Choose the dialling code, then type the local number with the trunk zero removed. A UK number written 07700 900123 becomes +44 and 7700900123. An Indian number written 098765 43210 becomes +91 and 9876543210.
Whatever you type lands in the sender's input box, so write it in their voice: "Hi, I'd like to book a table for Friday." Keep it under about twelve words so nobody deletes it before sending.
Eight module shapes, a solid colour or a two- or three-stop gradient, and an optional centre logo. Every one of these choices costs a little scan reliability, so change what your brand needs and leave the rest alone.
Point a phone at the on-screen preview before you download anything. If the chat opens with the right message, save the image as PNG for print or JPEG when a file size limit is in the way.
A WhatsApp QR code holds one thing: a wa.me link that points at your number, usually with an opening message already written in. Someone scans it, WhatsApp opens on a chat with you, and the first line is waiting in the input box for them to tap send.
That removes the steps where people usually give up: reading a number off a poster, switching apps, typing eleven digits and getting one wrong. The link inside is WhatsApp's own documented click-to-chat address, so the code keeps working whether or not this site is still around.
The people who print these are rarely marketers. Clinic receptionists use them to pull appointment requests off a busy phone line, repair counters tape them beside the till, and field engineers add them to the back of a paper quote.
The code stores a single web address, with no account, name or tracking data. Decode one with any reader and you will see exactly this:
https://wa.me/447700900123?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table%20for%20FridayWhatsApp's click-to-chat domain. It reads the rest of the link and hands off to the app.
Country code and number as digits only: no plus sign, spaces or trunk zero.
Everything after this becomes the draft message.
Encoded spaces, commas and apostrophes. The form adds these for you, which is why the link looks longer than your sentence.
Message length matters. Every extra word adds squares to the pattern, so a long draft needs a bigger print or a closer scan. A single emoji can take up four bytes once encoded.
Most phones show the link from the camera app. Some budget handsets need Google Lens or a scanner app, the most common reason for “it didn't work”.
The Camera app shows a banner. The link may open in Safari for a moment, and iOS sometimes asks “Open in WhatsApp?” first.
The link opens WhatsApp Web, which only works if that browser is already linked to a phone.
The wa.me page offers Continue to Chat and an install link. The person has to choose to download the app first.
The message is never sent automatically. It arrives as a draft that the person can edit, delete or simply not send.
Takes appointment requests off a busy phone line and gives you a written, timestamped record.
Hi, I'd like an appointment. My name is:Customers send the job number and usually a photo of the fault.
My job number is ___ and the problem is:Make one code per table with the number in the message, so every order shows where it came from.
Table 7, we'd like to order:Put the unit or car in the message so every enquiry identifies itself.
I'm asking about the 2019 SwiftA “text us for a quote” code keeps working while the van is parked.
Hi, I need a quote for:Support chats start with the order reference already attached.
Order 10452, I need help with:If the number runs on WhatsApp Business, set up greeting and away messages before you print, so after-hours enquiries get a reply instead of silence.
whatsapp-table07.png.Make the code about a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from, and keep a clear margin about four squares wide around it.
| Where it goes | Scan distance | Print size |
|---|---|---|
| Table tent or counter card | About 30 cm | 2.5 to 3 cm |
| A4 poster | Up to 1 m | 8 to 10 cm |
| Shop window | About 2 m | 20 cm |
| Van or event banner | About 5 m | 50 cm and up |
Always dark squares on a light background. With a gradient, check the palest end, which is where scans fail.
Codes use the highest error correction (H). Keep a centre logo under about a fifth of the area, with a small white pad.
Use a PNG of 1000 px or more for print. Matte lamination scans better than gloss, which causes glare.
| WhatsApp chat QR | Phone number (tel:) QR | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens | A chat with your message drafted | The dialler with your number keyed in |
| Needs | WhatsApp and a data connection | Only a voice signal |
| Cost to the person | Data only, even from abroad | Standard call charges |
| Leaves a record | A written thread with photos | Only a call log entry |
| Best for | Enquiries, bookings and support | Urgent contact and older audiences |
Many counters print both side by side. If your audience skews older or your premises have poor data coverage, use the phone number QR generator as the safer default.
A single wa.me web address containing your country code and number, followed by your draft message in percent-encoded form after the ?text= parameter. Nothing else is encoded, so there are no account details, no sender name and no tracking parameter inside the pattern.
Neither. Select the dialling code from the list, then enter the local number with the leading trunk zero removed. A UK number written 07700 900123 is entered as 7700900123 with +44 selected, and an Indian number written 098765 43210 is entered as 9876543210 with +91 selected.
No. WhatsApp opens the chat with your text waiting in the input box, and the person has to tap send themselves. They can also edit the wording or clear it and write their own, so treat the prefilled line as a prompt rather than a guarantee of what you will receive.
Not on codes that are already printed. The link is encoded directly into the pattern with no redirect in between, so changing the wording means generating a new code and replacing the printed material. Confirm the wording on a phone before committing to a print run.
Their browser opens the wa.me page, which shows a Continue to Chat button along with a link to install the app. They can still reach you, but only after choosing to download WhatsApp, which many passers-by will not do.
Yes, and it works better with one. A Business account lets you attach greeting messages, away messages, quick replies and labels to the conversations the code brings in, so enquiries that arrive after hours get an acknowledgement instead of silence.
Not with a code made here, because nothing sits between the camera and WhatsApp to count anything. The only way to get scan figures is to encode a tracked short link that redirects to wa.me, which introduces a third-party service that can expire or change and break your printed codes.
Not if you keep it small. These codes use the highest error correction level, so a centre mark covering up to about a fifth of the area is usually safe. That same tolerance is what absorbs scratches and glare in real conditions, so if a mid-range Android hesitates, shrink the logo and generate the code again.
Yes. Any QR reader will display the full wa.me link, number included, before opening anything. Use a number you are willing to publish openly, and remember that once a code is printed or shared you cannot withdraw it.
Size it to roughly a tenth of the distance people will scan from. That means about 2.5 to 3 cm on a counter card, 8 to 10 cm on an A4 poster, around 20 cm for a shop window read from the pavement, and 50 cm or more on vehicle livery. Keep a clear margin of about four modules around the code in every case.