Make a WhatsApp QR code
A WhatsApp QR code opens a chat with your number the moment someone scans it. They do not have to save your contact first, which is the step most people skip. For a shop sign, a delivery bike, a business card or a product label, it turns a phone number into one tap, and you can have the first message already written for them.
Customize
#14201b#ffffffThe number format matters more than anything else
Enter the number with the country code and no plus sign, no spaces, no dashes and no leading zero. A Pakistani mobile written locally as 0300 1234567 becomes 923001234567. The leading zero is a domestic dialling prefix and WhatsApp does not want it; leaving it in is the most common reason a code opens an empty or wrong chat.
- Pakistan: drop the 0, add 92. 0301 2345678 becomes 923012345678.
- India: add 91. UK: add 44 and drop the leading 0. USA and Canada: add 1.
- The number must already be registered on WhatsApp, or the chat will not open.
A ready-written first message
You can attach a message that appears in the chat box, waiting to be sent. This is more useful than it sounds. "I want to order the chicken karahi" on a restaurant table card, or "I saw your ad on Facebook" on a poster, tells you instantly where the customer came from without asking. Keep it short and let them edit it, because some people will.
This is a plain link, not a tracked one
The code holds an ordinary wa.me link. There is no redirect service in the middle, nothing counting scans, and nothing that can stop working if a company shuts down or starts charging. The trade-off is that it cannot be edited later: change your number and you make a new code.
Test it by scanning with a different phone than the one the number belongs to. Scanning your own number opens a chat with yourself, which looks like a failure but is not.
Steps
- The WhatsApp tab is already open on this page.
- Type your number with the country code and no plus sign, for example 923001234567.
- Add a ready-written message if you want one.
- Scan it with another phone to test, then download the PNG.
Questions
Should I include the zero at the start of my number?
No. Drop the leading zero and add the country code instead. 0300 1234567 in Pakistan becomes 923001234567.
Does it work with WhatsApp Business?
Yes. A Business account uses the same number format and the code behaves identically.
Can I see how many people scanned it?
No. This creates a plain wa.me link with no tracking service in the middle. That also means nothing can expire it or start charging for it later.
I scanned it and nothing happened.
Check the number has no plus sign, no spaces and no leading zero, and that it is registered on WhatsApp. Also test from a different phone, since scanning your own number opens a chat with yourself.