Free tool
WhatsApp link generator
Type your number with the country code, write the message your customer will send, and copy the link. Free, no sign-up, and your number never leaves your browser.
Start with the country code, for any country. Spaces, dashes and brackets are fine: the page cleans them up.
This text shows up already typed for your customer, who only taps send. 0 characters
Your QR code shows up here
QR code of the same link, for a poster, a menu or a business card. Whoever points a phone camera at it lands in the same chat, with the same message.
Download QR code (PNG)What is a WhatsApp link?
Short answer
A WhatsApp link is a web address in the form wa.me/ followed by your full phone number with the country code, digits only. Anyone who taps it opens a chat with you in WhatsApp without saving your number first. You can add a prefilled message with ?text= at the end, so the chat opens with the text already typed. This generator builds the link and its QR code in your browser, free and with no sign-up.
WhatsApp calls this feature click to chat. It works on a phone and on a computer, and the person on the other side does not need your number in their contacts.
How a wa.me link is built
A wa.me link is https://wa.me/ followed by the full international number, digits only, and, if you want, ?text= with a prefilled message. Piece by piece, the link https://wa.me/447700900123 is:
https://wa.me/is WhatsApp's own short address. It never changes.44is the country code, here the United Kingdom. Without it, WhatsApp cannot tell which country the number belongs to.7700900123is the number itself, without the 0 that people in the country dial first.?text=is the optional part. Whatever comes after it shows up already typed in the chat.
With a message, the same link looks like this: https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%21%20I%20would%20like%20a%20quote. The pieces with a percent sign are the message written in a way a browser understands: %20 is a space and %21 is an exclamation mark. You do not need to learn any of this, because the generator does the conversion for you.
| How the number is written | What goes in the link |
|---|---|
| +44 7700 900123 | wa.me/447700900123 |
| +44 (0)7700 900123 | wa.me/447700900123 |
| 0044 7700 900123 | wa.me/447700900123 |
| +1 (202) 555-0123 | wa.me/12025550123 |
| 07700 900123 | No link yet: the country code is missing |
How to add a prefilled message to a WhatsApp link
Write the text in the Prefilled message field. The generator adds ?text= and your message to the end of the link, and the chat opens with that text already typed. The customer only taps send, and can still edit the text first.
A prefilled message does three jobs at once. The customer does not get stuck on how to start. The first message arrives with the subject, so you can answer faster. And if each place has its own message, you know where the person came from.
Pick an example, press Use this text, and adjust it in the generator at the top.
To ask for a quote
Hi! I saw your website and would like a quote. Can I send the details here?
To book an appointment
Hi! I would like to book an appointment. Which days are free this week?
To place an order
Hi! I would like to place an order. Do you deliver to my area?
For an existing customer
Hi! I am already a customer and need help with my order.
Three tips for the message
- One message per place. Use "I saw your Instagram" on the link in your bio and "I found you on Google" on your Business Profile. You learn which place brings more conversations without any extra tool.
- Short, and in the customer's voice. One or two sentences, written the way a customer would write. Do not put in anything they would not say.
- Emoji and line breaks work. The generator converts both. Just keep it short, because the link grows with the message.
WhatsApp link or QR code: which one to use
Use the link wherever people can tap, and the QR code wherever they cannot. A QR code is the same wa.me link drawn as a square pattern, so both open the same chat with the same prefilled message.
- Link: Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, website button, email signature, ads and any message you send.
- QR code: shop counter, window, menu, packaging, flyer, business card and anything else on paper.
The QR code of your link is already drawn in the tool above. If the printed code is what you need, the WhatsApp QR code generator puts it first, with print sizes.
Where to put your WhatsApp link
Put the link everywhere your phone number is written out today. A written number asks people to copy it, save it and look for you. A link opens the chat in one tap.
Instagram bio
- Create the link at the top of this page and press Copy link.
- In Instagram, open your profile and tap Edit profile.
- Tap Links, then Add external link.
- Paste the link. For the title, write something clear, such as "Chat on WhatsApp".
- Save, go back to your profile and tap the link to check that it opens the right number.
In a story, use the Link sticker and paste the same address. Menu names in Instagram change a little from one app version to the next, so look for the nearest match.
Google Business Profile
People who find your business on Google Maps are close to buying. In your Business Profile, open Edit profile, go to the contact details and look for the chat option, which accepts a WhatsApp link. If that option does not show for your profile, put the link on your website, which the profile already displays.
Website
Any website accepts a link. Put it on the Contact button, or on a button fixed to the corner of the screen. If the person who looks after your site asks for the code, it is this, with your number in place:
<a href="https://wa.me/447700900123">Chat on WhatsApp</a>Email signature and ads
One line at the end of your signature, such as "Prefer WhatsApp? Tap here", with the link behind it, turns days of email into a chat. In an ad that sends people to your website, the website button is what needs the link, with a message that says which ad they came from.
