WhatsApp link with phone number

The format, step by step

WhatsApp's own help page sets the rules for click-to-chat links:

1. Start with your country code. For example 44 for the UK, 1 for the US and Canada, 91 for India.
2. Add the rest of your number without the leading 0. 07700 900123 becomes 7700 900123.
3. Remove everything that isn't a digit: the plus sign, spaces, brackets and dashes.
4. Put it after https://wa.me/. WhatsApp's example is https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX, and it warns against links like https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX.

The tool on this page does all of that for you. Type the number the way you'd write it on a business card, with the country code, and copy the link.

Examples by country

| Number as written | Link | |---|---| | UK: +44 7700 900123 or 07700 900123 | https://wa.me/447700900123 | | US: +1 (415) 555-0100 | https://wa.me/14155550100 | | India: +91 98765 43210 | https://wa.me/919876543210 |

Two countries have extra rules in WhatsApp's guide to international numbers:

• Argentina (54): put a 9 between the country code and the area code, and remove the 15 prefix. The number ends up with 13 digits: +54 9 XXX XXX XXXX.
• Mexico (52): WhatsApp says to add a 1 after +52.

If your link opens WhatsApp but says the number isn't on WhatsApp, check these first.

Add a message to the link

A link can also type the first message for the person. Add ?text= and the message, URL-encoded, to the end of the link:

https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%2C%20I'd%20like%20a%20quote

Spaces become %20, commas %2C, and characters like &, ? and # need encoding too, or the message gets cut off. The generator above encodes it for you. The message shows up in the text field of the chat. The person can edit it and still has to press send, so nothing goes out on their behalf.

Use a different message for each place you share the link. "Hi, I saw your Instagram" in your bio and "Hi, I found your website" on your contact page tell you where each chat came from.

A link without a number

Leave the number out and you get a share link: https://wa.me/?text=Your%20message. It opens WhatsApp with the message ready and lets the sender pick who to send it to. That's handy for sharing an event or an offer, but it won't open a chat with you.

Where the link works

Click to chat works on phones and on WhatsApp Web. On a phone, the link opens the WhatsApp app. On a computer, it offers WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. The person needs an active WhatsApp account, and so does the number in the link.

Turn the link into a QR code or a button

The same link is behind a QR code for print and a "Chat on WhatsApp" button for a website. The tool makes both from the number you typed. For more on each, see the WhatsApp QR code generator and the WhatsApp button for your website.

If the link doesn't open the right chat, our guide to fixing a WhatsApp link that isn't working goes through the usual causes. To put the link in your Instagram profile, see how to add a WhatsApp link to Instagram.