How do I create a basic wa.me link with my number?
Use https://wa.me/ followed by your full phone number in international format. Leave out the leading plus sign, any zeroes used for local dialling, spaces, dashes, and brackets — just the digits, country code first. For a Nigerian number like +234 803 000 0000, the link becomes https://wa.me/2348030000000.
Share that link anywhere — your website, social media bio, business card, or email signature. When someone clicks it on a phone or computer with WhatsApp installed, it opens a chat window with you already loaded, ready for them to type and send. The number on the other end needs an active WhatsApp account for the chat to open.
How do I add a pre-filled message to my WhatsApp link?
Append ?text= to the end of your link, followed by your message, URL-encoded (spaces become %20, and other special characters get their own encoded form). For example:
https://wa.me/2348030000000?text=Hello%2C%20I%27m%20interested%20in%20your%20service
When the visitor clicks this, WhatsApp opens the chat with that message already sitting in the text box — they can edit it or send it as-is with one tap. This is the version most businesses use on a "Chat with us" button, since it removes friction and gives the visitor a starting point.
You can also build a message-only link with no number at all: https://wa.me/?text=urlencodedtext. Clicking this doesn't open a chat with anyone specific — it opens WhatsApp with the pre-filled text and asks the visitor to pick which of their own contacts to send it to, which is a different use case from a business contact button.
Can I get a WhatsApp link that doesn't show my number?
Yes, two ways. If you use the WhatsApp Business app, its Business Tools include a short link generator that creates a wa.me link using a generated code rather than your raw phone number in the URL. And if you've set up a WhatsApp username, a link built as wa.me/yourusername opens a chat with you the same way a number-based link does, without displaying your number in the URL itself.
Where do I put my WhatsApp link once I have it?
Common places: your website's contact or footer section as a "Chat on WhatsApp" button, your Instagram or Facebook bio, a QR code on packaging or a flyer that decodes to the link, your email signature, or directly in your Google Business Profile if you run a business listing. Because it's a normal URL, it works as a plain hyperlink, a button, or an image link from any app or platform that lets you add a clickable link.
People also ask
Does the other person need my number saved for the link to work?
No. Clicking a wa.me link opens a chat with the number in the link regardless of whether the visitor already saved it, because the link itself supplies the number to WhatsApp.
Can I create a WhatsApp link that doesn't show my number in the URL?
Yes. A WhatsApp Business short link uses a generated code instead of your number, and a wa.me link built from a WhatsApp username works the same way.
What happens if I share a link with a message but no phone number?
It opens WhatsApp with your pre-filled text ready to send, but prompts the visitor to choose which of their own contacts to send it to, instead of opening a chat with a specific person.