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WhatsApp QR Code Generator

Let people message you without saving your number first. Scanning opens a WhatsApp conversation directly, with an optional pre-filled message so you know where they found you.

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1

Add your content

This is what gets encoded — nothing is sent anywhere.

This uses WhatsApp’s own wa.me link — the only type here that touches a third party, because WhatsApp requires it.

2

Customise

Optional. Every change is re-checked against a real decoder.

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Anything below that you leave alone follows this.

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Or start from one of 93 ready-made designs→

How to make a WhatsApp QR code

  1. 1

    Write your number in international format

    Country code first, no leading zero. 491701234567, not 0170 1234567.

  2. 2

    Add a pre-filled message

    Optional, but it tells you which code the conversation came from.

  3. 3

    Download and print

    The link is encoded directly, so no service sits between the code and the chat.

  4. 4

    Test from a phone that does not have your number saved

    Confirms the chat opens for a stranger, which is the actual use case.

On this page

What the code actually contains

A WhatsApp click-to-chat link, which is a normal web address:

https://wa.me/491701234567?text=Hi%2C%20I%20saw%20your%20menu

Two parts: your number in international format, and an optional pre-filled message. Any camera can read it — no app needed to scan, though WhatsApp obviously has to be installed to chat.

This is the one code type on FigQR that touches a third party, because WhatsApp requires its own domain to open a chat. Worth stating plainly rather than pretending otherwise. The upside is thatwa.me is WhatsApp's own, not a redirect service that can lapse.

The number format catches nearly everyone

The rule: country code first, then the number without its leading zero.

  • Germany: 0170 1234567 → 491701234567
  • UK: 07700 900123 → 447700900123
  • US: (555) 123-4567 → 15551234567

Spaces, dashes and the plus sign are stripped automatically. The leading zero is the part that breaks things — keep it and WhatsApp reports the number as invalid, with no hint as to why.

This is not WhatsApp's own QR code

Two different things, easily confused:

  • WhatsApp's in-app code — found under your profile. It identifies you as a contact and is designed to be scanned from inside WhatsApp, by someone standing next to you.
  • A click-to-chat code — this one. A normal link that any camera reads, which opens a conversation with you.

For anything printed and left in public, the click-to-chat version is right. It works from the camera app, needs no contact saved on either side, and can carry a message.

Pre-filled messages give you free attribution

This is the feature worth using. Set a different opening message per location and every conversation tells you where it started:

  • Shop window — "Hi, I saw your window display"
  • Menu card — "Hi, I'd like to order"
  • Invoice — "Hi, question about my invoice"
  • Trade stand — "Hi, we met at the fair"

You get campaign attribution with no analytics, no tracking links and no third party. People can edit the message before sending, so keep it short and neutral.

Where it works well

WhatsApp codes suit businesses where the next step is a conversation rather than a purchase — trades quoting a job, restaurants taking bookings, salons handling appointments, market stalls, anything with questions before commitment.

It removes the two steps that lose people: typing a number, and saving a contact. Both are enough friction to end an enquiry that would otherwise have happened.

Before you print it

Your number is readable inside the code, so treat the code as you would the number printed alongside it. And test from a phone that does not have you saved — that is the actual situation every scanner is in, and it is the only test that proves the number format is right.

Common questions

How should I write the phone number?

Full international format with the country code and no leading zero. A German mobile written 0170 1234567 locally becomes 491701234567. FigQR strips spaces, dashes and the plus sign automatically, but the leading zero must go — it is the single most common reason a WhatsApp code fails.

Is this the same as the QR code inside WhatsApp?

No, and they do different jobs. WhatsApp’s own code identifies you as a contact and is meant to be scanned inside the app. This one is a link — anyone can scan it with a normal camera and it opens a chat with you. For anything printed, the link version is what you want.

Does the person need my number saved?

No. That is the main advantage. Normally you cannot message someone on WhatsApp without saving their number first. A wa.me link opens the conversation directly, with no contact added on either side.

Can I pre-fill the message?

Yes, and it is worth doing. A message like "Hi, I saw the code on the menu" tells you where the conversation started. With several codes in different places you can tell which one is working, without any tracking service.

Do I need WhatsApp Business?

No, a personal account works. WhatsApp Business adds a catalogue, away messages, quick replies and labels, which are genuinely useful once volume picks up — but the code works identically either way.

Is my phone number visible in the code?

Yes. The number is part of the link, so anyone who scans or decodes the code can read it. That is unavoidable for click-to-chat. If you would not print the number on the same surface, do not print the code there either.

Other QR codes you can make