WhatsApp link not working

1. The number is in the wrong format

WhatsApp's help page is strict about this. Use https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX, not https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX. Common mistakes:

| Wrong | Right | |---|---| | wa.me/07700900123 (no country code) | wa.me/447700900123 | | wa.me/+447700900123 (plus sign) | wa.me/447700900123 | | wa.me/4407700900123 (0 after the country code) | wa.me/447700900123 | | wa.me/44 7700 900123 (spaces) | wa.me/447700900123 |

The most common one is the third. Many people keep the 0 from their local number after adding the country code. Drop it.

Some countries have their own rules. WhatsApp's guide to international numbers says Argentine numbers need a 9 between the country code (54) and the area code, without the 15 prefix, and Mexican numbers need a 1 after 52.

2. The number isn't on WhatsApp

A link only opens a chat if the number has an active WhatsApp account. A landline, a number that moved to a new SIM without WhatsApp, or an old business number won't work.

3. The message is cut off or garbled

A pre-filled message has to be URL-encoded. WhatsApp's own example is https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX?text=I'm%20interested%20in%20your%20car%20for%20sale. If you type the message straight into the link, some characters break it:

• & ends the message, because it starts a new parameter.
• # ends the message, because the browser treats the rest as a page anchor.
• A line break has to be written as %0A. Typed straight into a link, it splits the link in two.

Don't encode by hand. Paste your message into the generator below and copy the link it makes; it encodes everything correctly.

4. The link was changed when you shared it

Some apps and editors change links when you paste them:

• Text editors and email can turn the link into "smart" text or break it over two lines. Paste it as a plain link and click it to test.
• Website builders can change a link on save. Check the link on the published page, not in the editor, and make sure the ?text= part is still there.
• Link shorteners should keep the whole link. Open the short link and check that the message is still there.

5. It opens somewhere unexpected

• On a computer, click to chat opens WhatsApp Web (or the desktop app if you have it), not your phone. That's how it's meant to work.
• Inside Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, the link first opens the app's own browser. Tap the button on the wa.me page to continue to WhatsApp.
• Without a number (https://wa.me/?text=…), the link asks the sender to pick a contact. That's a share link, not a chat with you. Add your number if you meant to get the message.

Test before you share

Open the link on your phone and on a computer, and send yourself the pre-filled message from a second account if you can. If the link is going on print, scan the QR code too. Our guide on WhatsApp QR codes that won't scan covers print problems. For the full link format, see WhatsApp link with phone number, and for Instagram bios, WhatsApp link for Instagram.