WhatsApp QR Code Generator
Open a WhatsApp chat with your number and a first message ready.
WhatsApp QR Code Generator: the generator
Make a QR code that opens a WhatsApp chat with you. Customers scan it from a shop window, a menu or a flyer and land in a conversation with your number, with a first message already typed if you want one. No need to save your number first.
How it works
The code stores a click-to-chat link in the format WhatsApp publishes: https://wa.me/ followed by the number and, optionally, ?text= and the first message. Scanning it opens WhatsApp on a phone that has it, or a web page that offers to open it or to install the app.
The number in this link must be in international format: the country code and the number, digits only, with no plus sign, no brackets and no leading zeros. The generator removes the plus sign, spaces and a leading 00 for you, and it refuses a number that starts with a single 0, because the country code cannot be guessed.
The first message is encoded so that spaces, punctuation, accents, emoji and line breaks arrive intact. It is placed in the message box, and the person decides whether to send it.
How to use it
- Type the WhatsApp number with its country code, for example +44 7700 900123.
- Add a first message if you want one, such as Hello! I would like to know more about your offer.
- Choose colors, and add your logo in Design if you want people to recognise the code.
- Download it, then scan it with a phone to confirm that it opens a chat with the right number.
Example
A UK mobile number written the way people type it, with a first message, and the link stored in the code. The plus sign and spaces disappear from the number.
WhatsApp chat
41 × 41 squaresWhat is typed in
- WhatsApp number
- +44 7700 900123
- First message
- Hello! I would like to know more about your offer.
What the code stores
https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hello%21%20I%20would%20like%20to%20know%20more%20about%20your%20offer.
Good to know
- The number must be a WhatsApp account, and the person scanning needs WhatsApp or a browser to open the web version.
- The first message is limited to 500 characters and is never sent automatically.
- The code opens a chat with a person or a business number. For a group, copy its invite link from WhatsApp and make a code from it on the URL page.
Questions people ask
Does the person have to save my number to message me?
No. The link opens a chat with your number directly, even if it is not in their contacts. That is the main reason businesses use these codes on counters and printed material.
Why is my number refused when it starts with 0?
A leading 0 is part of the national way of writing a number, and the country code that replaces it depends on where the number is from. WhatsApp links need the full international number, so write 44 7700 900123 instead of 07700 900123.
Can I set a message that the person only has to send?
Yes. Write it in First message. It appears in the message box when the chat opens, and nothing is sent until the person taps Send. This works well for questions such as I would like to book a table.
Does it work with WhatsApp Business numbers?
Yes. A WhatsApp Business account is addressed with the same wa.me link as any other number, and the chat opens in the Business app when that is what the number uses.
What if the person has no WhatsApp?
The scan opens a WhatsApp web page that lets them continue in a browser or install the app. If you serve people who often have no WhatsApp, add a second code for a phone call or a text message.