Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

Tired of having to keep that browser tab open to Facebook just so you can keep chatting with your friends? It only takes five Quick Steps to integrate iChat with Facebook’s web-chat client and because Facebook uses the Jabber protocol it’s incredibly easy to set up and use.

First you’re going to need to get your Facebook username. If you don’t remember what this is, all you need to do is visit your own profile page and your username will be listed in the URL (example: http://www.facebook.com/bust3r). You can also find or change your username if you go to Settings > Username.

1) Open up iChat.

2) Under the iChat Menu select “Preferences”

Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

3) Under the “Accounts” tab you will see your accounts listed in the left hand table. A “+” sign is located in the bottom left hand corner. Click on that to add your new account.

Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

4) Under the “Account Setup” Screen you’ll need to change the following settings:

Account Type: Jabber

Account Name: (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)

Password: YourFacebookPassword

Click the down arrow to expand the Server Options and enter:

Server: chat.facebook.com

DON'T MISS
Now you can Facebook Chat through iChat

Port: 5222

Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

5) Click “Done.” Your account is now setup and you are free to Chat away with your friends on Facebook without having to keep the website open.

Integrate Facebook Chat Into iChat [How To]

About the author

busterheineBuster Heine heads Cult of Mac's Social Media presence as well as contributes posts as often as he gets around to it. Website: noolo.gy; Twitter: twitter.com/bst3r.

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Posted in How-To, Macintosh |

  • http://www.psychicboom.co.uk psychic readings

    this should come in useful, adium allows this also though. thanks

    • http://bust3r.com Buster Heine

      @psychicReadings You can integrate Facebook Chat with any chat application that allows integration with the Jabber Client. Most chat clients do.

  • Kathy

    Question: What is your “user” name for Facebook. I’ve tried my name as it is in FB, my iChat name, my e-mail address – you name it. Every time I get and error that reads “iChat can’t log in to chat.facebook.com because your login iD or password is incorrect”.

    Any tips? Thanks!

  • http://blog.tice.de/?sprache=englisch Tice

    @Kathy: You have to give yourself a username at FaceBook:
    https://register.facebook.com/editaccount.php

    Greets, Tice

  • Nas

    Kathy, the user is the Facebook Profile username

    for example facebook.com/

    You can find it in your Contact Information

  • CL

    I have done every step and even given myself a username in facebook, but I keep getting the error window stating “iChat can’t communicate with the Jabber account…could not connect to host chat.facebook.com”.

  • Nick

    @Kathy
    you have you use your url name, when ur on your profile page its
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/*USER*

  • nick Williams

    I had the same problem, I had to create a user name in the account settings as mine was still defaulted to a number

  • http://www.facebook.com/hassanradi Hassan Radi

    Thank you!! :o)

  • Omar Chaudhry

    Same problem for me as nick Williams and CL :(

  • Marlon

    Have the same problem :/ don’t know why I do exactly as u say… can u help us here??

  • Justin

    I did every step to a T, even with my username “J.Wheelon” and it doesn’t recognize it and keeps asking for my password, which is correct, any advice? thanks

  • Justin

    now it’s saying cant communicate with the host, also is there a way to merge these two chat things, I have one for aim and one for FB, i would just like one, possible?

  • Wim

    I first had the same problem, each time I had to re-enter my password. Then I set the server settings to automatic and now I have the communication error.
    Am I doing something wrong or am I missing a step?

  • http://cheesyuk.blogspot.com/ Claire Cheeseman

    If you use ADIUM chat client – it has numerous prefs for adding accounts one of which is facebook – brilliant!

  • Rahul Mirakhur

    The instruction set is flawed.

    I tried all the steps in the way they were listed but I cannot iChat to login. It keeps throwing the re-enter your password dialog. I know the password is correct so surely there’s something missing in the instructions above.

    Rahul.

  • korin

    everytime i search for the ichat app it doesnt show up! its there another name to search for it?