Printed material
Nobody types a link from paper. On a business card, flyer, menu, window or package, print the QR code of your WhatsApp link instead: the person points their phone camera at it and the chat opens.
wa.me vs api.whatsapp.com/send
Both open the same chat. wa.me is the short form and api.whatsapp.com/send is the long form of the same address.
| wa.me | api.whatsapp.com/send | |
|---|---|---|
| Number only | https://wa.me/447700900123 | https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=447700900123 |
| With a message | https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi | https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=447700900123&text=Hi |
| Best for | Everything a person will read: bio, website, paper, QR code | Nothing in particular. You may see it in the address bar after tapping a wa.me link |
Use wa.me. It is shorter, it shows at a glance that the link goes to WhatsApp, and a shorter link makes a simpler QR code. This generator always gives you the wa.me form.
Why a WhatsApp link fails
When a WhatsApp link fails, the cause is almost always the number: a wrong or missing country code, a leftover zero, or a character that is not a digit.
- Missing country code. A number written the way you dial it at home has no country code, and WhatsApp reads its first digits as the code of some other country. Start with your country code: 44 for the United Kingdom, 1 for the United States and Canada, 91 for India, and so on.
- Wrong country code. One digit off sends the chat to a number in another country, or to a number that does not exist. Check it against how your number appears in your own WhatsApp profile.
- A leading zero. In most countries the first 0 of a local number is only for calls inside the country. 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123, not 4407700900123. The generator removes a zero written in brackets, as in +44 (0)7700 900123. It cannot guess a zero without brackets, because a few countries keep it.
- Spaces, dashes, brackets or a plus sign inside the link. wa.me/+44 7700 900123 is not a valid address. Only digits go after wa.me/. The generator cleans all of that for you.
- A message pasted in without conversion. A raw space in a link cuts the text in the middle, and a raw & or # cuts it too. Use the generator, which converts every character.
- A number that is not on WhatsApp. The link opens, but the chat does not start. Press Test the link before you publish it anywhere.
- An old link after changing numbers. Each link points to one number. If the number changes, replace the link in your bio, on your site and on your Business Profile the same day.
WhatsApp link: frequently asked questions
Is a WhatsApp link free?
Yes. The wa.me address belongs to WhatsApp and works for any number that is on WhatsApp, at no cost. This generator is free too, and it does not ask you to sign up.
Does the person need to save my number before messaging me?
No. That is the point of the link: one tap opens the chat with you in WhatsApp, with no contact to save and no number to type.
How do I add a prefilled message to a WhatsApp link?
Type the text in the Prefilled message field of the generator. The link gets ?text= at the end, followed by your message written in a form a link accepts, and the chat opens with that text already typed.
Can the customer change the prefilled message?
Yes. The text is only typed into the message box. The customer can edit it or delete it, and nothing is sent until they tap send.
What is the difference between wa.me and api.whatsapp.com/send?
They open the same chat. wa.me/447700900123 is the short form, and api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=447700900123 is the long form of the same address. Use wa.me: it is shorter and easier to read on a profile or on paper.
Why does WhatsApp say the number in my link is invalid?
Almost always because of the country code. The link needs the full international number: country code first, then the number, digits only. A missing country code, a leftover 0 at the start of the local number, or a plus sign, space or dash inside the link can each break it.
Do I keep the 0 at the start of my number?
In most countries, no. The first 0 is only for calls inside the country, so a UK mobile written 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123 in the link. A few countries, such as Italy, keep the zero in the international format. Check how your number is written with its country code, then use the Test the link button.
Does a WhatsApp link work on a computer?
Yes. On a computer the link opens a WhatsApp page that hands the chat over to the WhatsApp desktop app or to WhatsApp Web, already in the conversation with the number in the link.
Does a WhatsApp link expire?
No. A wa.me link is just your number written as a web address, with no service in the middle. It keeps working for as long as that number is on WhatsApp. If you change numbers, replace the link everywhere you used it.
Can I make a link to a WhatsApp group with this tool?
No. A wa.me link opens a chat with one number. A group invite link is made inside WhatsApp by a group admin, in the group details, under Invite via link.
Does this generator store my number?
Nothing you type here leaves your browser: the link and the QR code are built on this page, and no number or message is sent to CertuAI or to anyone else.
After someone taps the link, who answers?
You do, and that is where most of the work is: the link brings the conversation at the moment the customer wanted to talk, including evenings and weekends. CertuAI puts an AI agent on that same WhatsApp number to answer with your business's information. 7 days free, no card, counted from when your WhatsApp connects. Plans from US$ 75 a month.
The link brings the conversation. Someone still has to answer it. Messages arrive late in the evening, over lunch and on weekends, and a customer who waits too long may ask someone else. CertuAI puts an AI agent on the same WhatsApp number as your link: it answers with your business's own information, books appointments, and you can take over any chat. 7 days free, no card, counted from when your WhatsApp connects. Plans from US$ 75 a month.
Create my AI agent