What a WhatsApp click-to-chat link is
A WhatsApp click-to-chat link is a web address that opens a chat with a number, without the person saving the number first. It is https://wa.me/ followed by the full international number, and it can carry a message that is already typed when the chat opens.
How to make one by hand
Write the number in international form, then drop the + or 00, the leading 0 of the national number, and every space, bracket and dash, and put what is left after https://wa.me/. The UK mobile 07700 900123 becomes https://wa.me/447700900123.
A pre-filled message goes after ?text=, URL-encoded so spaces and symbols survive: https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%2C%20can%20I%20book%20a%20table%3F. The generator above does both steps as you type.
Where to use it
- On a website. Put a “Chat on WhatsApp” button on the contact page, product pages or the footer. The button code above is plain HTML with its styles inline, so it pastes into any site builder that accepts an HTML block.
- In a bio. Paste the link into the link field of an Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn profile, or into a link-in-bio page, so a visitor can message the business in one tap.
- In ads, email and print. Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram open the chat without a link. Everywhere else, in search ads, emails, signatures, flyers and shop windows, the wa.me link or its QR code is what starts the chat.
Common mistakes
- Keeping the + or 00. A wa.me link takes digits only. The country code goes in, the + or 00 in front of it does not.
- Keeping the leading 0. A national number drops its 0 when the country code goes in front: the UK mobile 07700 900123 becomes 447700900123. Italian landlines and Ivorian numbers are the exceptions, and keep it.
- Typing the country code twice. 44 447700900123 sends the chat nowhere. Pick the country and type the number as you would at home, or type it once with a + in front.
- Leaving spaces, brackets or dashes. They break the link. The generator removes them; by hand, take them all out.
- Not encoding the message. A space, an & or a question mark in the pre-filled text cuts the message short unless it is URL-encoded. The generator encodes it for you.
- Never testing the link. A number that is not on WhatsApp still makes a link, and WhatsApp says the number is not on WhatsApp when someone opens it. Open the link once before it goes on a site or in print.
Who answers the messages
A link starts the conversation; someone still has to answer it. Maxbound answers each client’s WhatsApp with an AI agent, qualifies the buyer and follows up anyone who goes quiet: see WhatsApp automation for agencies.
Questions
Is this WhatsApp link generator free?
Yes. There is no signup, no account and no limit. The link is built in your browser, and this page does not send or store the number or the message you type.
Does a wa.me link work with WhatsApp Business?
Yes. A wa.me link works the same way for a WhatsApp number and a WhatsApp Business number.
Do WhatsApp links expire?
No. A wa.me link keeps working for as long as the number is on WhatsApp.
Why is there no + in the link?
WhatsApp asks for the full international number with no +, zeroes, brackets or dashes. The country code stays; only the symbols go.
Can I change the pre-filled message later?
Make a new link. The message is part of the link itself, so a QR code that is already printed keeps the message it was made with.
What happens when someone opens the link on a computer?
WhatsApp opens a page that continues to the chat in the WhatsApp desktop app or in WhatsApp Web.
