In depth
How the wa.me link is built
WhatsApp's help centre says a click-to-chat link has the form https://wa.me/ followed by the full phone number in international format, leaving out zeroes, brackets and dashes, and that a plus sign should not be used. The generator does this for you by converting the number to E.164 and removing the plus. Here are real results.
| You typed | Link |
|---|---|
| +44 7400 123456 | https://wa.me/447400123456 |
| 07400 123456 (GB) | https://wa.me/447400123456 |
| (415) 555-2671 (US) | https://wa.me/14155552671 |
| +91 98765 43210 | https://wa.me/919876543210 |
Adding a message
Add ?text= and a URL-encoded message and WhatsApp opens the chat with that text already typed in. The generator encodes it for you, so characters like & and ? do not break the link. For example the message "Hi & hello, price: 5€?" becomes:
Hi%20%26%20hello%2C%20price%3A%205%E2%82%AC%3F
Common reasons a link fails
- Leaving a + or 00 in front of the country code.
- Keeping the national leading 0 after the country code, as in +44 07400 123456.
- Writing the number with spaces or brackets.
- Sending the link to a number that is not registered on WhatsApp. WhatsApp will then show an error instead of opening a chat.
Where to use the link
Put it on a button on your website, in an email signature, in a social profile or behind a QR code. The HTML output opens WhatsApp in a new tab and includes rel="noopener". You can also use the link without a number, https://wa.me/?text=..., and WhatsApp will let the user choose a contact to send the message to.
What the user sees
The link opens a chat with the number and, if you added a message, with that text typed into the message box. The person still has to press send, so you cannot use the link to send messages automatically. They can also edit the text first, which is why a short, friendly opening line works better than a long one.
The number is part of the link, so anyone who can see the page can read it. Do not put a private number on a public page unless you want people to message it.