How to start a WhatsApp chat without saving the number

Message any number without saving it

WhatsApp calls this click to chat. It works for any number that has an active WhatsApp account.

1. Write the number in international format: the country code, then the number, with no plus sign, no leading zero, and no spaces, brackets or dashes. An Indian mobile number becomes 91 followed by the 10 digits.
2. Add it to the end of https://wa.me/, for example https://wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX.
3. Open that link on your phone. WhatsApp opens a chat with the number, without adding it to your contacts.

Use https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX, not https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX: symbols and the extra zeros stop the link working.

A link customers can use

The same link works the other way round: put your own number in it, and anyone who taps it opens a chat with you.

Add a ready-typed message

Add ?text= and the message, with spaces written as %20. The customer sees it typed in the chat and just taps send:

https://wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20quote

Different messages for different places tell you where a customer came from: one for your website, one for an ad, one for the shop counter.

Use the official “Chat on WhatsApp” button

WhatsApp offers a branded Chat on WhatsApp button in green or white and three sizes, for websites and apps. Use it as it is, without changing it; download it from WhatsApp’s click to chat page. It is only available in English for now.

Your WhatsApp Business link and QR code

The WhatsApp Business app creates a short link and a QR code for your number automatically.

On Android

1. Tap Tools > ⋮ > Short link.
2. Copy the link, or share it straight to a chat.
3. Turn on the slider to give customers a ready-typed default message, and edit it to suit.
4. Tap View QR Code to see your QR code. You can also tap Settings > the QR code icon.

On iPhone

1. On the Tools tab, tap Short link.
2. Tap Copy Link or Share Link.
3. Set a default message customers can edit and send.
4. Tap QR Code to view your QR code. You can share it from there.

If a customer opens your short link in a web browser, they see a page with your business details and a Continue to chat button.

Your QR code doesn’t expire unless you reset it or delete your WhatsApp Business account, so it’s safe to print. If you have a business username, it appears on the code.

Where to put your link

• Your website: the contact page, the header, and every product or service page.
• Your Google Business Profile, Instagram and Facebook, so people who find you there can message you in one tap.
• Ads that open a WhatsApp chat instead of a form.
• Printed QR codes on business cards, shop signage, table tents, packaging and event stands.
• Your email signature.

What to write first

If you are the one starting the chat, the first message decides whether you get a reply. Only message people who expect to hear from you, such as someone who called, filled in a form or asked for a quote.

• Say who you are and why you’re writing, in the first line.
• Ask one clear question, so replying is easy.
• Keep it short, and save the details for the reply.

After a phone call

Hi Priya, this is Arjun from [Business name]. Thanks for the call just now. Here’s the brochure we talked about. Would Thursday or Friday suit you for a site visit?

After a form or enquiry

Hello! You asked about our monthly plans on our website. Is this a good number to send you the details?

Sending a quote

Hi Rahul, here’s the quote for the office fit-out we discussed. Happy to answer any questions here.

Answering every chat as a team

Once your links and QR codes are everywhere, chats arrive on every number you use, at all hours. The hard part becomes answering every one of them.