« The North Pole – A Virtual Earth 3D Christmas ExperienceSome more on the Hotmail update: Web Messenger, Calendar (?), Today pane updated »

How To Enable Polygamy In Windows Live Messenger

Dec 17, 2008 6:13 pm by Sunshine | 15 comments

Many of you will have several WLIDs, and want to sign into Messenger with more than one of them. Until now you had to seek refuge in a patch or add-on to be able to do so. Not anymore! Microsoft’s John Weisenfeld just shared a little trick with me to enable this, which I’m going to share with you.

The trick involves registry editing, so please follow these steps very carefully:

1. Start regedit (admin)
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Live
3. Right click Messenger and create a new DWORD called MultipleInstances

4. Right click the newly added registry key and choose Modify
5. Set the Value data to 1

6. Close regedit

All done! Now you can launch Windows Live Messenger as many times as you want, and sign in with as many WLIDs you want, on one computer. Just don’t try to sign in with the same WLID more than once on one computer or it will throw error 80071392 at you!

Enjoy!

This entry was posted in Featured, News and tagged How To, Messenger, Windows Live. Bookmark the permalink.

http://www.liveside.net/members/CalumJR/default.aspx CalumJR
What a fantastic article! Thank you very much Sunshine! :) I have seen this on addons and always thought there may be a possiblity a little registry edit might allow this.
http://www.liveside.net/members/BuciboLebo/default.aspx BuciboLebo
Oh, LoveSide has a new makeup. I like it. Gorgeous.
http://www.liveside.net/members/Khristopher/default.aspx Khristopher
If it didn’t mean I’d have to sacrifice yet more memory, I’d definitely do this.
http://www.liveside.net/members/orionll/default.aspx orionll
Woah!!!
http://www.liveside.net/members/Coffee247/default.aspx Coffee247
fantastic! what a gift
http://www.liveside.net/members/foaf/default.aspx foaf
Thanks, this is perfect! Exactly what I’ve been waiting for since we used to be able to do this with MSN Messenger
http://blog.neuronaltraining.net/ Jim
i have developed a simple application to enable Polygamy in WLM 9. try it! http://blog.neuronaltraining.net/?p=2364
http://www.liveside.net/members/CalumJR/default.aspx CalumJR
I reckon they may include this in the final Windows Live Messenger 2009! It would go nicely with how the new Windows 7 taskbar works.
PapyNet
Hello!
I speak english very very badly
Ne serait-il pas possible dans l’icone Windows Live Messenger qui est dans la zone de notification d’avoir le Live ID ?
Would it not be possible in the Windows Live Messenger icon which is in the notification area for the Live ID instead of Windows Live Messenger (available)?
Thank you in advance
Sincerely
Georges
http://www.liveside.net/members/Sunshine/default.aspx Sunshine
Hi Georges,
You mean you would like the Windows Live ID displayed in the tooltip for the Messenger icon in systray?
Example: http://sunshineweb.org/graphics/IDinTooltip.png
You can get this with Messenger Plus!: http://sunshineweb.org/?action=fullnews&id=61 / http://www.msgpluslive.net/
How?: http://files.msgpluslive.net/images/features/polygamy.png (Display the email….)
Note that it’s not fully compatible with the latest Messenger Beta yet, but this feature does work and a new version is on its way. Also no need to use polygamy in Plus! if you use this workaround (display email in sytray tooltip will work without “Allow me to connect to…” checked too)!
I do not know of a registry key to enable this, sorry.
PapyNet
Hello!
Merci mais je ne veux pas installer msgpluslive !
D’ailleurs il ne fonctionne plus correctement
Thank you but I do not want to install msgpluslive!
Indeed it does not work well
Congratulations
Georges
http://www.liveside.net/members/Pianodiva/default.aspx Pianodiva
This is a great article! I’m using the Windows Live Messenger (Beta), unfortunately, this did not work…I rebooted my computer, twice and I still receiving a error code 8100030d. Is there anything else that I need to do? Been without my messenger for a month.
http://www.liveside.net/members/foaf/default.aspx foaf
yeah, it didn’t work for me either but that was because I don’t seem to have the registry entry under the Windows Live registry folder
http://www.liveside.net/members/damaster/default.aspx damaster
@foaf: Which registry entry were you referring to? The registry entry does not exist until you create it as instructed in Step 3.
http://www.liveside.net/members/Tony-T/default.aspx Tony T
Too bad nobody can figure out STILL how to be on Live Messenger and get mail on your Blackberry :-(