Windows 7 has one of the major changes in UI in the form of task bar which is called Super taskbar. Windows Live Messenger or any other IM clients generally minimizes to system tray in Windows Vista, but in Windows 7, even when minimized it stays in the task bar. If you feel the task bar gets crowded with icons, you can minimize messengers to system tray using the simple hack.
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1. First close any running instances of Windows Live Messenger and then open Program files-> Windows Live-> Messenger folder
2. Here you can find msnmgsr.exe file. Right click on the file and select properties.
3. In the properties window, select 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.

4. Click OK and now sign in back to Windows Live Messenger. Now if you minimize the messenger, it goes to system tray.












Nice…
Thanks much. Very useful hack.
Awesome! Thanks for helping me put Messenger back in the task bar where it belongs!!
Also that drag to share thing is really cool. How do you do that?
That didn’t work at all, unfortunately.
Figured it out… instead of using the “minimize” button you have to click the X (close) button and it’ll stay open but minimize to the system tray.
thank you ..
for turkish ..
http://virtualsecrets.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/windows-live-messenger-ve-windows-7/
Champion! thank you!!
Thanks!!!
Thank you
Useless microsoft can’t even fix their own software!
Thnx a lot! i spent hours trying to figure out exactly wht to do with it!
Nice, quick easy fix!
This is great – works like a charm on Windows Live Messenger, but it doesn’t seem to work for AIM no matter what compatibility mode I choose. Is there a way to fix that?
Stop using AIM newfag
now to the real question, how do i make it start when i login? i tried run as administrator, it still doesnt start, and i try to run it, no matter what i do, it always gives me that stupid stupid prompt of user account control, that i dont want to switch off because i know its important in other places! so whats the solution then?
Awesome!! Thanks very much – great find!!
Thanks, big help. Saved me from Windows rage.
Thanks so much!
Great fix, Nirmal – much appreciated.
hi,
thank you for your tip, really its working fine.
Thanks a bunch, much appreciated.
Thanks, I was about to go back to XP, just because of that
It works! Thank you very much
Hey, thanks alot for this tutorial. Much help, no fuss, really quick too. Worked a charm.
I will be telling friends about this
thank you – that was very helpful. such a relief to get it off taskbar. it just doesn’t feel right there.
Thank you very much
its very useful
awosome, thank you very much
Thanks a lot.
thanks so much for the solution!
Works – thanks a lot!
Thank you so much! Ya gotta love the Internet!
thanks…was a verry annoying for me…thanks again
thanks
Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but X’ing out of the window closes the program on both the task bar and system tray… I changed the program to Vista compatibility.
thank you… very useful findings/hack indeed