WhatsApp link generatorCreate a wa.me link with a message

How a click-to-chat link works

WhatsApp runs an official click-to-chat service at wa.me. A URL in the form https://wa.me/15551234567 tells WhatsApp to open a new chat with that number, on any device: on a phone it opens the app, on a desktop it opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.

Adding ?text= puts words into the visitor’s message box before they send. The visitor always presses send themselves, so a pre-filled message is a head start, not an automatic message. That is also why these links are safe to share anywhere: tapping one never sends anything by itself.

Getting the number format right

Most broken WhatsApp links are formatting problems. The number in a wa.me URL must be the full international number, digits only:

• Include the country code (for example 1 for the US, 44 for the UK, 972 for Israel).
• Drop the plus sign, spaces, dashes and parentheses. wa.me/+1 (555) 123-4567 does not work; wa.me/15551234567 does.
• Drop the trunk zero many countries use for domestic dialing. A UK number written 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123.
• Use the number that is actually registered on WhatsApp. A landline that was never verified on WhatsApp will open an empty screen.

Worked examples: from a local number to a wa.me link

Most countries write mobile numbers with a leading 0 (the trunk prefix) for calls inside the country. That 0 is not part of the international number, so it never goes into a WhatsApp link. Pick the country, type the number the way you normally write it, and the generator drops the 0 and adds the country code:

• United States (+1): (555) 123-4567 becomes https://wa.me/15551234567. US numbers have no trunk 0, the 1 is the country code.
• India (+91): 098765 43210 becomes https://wa.me/919876543210. Drop the leading 0, keep all ten digits of the mobile number.
• Nigeria (+234): 0803 123 4567 becomes https://wa.me/2348031234567. Drop the leading 0 of the 11-digit local number.
• Kenya (+254): 0712 345 678 becomes https://wa.me/254712345678. Drop the leading 0.
• United Arab Emirates (+971): 050 123 4567 becomes https://wa.me/971501234567. Drop the leading 0.
• United Kingdom (+44): 07700 900123 becomes https://wa.me/447700900123. Drop the leading 0.

If you paste a number that already starts with +, the generator keeps its digits exactly as written, so write it without the trunk 0: +44 7700 900123, not +44 (0)7700 900123.

Pre-filled messages and URL encoding

The text after ?text= must be URL-encoded: spaces become %20, question marks, ampersands and emoji have their own escape sequences. Unencoded text can cut your message off at the first special character, which is the second most common reason generated links misbehave.

This generator encodes the message for you, so what you type is exactly what the visitor sees pre-typed. Keep it short and give the visitor something to confirm, like “Hi! I’m interested in the apartment on Main St.”: it tells you which placement the chat came from and gives them a reason to press send.

Where a WhatsApp link earns its keep

Anywhere a customer might want to talk to you and a phone call feels heavy:

• The contact button on your website, instead of a form nobody enjoys filling in.
• Instagram, TikTok and X bios, where only one link is allowed and it should start conversations.
• Email signatures, invoices and quotes, so a question becomes a chat instead of a reply-all.
• Google Business Profile and online directories.
• Offline: turn the same link into a QR code for packaging, receipts and counter displays.

Test it like a stranger

Before you publish the link, open it from a phone that does not have your number saved: that is exactly the state a new customer is in. Check that the right number comes up and the pre-filled text reads naturally.