Comparisons
Static vs Dynamic QR Codes
What the redirect actually buys you, measured on real encoded codes, and which payloads are worse off for it.
16 min readWhatsApp QR Code Generator
Put in your number and get a code that opens a WhatsApp chat with you. Nobody has to save your number first, and you can set the message they start with. It is built in this tab and read back before the download unlocks.
Type it however you like. The plus, the spaces and the zero you dial at home are all removed for you, and anything changed is listed below.
This lands in their message box ready to send, not sent. They can edit or delete it first.
Enter a number to see the code.
This Is Not the WhatsApp Web Code
Worth saying early, because a large share of people searching for a WhatsApp QR code want the other one. The code on web.whatsapp.com is a login. It encodes a session that WhatsApp creates and rotates every few seconds, which is exactly what stops somebody else signing in as you, and it means no generator anywhere can produce one.
If that is what you came for: open web.whatsapp.com on the computer, then on your phone open WhatsApp, go to linked devices, and scan the code on the screen. You need the phone that already has your account. If you want to read what some other WhatsApp code contains, the scanner shows you the text without opening anything.
Why a WhatsApp QR Code Says the Number Is Invalid
Every one of these is a formatting problem rather than a WhatsApp problem, which is why the tool fixes them and then tells you what it changed instead of just refusing the number.
- 1Keeping the zero you dial at homeA UK mobile written 07700 900123 is 44 7700 900123 internationally. That zero tells your own network you are dialling inside the country, and WhatsApp reads the number with it still attached as a different number that does not exist. This is the single most common reason a WhatsApp code opens an invalid-number screen.
- 2Leaving the plus inwa.me takes digits and nothing else. A link with a plus in it loads an error page instead of a chat. The plus is fine to type here and is removed for you.
- 3Missing the country codeThere is no default and no way to guess one. A number without a country code is not a phone number as far as WhatsApp is concerned, so the code will fail for everybody, including people in your own country.
- 4Spaces, brackets and dashesPerfectly normal to write and not allowed in the link. They are stripped for you. A zero in brackets, as in +44 (0)20, is removed too, because brackets around it are the written way of saying leave this out when dialling from abroad.
Keep the Starting Message Short
The message is part of the link, so it is part of the code. A longer message means more data, more modules, and a denser pattern that has to be printed larger to stay readable. A short line like "Table for 2 tonight?" costs almost nothing. A paragraph can push the symbol up several versions, which matters if the code is going on a business card rather than a poster.
If you want to see what that costs in printed millimetres, the printing size guide measures it.
What This Tool Does Not Do
- This is not the code that logs you into WhatsApp Web. That one is generated by WhatsApp, it encodes a login session, and it changes every few seconds, so no generator can make one.
- The number has to have WhatsApp on it. This builds the link; it cannot check whether an account exists, and WhatsApp shows the invalid-number screen if it does not.
- The prefilled message is a draft. It lands in the sender's message box and they can read it, edit it, or delete it before sending. Nothing is sent by scanning.
- The code carries a phone number in plain text. Anyone who scans it, or decodes the image, can read it. That is fine for a business line and worth thinking about for a personal one.
- Nothing is stored. The number is turned into a link in your browser and never reaches a server.
If the number ever changes, a printed code pointing at the old one is waste paper. A dynamic code can be repointed after it is printed, which is worth it for anything going on signage rather than a one-off flyer.
Questions About WhatsApp QR Codes
How do I make a QR code for my WhatsApp?
Put in your country code and your phone number, add a message if you want one ready in the box, and the code appears. It encodes a wa.me link, which is WhatsApp's own format, so scanning it opens a chat with you in whatever WhatsApp the person already has. There is no account and nothing is installed.
Why does my WhatsApp QR code say the number is invalid?
Almost always the number kept the zero used for dialling inside the country. A UK mobile written 07700 900123 has to be 447700900123 internationally, with no zero and no plus. This tool removes both and tells you what it changed, so you can see the number that actually got encoded.
Is this the QR code for WhatsApp Web?
No, and nothing can generate that one. The code on web.whatsapp.com encodes a login session that WhatsApp creates and rotates every few seconds, which is what stops someone else logging in as you. To use WhatsApp Web, open web.whatsapp.com on the computer and scan the code it shows with the phone that already has your account.
Can I add a message that is already written?
Yes. It goes into the link and lands in the sender's message box, ready but unsent, so they can change it or delete it first. It is useful for a specific enquiry, as in a table booking or a quote request, because you know what people are asking about. Keep it short: every character goes into the code and makes the pattern denser.
Does the person scanning need my number saved?
No. That is the point of the link. Scanning opens a chat with your number without anyone adding you as a contact first, which is why businesses put these on receipts, menus and shop windows.
Do I need a WhatsApp Business account?
No. A wa.me link works with an ordinary WhatsApp account. Business accounts add things like a catalogue and automatic replies, and none of that changes the link or the code.
Can people see my phone number from the code?
Yes. The number is inside the code in plain text and anyone who scans it can read it, which is unavoidable because the number is what makes the chat open. For a business line that is the intention. For a personal number, consider whether the code is going somewhere public.
More for social profiles
Twelve platforms, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that kills its codes.
- Social media QR codesPick a platform: twelve pages, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that breaks it.
- LinkedIn QR codeTurn a LinkedIn profile into a code any camera reads, with the print size measured for badges and CVs.
- Instagram QR codeA profile, reel or post as a printable vector code, rather than the screenshot the app gives you.
Guides worth reading
All guides- Printing
QR Code Sticker Size: The Circle Costs You 30%
The usable square inside a round sticker is 70% of its diameter. Measured minimum sizes for real links, against every common sticker size.
8 min read - Reference
Offline QR Code Generators for Every Device
What each platform already ships, the measured cost of each payload type, and how to check an offline claim yourself.
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QRMakery builds every code on your own device. Your phone number is turned into a link in this tab and never reaches a server.