Let customers start a WhatsApp chat with you in one scan, with an opening message already typed if you want one.
The number goes in full international form with no spaces, plus signs or dashes, which is the commonest reason one of these fails. The opening message is a suggestion the sender can edit or delete before sending, so treat it as a prompt rather than as a form.
Enter content to generate QR code
The code encodes a wa.me link built from your number — all non-digits are stripped, so however you type it the result is clean — plus an optional pre-filled message. Because it is an ordinary https link, any phone camera opens it; WhatsApp takes over if it is installed, and the browser shows WhatsApp’s own page if it is not. The chat opens with your number already loaded, so nobody has to save it first.
Number +1 555 000 1234 with an opening message, and the code holds:
https://wa.me/15550001234?text=Hi%2C%20about%20the%20window%20displayEvery non-digit is stripped from the number, including the plus, because that is the form wa.me expects. The message rides along percent-encoded, which is why a long opening line costs more pattern than it looks.
wa.me identifies an account by its international number, so the country code is not optional — a national-format number produces a link WhatsApp cannot resolve. Spaces, brackets, dashes and a leading plus are all fine in the field; they are removed for you.
Whatever you put in the message field appears in the customer’s input box, ready to send. Use it to tell yourself where the scan came from ("Enquiry about the window display", or a product code), and every incoming chat arrives pre-labeled. It also lowers the barrier for the customer, who no longer has to work out how to open the conversation.
The customer can edit or delete the text before sending, and many will. Never rely on it arriving verbatim: if you need a reference to be accurate, print it next to the code as well, and confirm it in your reply.
Any number registered on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business works identically. If you are putting the code on a store window that people scan at midnight, an away message on a Business account is what stops the first impression being silence.
No. The chat opens directly from the link, which is the main advantage over printing a number; nobody has to add a contact before they can message you.
Yes, and it is worth doing. A set opening line such as a product code tells you immediately what the enquiry is about, and it saves the customer working out how to start.
Yes — it lands in their input box and they can edit or clear it before sending. Print any reference you need beside the code as well rather than relying on it.
Yes. Any number registered on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business behaves the same way, and a Business account adds away messages and quick replies for codes people scan outside opening hours.
The link opens WhatsApp’s own web page in the browser, which prompts them to install it. Nothing breaks, but it is worth offering a phone or email code alongside for audiences where WhatsApp is not universal.
Yes, unusually for these types — a wa.me address is an ordinary https link, so a dynamic code can point at it and you can repoint it at a different number later without new artwork. The cost is one redirect before WhatsApp opens, which is worth it on anything printed in quantity and not worth it on a single counter card.