Katie Ranaraja
Someone finds your Instagram profile, your website or your flyer and wants to ask a question. With a WhatsApp link, they tap once and a chat with your business opens, often with the first message already typed for them. They don't have to save your number or fill in a form.
More than 3 billion people use WhatsApp. According to Meta, people have more than a billion active conversations with businesses every day across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. A link is the simplest way to start more of those conversations with you.
This guide covers every way to create a WhatsApp link in 2026: with a free generator, by hand with wa.me, in the WhatsApp Business app, with a WhatsApp username and for groups. You'll also see where to share your link and how to answer every chat it brings in, even at night.
See also: How to create WhatsApp Business account: step-by-step guide
What is a WhatsApp link?
A WhatsApp link is a URL that opens a WhatsApp chat with a specific number, a group or a contact list. WhatsApp calls this feature click to chat. It works on phones and in WhatsApp Web, and the person doesn't need to save your number first.
On a phone, the link opens the WhatsApp app right away. On a computer, WhatsApp first shows a short page where the person picks Open app or Continue to WhatsApp Web. Either way, they need a WhatsApp account: the link opens a chat, it doesn't create an account.
There are six kinds of WhatsApp links:
| Link | Example | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Branded link from the free generator | wa.chatfuel.com/yourbrand | A chat with your number, with your message already typed, plus a QR code |
| Chat link | wa.me/12025550123 | A chat with your number |
| Chat link with a message | wa.me/12025550123?text=Hi | The same chat, with the first message already typed |
| Business app short link | wa.me/message/… | A chat with your business, with an optional default message |
| Username link | wa.me/yourusername | A chat with the account that owns the username |
| Group invite link | chat.whatsapp.com/… | An invitation to join a group |
How to create a WhatsApp link with a free generator
The fastest way is the free Chatfuel WhatsApp link generator. It formats the number and encodes the message for you, gives you a QR code, and you don't need an account.
- Enter your WhatsApp Business number with the country code, without the plus sign.
- Choose a link ID, such as your brand name. It can contain letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores. Your link becomes
wa.chatfuel.com/yourbrand. - Add a pre-filled message if you want one, and check it in the live preview.
- Click Generate WhatsApp link. Copy the link, open it to test it, or download the QR code as a PNG.
A branded link reads better in a bio or on a flyer than a long row of digits, and the QR code is ready for print.
How to create a WhatsApp link manually
Prefer to build the link yourself? Take https://wa.me/ and add your full phone number in international format. WhatsApp's own rules for the number:
- Start with the country code: 1 for the US, 44 for the UK, 52 for Mexico, 55 for Brazil.
- Leave out the plus sign, spaces, brackets, dashes and leading zeros.
For example, the US number +1 (202) 555-0123 becomes https://wa.me/12025550123.
Add a pre-filled message
To have the first message typed for the customer, add ?text= and your message in URL encoding:
https://wa.me/12025550123?text=Hi!%20I'd%20like%20to%20book%20a%20facial
When someone opens this link, the chat opens with "Hi! I'd like to book a facial" in the text box. They tap send, or edit the text first. A few characters need encoding, or the message breaks:
| Character | Write it as |
|---|---|
| Space | %20 |
| Line break | %0A |
& | %26 |
# | %23 |
? | %3F |
Letters with accents and emoji need encoding too. Any URL encoder handles that, and so does the free generator above.
Let the customer choose the recipient
Leave the number out, as in https://wa.me/?text=Join%20me%20at%20the%20workshop, and WhatsApp opens the contact list instead. The person picks who to send your text to. This suits referral messages and event invitations.
You may also come across the older https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=12025550123 format. It still works, but wa.me is the short form that WhatsApp documents.
How to create a short link in the WhatsApp Business app
If you use the WhatsApp Business app, it creates a short link for your number:
- iPhone: open the Tools tab and tap Short link.
- Android: open Tools, tap ⋮ (More) and select Short link.
There you can copy or share the link, turn on a default message and edit it with the pencil icon. The same screen has your QR code for posters, packaging or the counter. The QR code keeps working until you reset it.
When a customer opens the short link on a phone with WhatsApp, the chat opens. In a web browser, they first see your business info with a Continue to chat button.
The short link leads to the app on your phone. To answer from a shared team inbox or with AI, connect the number to a platform, as described below.
WhatsApp username links: new in 2026
WhatsApp began rolling out usernames in 2026, and reservations opened in June. A username works as a link too: wa.me/yourusername opens a chat with you, and your QR code shows the username.
Businesses create one in the WhatsApp Business app under Tools → Profile → Create username. Your phone number stays on your business profile. The rollout is gradual, so if you don't see the option yet, keep using the number link for now.
How to create a WhatsApp group invite link
A group invite link lets people join a WhatsApp group without an admin adding them one by one. Groups suit communities, classes, clubs and events. For one-to-one conversations with customers, use a chat link instead. A group holds up to 1,024 members.
On Android or iPhone
- Open the group chat and tap the group name at the top.
- Tap Invite via link or QR code.
- Choose how to share the link: send it in WhatsApp, share it to your status, copy it, share it to another app or show the QR code.
On WhatsApp Web or desktop
- Open the group and click the group name to open the group info.
- Click Invite to group via link.
- Send the link in WhatsApp or copy it.
Control who joins
- Approve new members. Turn it on under Group permissions, and admins review every join request before the person gets in.
- Reset the link. Open Invite via link or QR code and tap Reset link. The old link stops working right away and can't be restored.
- Decide who can add people. Under Group permissions, Add other members sets whether members can add people or only admins can.
