January 28th, 2009 02:39
Thank you very much… this thing was anoying me, every time I would minimize my programs the dang thing would maximize… once again thanks
January 22nd, 2009 04:48
so has anyone come up with a working fix besides running in comp mode? doesn’t work for many people from what i see
January 18th, 2009 18:27
Yes, that is what I want! Thank’s a lot!
January 18th, 2009 12:56
to wasscp
yes i did apply that patch to extend windows 7 and remove watermarks/build, etc. sounds like something it did is causing the error
anyone come up with another solution aside from rerunning patch and unpatching
matt
January 17th, 2009 09:47
This worked like a charm! Thank you, I now have my taskbar back!
January 15th, 2009 18:56
@mavmaarten
you wouldnt have happened to use that patch to get pluspatch for windows 7 did you…
im asking because i applied this *workaround* first shot and it worked beautifully…
soon as i tinkered with the pluspatch 5 (remove watermarks and annoying feedback link) i also recieved *unable to initialize* (unticking compatibility mode) was the only option to get msn running again…
sucks that annoying MSN on my taskbar is enough to make me stop using it easily.. guess i gotta find an alternate way ot connecting to msn
trillium maybe…
January 15th, 2009 17:37
Same here. Doesn’t start at all in compatibility mode.
January 15th, 2009 16:56
The Program Files folder method described above worked perfectly for me.
Brilliant solution. Well worked out!
Thanks,
Neil.
January 15th, 2009 14:12
Yep. Uninstalled my previous version, then installed the latest version straight from Microsoft’s website, before I made my previous post. I’ve got version 14.0.8050.1202.
I’ve tried Vista compat mode, and XP compat mode. I’ve tried it with the shortcut, and the actual .exe file. I get the same error every time.
Its kind of annoying that they’ve made this change to the way the program works in Windows 7. An older version I had, before I was told by the program that I needed to update, actually went to the system tray.
January 15th, 2009 10:10
Have you all try to install the latest version?
January 15th, 2009 08:16
Matt,
The same thing happens to me; the exact same thing. Does anyone know of any other way to get it to the system tray instead of on the taskbar?
January 15th, 2009 02:18
this doesn’t work at least not for me – it pops up an error and says messenger has stopped working – close program. then application error failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005) blah blah – UAC set off and i’ve tried changing everything to default as well as setting compatability to other OS version – nothing works – anyone has same issue?
January 15th, 2009 02:12
Horrible.
I HATE the way it works, and when i try this thingy, WLM9 stops working, i can’t run it at all