WhatsApp Click-to-Chat Link and QR Code: A Guide for India
A customer who has to save your number, open WhatsApp, find the contact and type a first message is a customer who may give up halfway. A click-to-chat link removes most of those steps. One tap opens a chat with your number, and the first message can already be typed.
This guide covers the link format as WhatsApp documents it, how to add a pre-filled message, where to place the link or a QR code, how to test it, and what it cannot do. The example number is made up, so replace it with your own.
The wa.me link format
WhatsApp’s Help Center gives the format as https://wa.me/<number>, where the number is a full phone number in international format. It says to leave out any zeroes, brackets or dashes. For an Indian mobile number, that means 91 followed by the ten digits, with no plus sign and no leading 0.
Take the made-up number +91 98765 43210. Written correctly it is 919876543210, so the link is https://wa.me/919876543210. The Help Center’s own example of what not to use, https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX, shows the usual mistakes in one line: a plus sign, extra zeroes, brackets and a dash.
The page says the link works on a phone and on WhatsApp Web, and that the number you point to needs an active WhatsApp account.
Adding a pre-filled message
To pre-fill the message, add ?text= to the end of the link, followed by the message in URL-encoded form. The Help Center says the text appears in the chat’s text field, so the customer can read it and press send. Here is an annotated example:
https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20quote%20for%20a%203-page%20website.%20Name%3A%20Priya.%20City%3A%20Coimbatore.
Read it in parts. wa.me/ is the short WhatsApp address. 919876543210 is 91 plus the ten digits of the example number. ?text= starts the message. After that, %20 stands for a space (the Help Center’s examples use it), %2C for a comma and %3A for a colon. If you do not want to encode by hand, paste your message into any URL encoder, or use encodeURIComponent in JavaScript.
A link with no number, https://wa.me/?text=urlencodedtext, shows the visitor a list of contacts to send the message to. That suits a share button, not an enquiry button.
Writing a pre-filled message that brings useful detail
Treat the pre-filled text as a sentence starter. Keep it short, say what the person wants, and leave room for the details you need. Three or four items are plenty: what they are asking about, their name, their city or pincode, and when they want it done. The customer can edit the text before sending, so a friendly tone works better than a form.
Use a different message for each place the link appears. A link on your Instagram bio can begin with the words, Hi, I found you on Instagram. A link on a product page can name the product. When enquiries arrive, you know where they came from without asking.
Avoid long messages, special characters you have not tested, and promises such as, Reply within five minutes. The text is only a starting point, and a long block of pre-filled copy looks like a script.
Where to put the link or QR code
On a website, use a button. The Help Center describes an official Chat on WhatsApp button in green and white, in three sizes, available in English only, and asks that it be used as is. Its HTML example wraps the button image in a link, with an aria-label of Chat on WhatsApp. It suggests landing pages, contact pages and mobile versions of a site.
Elsewhere, paste the full link wherever a platform accepts a web address: an Instagram bio, a Google Business Profile, an email signature, a WhatsApp status or an invoice footer. Check each platform’s current rules for link fields before relying on one.
For print, such as shopfront boards, menus, flyers, packaging and visiting cards, turn the link into a QR code. Tapqode, the free QR code tool from ARTH, lists a WhatsApp code type described as Start a WhatsApp chat instantly. Its page says no sign-up is needed to download, and that free codes show a short ad page when scanned, so scan your code and check what appears before you print.
Test it, then use this checklist
Test on at least two phones, one of them not holding your number in contacts. Tap the link, confirm the chat opens with the right number, and check that the pre-filled text is complete and reads well. Open it on a laptop too, since the Help Center says it works on WhatsApp Web. For a printed QR code, scan the proof from the distance a customer would stand.
Checklist: (1) number in international format, no plus, zeroes, brackets or dashes; (2) message URL-encoded; (3) a different message for each placement; (4) tested on two phones and on desktop; (5) printed QR scanned before the print run; (6) a phone number or email shown beside the button as a backup.
What the link cannot do
The link opens a chat with your number and nothing more. The Help Center describes it only that way, so any record of enquiries is whatever you keep yourself, for example by copying details into a sheet or CRM. Separate messages per placement help you count where enquiries come from. The pages used for this guide do not say what a visitor without WhatsApp sees, so test on a device without it and keep a call or email option visible.
WhatsApp’s Business app pages list a catalogue (a mobile storefront with collections), quick replies, labels, a greeting message, away messages and a business profile with logo, description, hours and website. Its FAQ calls the app free to download. These pages do not compare it with the personal app or say whether both can sit on one phone, so check WhatsApp’s current guidance before changing a number that is already printed everywhere.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the correct wa.me format for an Indian number?
Use https://wa.me/ followed by 91 and the ten digit mobile number, such as https://wa.me/919876543210 for the made-up number +91 98765 43210. WhatsApp’s Help Center says to omit zeroes, brackets and dashes, and its wrong example includes a plus sign.
How do I add a pre-filled message?
Add ?text= after the number, followed by the URL-encoded message. The Help Center shows spaces written as %20. The text appears in the chat box and the customer sends it themselves.
Does the link keep a record of enquiries?
WhatsApp describes the link as a way to open a chat. If you want a record, keep one yourself, using a different pre-filled message for each placement to see where enquiries come from.
What if a customer does not have WhatsApp?
The pages used for this guide do not say what such a visitor sees. Test on a device without WhatsApp and show a phone number or email beside the button.
Do I need the WhatsApp Business app to use the link?
The Help Center article describes the link without mentioning the Business app. The Business app adds tools such as a catalogue, quick replies, labels, greeting and away messages, which are useful if enquiries grow.
Have something worth building?
Tell us what you're trying to make happen. We'll reply with a plan, not a brochure.
Start a project