WhatsApp Link Generator with QR code

What is a WhatsApp click-to-chat link?

A click-to-chat link opens a WhatsApp conversation with your number without the customer having to save you as a contact first. It is WhatsApp’s own short link format: https://wa.me/ followed by your full phone number in international format, with no plus sign, spaces, dashes or leading zeros. A business in the UK with the number 07700 900123 becomes https://wa.me/447700900123.

On a phone the link opens the WhatsApp app straight into a chat with you. On a computer it opens WhatsApp Desktop or WhatsApp Web. It works with a personal number, a WhatsApp Business app number and a number on the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API), because the link only points at the number.

Add a prefilled message

Add ?text= and a URL-encoded message to the end of the link, and that text is already typed in the customer’s chat box when WhatsApp opens. The generator above encodes it for you, so spaces, line breaks, emoji and characters in any language survive the trip. The customer still has to press send and can change the text first, so write it as something they would say: “Hi, I would like to book a table for tonight.”

Use the QR code on menus, packaging and in store

The QR code holds the same link. Anyone who scans it with their phone camera lands in a chat with you, which makes it the quickest way to move a person from something physical to a conversation. Restaurants print it on menus and table cards for orders and reservations. Brands put it on packaging, inserts and warranty cards for support and reorders. Shops place it at the till, on shelf labels and in the window for questions after closing time. Event teams add it to badges, posters and tickets.

Download the SVG for print: it is a vector file, so it stays sharp at any size. Use the PNG for social posts, slides and email. Print the code at least 2 × 2 cm, larger if people will scan it from a distance, keep the white border around it and test it with two or three phones before a large print run. A shorter prefilled message makes a simpler, easier to scan code.

Track campaigns with prefilled messages

WhatsApp does not tell you which link a customer clicked, but the first message does. Give each placement its own prefilled text, such as “Hi, I scanned the code on the menu” for table cards and “Hi, I saw your Instagram post” for social. When the chat arrives you can see which campaign brought it in and count conversations per placement. The same link works in ads, emails and social bios, so one number can carry several campaigns side by side.

Put a WhatsApp button on your website

The embed code is a plain HTML link styled as a green button. Paste it into any page builder that accepts custom HTML: a contact page, a product page, a footer or a booking confirmation. Because it is only a link, it loads nothing extra and slows nothing down.

Limits to know

A click-to-chat link starts a conversation; it does not send anything on its own. The number must be registered on WhatsApp, otherwise WhatsApp shows an error saying the phone number shared via the link is invalid. The prefilled message is part of the link and the QR code, so changing it means creating a new code. The link shows your number to anyone who has it. And a link that works brings in conversations at any hour: plan who answers them before you print a few thousand menus.

When a customer writes to you first, WhatsApp gives you 24 hours to reply with normal messages, no template needed. If you need to reach them later, you need an approved message template and the WhatsApp Business Platform.