Free tool
WhatsApp QR code generator
Type your number with the country code, write the message your customer will send, and download the QR code ready to print. 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
For print: at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide. To be read from a distance, allow about 1 cm of code for every 10 cm of distance.
What is a WhatsApp QR code?
Short answer
A WhatsApp QR code is a square code that opens a chat with your number in WhatsApp when someone points a phone camera at it, with nothing to type. Inside, it holds a wa.me link, which can carry a prefilled message. This generator draws the code in your browser, free and with no sign-up, and gives you a PNG image ready to print.
Inside, the code is only the wa.me link drawn as small squares: https://wa.me/ with your country code and number, and your prefilled message if you wrote one. Everything that is true of the link is true of the code. If what you need is the link itself, for an Instagram bio or a website, the WhatsApp link generator builds the same link and explains each part of it.
How to make your WhatsApp QR code in three steps
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Type your number with the country code
Country code first, then the number: +44 7700 900123, or +1 202 555 0123. The page removes spaces, dashes and brackets.
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Write the prefilled message
Say where the person is: "Hi! I saw the poster in your window and would like a price." The first message arrives with the subject, and you know which code brought the chat.
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Download, test and print
Press Download QR code. Before you order a large print run, print one copy and scan it with two different phones.
What size to print a WhatsApp QR code
Print the QR code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide to be read up close, and allow about 1 cm of code for every 10 cm of distance to be read from further away. The second number is a common rule of thumb, not a standard, so test it in the real place.
| Where it goes | Read from about | Print it at least |
|---|---|---|
| Business card, label, receipt | 20 cm (8 in) | 2 cm (0.8 in) |
| Menu, flyer, counter display | 30 to 50 cm (1 to 1.5 ft) | 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in) |
| Poster on a wall | 1 m (3 ft) | 10 cm (4 in) |
| Shop window, read from the pavement | 2 m (6.5 ft) | 20 cm (8 in) |
| Vehicle or sign | 5 m (16 ft) | 50 cm (20 in) |
- Keep the white margin. The image you download already has a white border around the code. It helps the camera find the code, so do not crop it.
- Dark on light. Black squares on a white background is what phones read most reliably. If the printer changes the colours, keep the pattern dark and the background light, never the other way round.
- Do not stretch or tilt it. The code has to stay square. Avoid very glossy paper too, because it reflects light into the camera.
- Short message, simple code. Each character of the message adds squares to the pattern, and a code with more squares has to be printed larger. The tool tells you when your code is getting dense.
- Test before a large print run. Print one, put it in the real place, and scan it with two different phones from where the customer will stand.
Where to put your WhatsApp QR code
Put the QR code where the customer is standing still with a phone in hand and no keyboard nearby: counter, table, window, packaging and business card.
Counter and till
While they wait, the person scans the code and the chat stays saved in their WhatsApp. The next order starts there, with no number to look up.
Menu and table
One code per table, with the message "Hi! I am at table 4", tells you where the order came from before you ask.
Shop window and door
People who walk past when you are closed can still message you. In a window the code has to be large, because it is read from a distance.
Packaging, bag and label
A customer who liked the product wants to buy again or ask a question. With the code on the package, they find you in seconds.
Business card and flyer
Instead of typing the number from the card, the person points their camera. On the back of a card, 2 cm of code is enough.
Online, use the link instead
On an Instagram bio, a Google Business Profile or a website, people can tap. There the WhatsApp link does the same job with one tap and no camera.
WhatsApp QR code with a prefilled message
Yes, the QR code can carry a prefilled message: write the text in the generator, and when someone scans the code the chat opens with it already typed.
Use a different message for each place and you learn which code brings more conversations. Some ideas:
- On a table: "Hi! I am at table 4 and would like to order."
- In the window: "Hi! I saw your window and would like a price."
- On packaging: "Hi! I have bought from you before and would like to order again."
- On a business card: "Hi! I have your card and would like a quote."
The customer can edit the text before sending, and nothing is sent until they tap send.
Why a WhatsApp QR code opens the wrong chat, or no chat
A QR code that scans but does not open your chat has a problem in the number, not in the drawing. The code only repeats the link inside it, so the causes are the same as for a link:
- Missing or wrong country code. The number has to start with the country code: 44 for the United Kingdom, 1 for the United States and Canada, 91 for India, and so on.
- A leading zero. In most countries the first 0 of a local number is dropped: 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123. The generator removes a zero written in brackets, as in +44 (0)7700 900123. A few countries keep the zero, so check how your number is written with its country code.
- A number that is not on WhatsApp. Press Test the link before you print anything.
The WhatsApp link generator page goes through each of these, and through the difference between wa.me and api.whatsapp.com/send.
WhatsApp QR code: frequently asked questions
Is a WhatsApp QR code free?
Yes. The code holds a wa.me link, which belongs to WhatsApp and costs nothing. This generator is free too: no sign-up, and no logo or watermark on the image.
Does the QR code expire?
No. The code holds your wa.me link directly, with no service in the middle, so it works for as long as your number is on WhatsApp. If you change numbers, make and print a new code.
How do people scan the QR code?
With the phone camera: they point it at the code and tap the notice that appears on the screen. Most phones read QR codes straight from the camera. If one does not, any QR reader app does the job.
Can a WhatsApp QR code carry a prefilled message?
Yes. Write the text in the Prefilled message field. When someone scans the code, the chat opens with that text already typed and they only tap send. A short message keeps the code simple and easier to read.
How is this different from the QR code inside WhatsApp?
WhatsApp has its own QR code in its settings, and it also opens a chat with you. It has no prefilled message, and if you reset it, the old code stops working. The code from this generator is made from your wa.me link: it does not change by itself and it can carry a message.
Is this the QR code for WhatsApp Web?
No. The WhatsApp Web code appears on your computer screen and links your own WhatsApp to that computer: you scan it from your phone, under Linked devices. The code on this page is a different thing. It lets a customer open a chat with you.
What size should I print the QR code?
At least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide to be read up close, as on a business card or a label. To be read from a distance, a common rule of thumb is 1 cm of code for every 10 cm of distance: a window read from 2 metres away needs a code about 20 cm (8 in) wide.
Is the PNG good enough for printing?
Yes for most jobs. The image is about 1,200 pixels wide, which prints sharp at up to about 10 cm (4 in) at 300 dpi. For something larger, ask the printer to scale it without smoothing: a QR code is made of plain squares, so it stays sharp when enlarged that way.
Why does my printed QR code not scan?
The usual causes are a code printed too small, the white margin cropped off, light squares on a dark background, glossy paper that reflects light, or a long message that makes the pattern too dense. Shorten the message, print it larger, and test with two different phones.
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 scans the code, who answers?
You do, and that is where most of the work is: the code brings the conversation at the moment the customer wanted to talk, including when the shop is closed. 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 code brings the conversation. Someone still has to answer it. People scan the code in your window in the evening, on a Sunday, or while they queue, and a customer who waits too long may ask someone else. CertuAI puts an AI agent on the same WhatsApp number as your code: 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