· 2 min read · Messenger

Messenger problems: Configuring your firewall

A lot of connection problems of all kinds will raise if you are using a firewall that does not allow Windows Live Messenger to connect to the MSN servers. Here are some key tips on which communication needs to be allowed and white-listed so that Messenger can sign in properly.

The following ports are used by Messenger:

  • TCP 443

  • TCP 1863

  • TCP 80.

There are two kinds of firewalls:

  • software firewalls, like Windows Firewall, and

  • hardware firewalls. If you are using a router to connect to the web, it has probably such a firewall.

Configuring Windows Firewall for Messenger

  • Click Start, Control Panel.

  • Choose Windows Firewall.

  • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the link Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall.

  • In the appearing Windows Firewall dialog, switch to the Exceptions tab. If you are using Windows 7, click the button Change settings.

  • Now add an exception for the following file: C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe If you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, the path starts with C:\Program Files (x86).

If these steps do not fix your problem, Internet Explorer Offline mode might be the bad guy. In my next post, I will show you how to fix this issue.

Questions? Need more support? Contact http://support.live.com/ and the team will be glad to help you out.