WhatsApp QR code not working

QR code for WhatsApp Web or desktop

This is the code on web.whatsapp.com or in the desktop app. It links that device to your account. WhatsApp's steps for Android:

1. Open WhatsApp on your primary phone.
2. Tap the three dots → Linked devices → Link a device. On iPhone, tap Settings → Linked devices → Link device.
3. If asked, verify with your fingerprint, face or phone PIN.
4. Point your phone at the screen and scan the code.

If that doesn't work:

• Use WhatsApp's scanner. Your phone's camera app can't link a device. The scan has to start from Link a device.
• Check how many devices are linked. You can link up to four devices to one primary phone. Unlink one you don't use, then try again.
• Refresh the code. The code on the screen expires after a short while. Reload the page or click to get a new one.
• Help the camera. Turn up the screen brightness, zoom the browser out so the whole code is on screen, and wipe the phone's camera lens.
• Update WhatsApp on the phone, and on the desktop app if you use it. WhatsApp releases fixes in regular updates.
• Link with your phone number instead. On WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for Windows, click Link with phone number, enter your number, and type the eight-character code it shows into WhatsApp on your primary phone.

Also keep in mind that linked devices disconnect if you don't open WhatsApp on your primary phone for 14 days. If a device you linked before stops working, open WhatsApp on the phone and link it again.

Printed QR code that opens a chat

These codes hold a wa.me click-to-chat link. A scan opens a chat with the business or person, sometimes with a message typed in. When one doesn't work, test it with two phones first. Then check:

• The number in the link. WhatsApp wants it in international format: country code first, then digits only, with no plus sign, zeros, brackets or dashes. A code made from "07700 900123" without the 44 opens WhatsApp and then fails.
• The account. The number needs an active WhatsApp account.
• Size and distance. A code on a poster across the room needs to be far bigger than one on a business card. Scan it from where people will actually stand.
• Contrast. Dark code on a light background. Light-on-dark, colour-on-colour or a busy photo behind it makes scanning slower or impossible.
• The margin. Leave a clear border around the code. Text or a frame touching its edge confuses scanners.
• The surface. Glossy laminate, glass and curved bottles reflect light. Test the code where it will hang.

If any of these is the problem, make a new code. The tool below opens on the QR code: add your number with the country code and your message, then download the code and scan it before you print.

Make a code you can fix later

The message and number are part of the code, so a mistake means reprinting. If the code is going on something expensive, like a sign or a vehicle, point it at a page you can edit instead: a Liite page with a WhatsApp button. You can then change the number or message any time, and you'll see how many people scanned it.

For more on the link inside the code, see WhatsApp link with phone number. If people can scan the code but the chat doesn't open, our guide to a WhatsApp link that isn't working covers the next steps. To make a new code from scratch, use the WhatsApp QR code generator.