WhatsApp link generator (wa.me)

Create a WhatsApp link (wa.me) with a pre-filled message

A WhatsApp link opens a chat with you in one tap, without anyone having to save your number first. This generator builds the https://wa.me/ link that WhatsApp uses for its click to chat feature, starting from your number as you normally write it (with the national 0, spaces or a +), adds an optional pre-filled message, and gives you the matching QR code, an HTML button for your website and a Markdown link.

Everything happens in your browser: the number and the message are never sent to a server or stored. The tool also fixes the classic mistakes (leading 0, 00 or 011 prefix, “(0)”, country code typed without the +) and explains each change it makes. It works for personal accounts and WhatsApp Business alike.

1. Choose the country code

   Click the “Country code” button and type a country name or a code such as 44 to filter the list of about 245 countries and territories. If your number starts with +, its country code takes priority.

2. Type your number

   Enter it in “Phone number” as you usually write it. The line underneath shows the international format, and the notes explain any change, such as the national 0 being removed.

3. Write the message

   Edit the “Message” box, start from one of the “Templates” or add emoji with one click. Leave it empty for a link without text, or tick “No number: let people choose the contact” to create a share link where each person picks the recipient.

4. Copy, test and share

   Click “Copy link”, check it with “Open in WhatsApp”, then use the api.whatsapp.com, Markdown or “HTML button for your website” versions if you need them. Download the QR code with “Download PNG” or “Download SVG”.

How a wa.me link works

Click to chat is a WhatsApp feature: the link https://wa.me/447700900123 opens a chat with that number, and adding ?text= fills in the message box. According to WhatsApp’s Help Center, the number must be in full international format, without zeros, brackets or dashes. Here is what each part does:

• https://wa.me/: WhatsApp’s official short domain for click to chat, the same on phones and computers.
• 447700900123: the country code (44) followed by the number without the national 0, digits only; at most 15 digits in total under the E.164 standard.
• ?text=: the optional pre-filled message, encoded for a URL: a space becomes %20, a line break %0A, “é” %C3%A9 and the 👋 emoji %F0%9F%91%8B.
• https://wa.me/?text=… without a number: WhatsApp opens the contact list so the person picks the recipient, which is handy for a “share” button.
• https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=…&text=…: an older, longer form of the same link that some plugins still expect; it opens the same chat.

The QR code encodes the wa.me link exactly as shown. Accented letters, Cyrillic, Japanese and emoji take more room once encoded (12 characters for a common emoji such as 👋), so the tool always picks the smallest QR version that fits, from 21 × 21 to 117 × 117 modules, and tells you when a message is too long.

wa.me link or WhatsApp Business short link?

A wa.me link works with any WhatsApp account and you can create as many as you like, each with its own message. The WhatsApp Business app also offers its own short link (wa.me/message/…) and QR code with a default message, managed from its business tools, plus a catalog link of the form wa.me/c/ followed by your number. These are separate features: a link created here does not depend on them and keeps working as long as your number is on WhatsApp.

How to write your number in a WhatsApp link

Where to use your WhatsApp link

• Instagram, TikTok and Facebook profiles: paste the link in the bio or website field so followers can message you in one tap.
• Your website or online shop: the HTML button comes with inline styles; paste it into a “Custom HTML” block in your site builder.
• Email signature and newsletters: add the wa.me link so customers reply on WhatsApp rather than by email. The Markdown link is for tools that accept that syntax (Notion, GitHub, forums).
• Print: flyers, business cards, menus, packaging or a shop window; the SVG QR code stays sharp at any size.
• Know where contacts come from: a wa.me link has no click tracking, so create one link per channel with a different message (“Hi, I found you on Instagram…”) and the first message will tell you the source.

Common problems and how to fix them

• WhatsApp says the number is invalid: the number is not on WhatsApp or is written incorrectly. Check the international format line, remove any extra digit and test again with “Open in WhatsApp”.
• The national 0 was left in: 4407700… does not work, 447700… does. The generator removes it automatically, except for Italy, San Marino and the Vatican, where it belongs to the number.
• The message arrives cut off or garbled: a hand-written link with raw spaces, “&” or “#” breaks the text. Always use an encoded link like the ones produced here.
• The QR code will not scan: shorten the message (each accented letter or emoji adds several characters), print the code larger and keep the white margin around it.
• The link opens the wrong chat: the country code is probably wrong; if the number starts with +, that code takes priority over the list.

Privacy: the link, the QR code and the HTML button are generated locally by your browser; your number and message are never sent, logged or stored (only the chosen country code, error correction level and button style are remembered on this device). Keep in mind that a wa.me link contains your number in clear text. Limits: the QR code goes up to version 25, which holds 997 bytes at level M (1,273 at level L). WhatsApp is a trademark of Meta; this independent tool is unofficial and not affiliated.