Anyone with the link can forward it, so share it where you'd be happy to see new members come from. If you need several groups under one roof, WhatsApp Communities hold up to 100 groups, but you can't create a community in the WhatsApp Business app.
See also: WhatsApp Group vs Broadcast: Business Guide
Where to share your WhatsApp link
A link brings chats only where people see it. Good places to share it:
- Your website. The free Chatfuel WhatsApp widget generator gives you code for a WhatsApp button with a welcome bubble and a pre-filled message. Paste it before the closing
</body>tag. It works with WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Webflow and any HTML site. - Social profiles. Put the link in your Instagram, TikTok and Facebook bios, and in your Stories and posts.
- Email and SMS. Add it to your email signature, newsletter footer and order confirmations.
- Print and packaging. Print the QR code on flyers, menus, receipts, packaging and shop windows.
- Ads. Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram open a chat with your business straight from the ad, with a pre-filled message you set in Ads Manager.
Know where chats come from. WhatsApp doesn't pass UTM tags from a wa.me link into the chat, so adding them to the link tells you nothing. Use a different pre-filled message for each place instead, like "Hi! I found you on Instagram" or "Hi! I scanned your flyer", and you'll see the source in the first message. To count clicks, put the link on your own page or behind a link shortener with click stats. Keep in mind that shortened links hide where they lead, and some people trust them less than a readable wa.me or wa.chatfuel.com link.
See also: What are Ads that click to WhatsApp?
Answer every chat from your link automatically
A link brings chats at any hour, and customers who wait hours for a reply often buy elsewhere. Connect your number to Chatfuel, and AI Agent answers right away while your team steps in when needed.
Chatfuel is an official Meta Business Partner and connects your number through the WhatsApp Business API. Already use the WhatsApp Business app? With coexistence, you keep the same number and keep using the app on your phone.
Once your number is connected:
- Go to AI Agent → Automations, open Incoming messages under WhatsApp and turn it on. AI Agent then replies to every new message using your knowledge base: services, prices, opening hours, policies.
- Keep Lead Qualification on. AI Agent saves the customer's name, email and other details it learns in the chat to the contact card.
- Set up Switch to human agents with up to 20 rules per automation, for example to hand complaints or large orders over to your team.
Every conversation lands in Chats, the shared inbox for your team. Anyone can take over from AI by replying, and all plans include unlimited teammates. You can answer on the go with the Chatfuel mobile app, let AI follow-ups nudge customers who go quiet, and bring people back later with broadcasts of approved WhatsApp templates.
See how Chatfuel works on WhatsApp
Troubleshooting WhatsApp links
Why is my WhatsApp link not working?
Check the number first: country code, no plus sign, spaces, brackets, dashes or leading zeros. Then make sure the number is registered on WhatsApp. If it isn't, WhatsApp shows an error instead of opening a chat.
Why does my pre-filled message look broken?
It's almost always the encoding. Spaces must be %20, and &, # and ? must be encoded, or the text gets cut off at that character. Generate the link with a tool or run the message through any URL encoder.
Why does the link open a web page on my computer?
That's expected. On a computer, WhatsApp shows a page with Open app and Continue to WhatsApp Web. On a phone with WhatsApp installed, the chat opens directly.
What happens if my group is full?
A group holds up to 1,024 members. When it's full, new people who open the invite link can't join. Remove inactive members or start a second group.
Can I change how a WhatsApp link looks?
A wa.me link always looks the same, but you can make it easier to read. Use a wa.chatfuel.com/yourbrand link from the free generator, a username link, or a redirect on your own domain, such as yourbrand.com/whatsapp. On a website or in an email, put the link behind a button or text like "Message us on WhatsApp".
Summary
For one-to-one chats, the quickest option is a branded wa.chatfuel.com link with a QR code from the free generator. You can also build one by hand: wa.me/ plus your number, and ?text= for a pre-filled message. In the WhatsApp Business app, the short link is under Tools. For communities, share a group invite link and turn on Approve new members. Then put the link where your customers are, and connect your number to an AI agent so every chat gets an answer.
FAQs
How do I get my WhatsApp link?
Create it in the free Chatfuel WhatsApp link generator: enter your number and an optional message, and you get a branded link with a QR code. To build it by hand, type https://wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format, without the plus sign or spaces, for example https://wa.me/12025550123. In the WhatsApp Business app, the ready link is under Tools → Short link.
How do I create a short URL for WhatsApp?
A wa.me link is already short. For a link with your brand name, use the free generator to get wa.chatfuel.com/yourbrand, or take the short link from the WhatsApp Business app. Link shorteners work too, but they hide where the link leads.
Do WhatsApp links expire?
No. A wa.me link works as long as the number is on WhatsApp. The Business app short link and QR code keep working until you reset them, and a group invite link works until an admin resets it.
Does a wa.me link work with the WhatsApp Business API?
Yes. The link points to a phone number, not to an app, so it works whether you answer in the WhatsApp Business app or on a platform like Chatfuel connected through the API.
Is a WhatsApp link free?
Yes, creating and sharing a link is free. If you reply through the WhatsApp Business API, Meta charges for some messages by category and country. See WhatsApp pricing for details.
How can I find a group link on WhatsApp?
Open the group, tap the group name and select Invite via link or QR code. On WhatsApp Web, click Invite to group via link. If you don't see the option, ask a group admin.
How do I join a WhatsApp group?
Tap an invite link or scan its QR code, then tap Join group. If the admins turned on Approve new members, you join once an admin accepts your request. A link that was reset or a group that is full won't let you in.
