Thread: Make Windows Live Messenger Minimize to the System Tray in Windows 7

If you used Windows Live Messenger in Windows 7, you may be noticed that instead of minimizing to system tray, the taskbar button constantly stays put. Fortunately you can force Messenger to work the way you are expecting with a simple twist.

To complete this, we utilize the Compatibility Mode characteristic which will trap the application into using the older behavior for earlier versions of Windows.

Force Messenger Into the System Tray

First you want to shutdown Windows Live Messenger entirely by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Close window.



You require to go to start menu and locate program. In this case it is Start, All Programs, Windows Live, and Windows Live Messenger.



From here we are going to use Windows 7 right-click and choose Properties.



Then tick on the compatibility tab on the right.

Test “Run this program in compatibility mode” box, choose Windows Vista, and tick apply. This is the magical step that tricks Messenger into using the old behavior instead of the new Windows 7 mechanism.



When you open program again it will still show itself in the taskbar as it did previous.



Though if you close it by clicking the fabled “X” in the top right hand corner, system tray will end with a little blueish green man.



He is known to connect with some less than fully green characters, so you can now sleep easy knowing you have done him a world of service by separating him from those other cool messengers.