Quick takeaways
- The format is https://wa.me/ plus the full international number, digits only: no +, 00, spaces, dashes or local zero.
- Add ?text= and a URL-encoded message to prefill the chat; Arabic, emojis and line breaks all work when encoded.
- wa.me/?text= without a number lets people pick a contact, which is useful for share buttons.
- Convert Arabic-Indic digits (٠-٩) to 0-9 before building the link.
- Put a Rabetly short link in front of the wa.me link when you print it, so you can count scans and change the number later.
Short answer: a WhatsApp click-to-chat link is https://wa.me/ followed by the full phone number in international format, using digits only (no +, no leading zeros, spaces or dashes). To prefill a message, add ?text= and the URL-encoded text, for example https://wa.me/9665XXXXXXXX?text=Hi%20there. The fastest way is the free WhatsApp link generator, which formats the number, encodes the message and gives you a QR code.
What is the correct WhatsApp link format?
WhatsApp's Help Center documents two patterns for click to chat:
- Open a chat with a number: https://wa.me/<number>
- Open a chat with a ready-made message: https://wa.me/<number>?text=<url-encoded message>
There is also a third, less known pattern: https://wa.me/?text=<message> with no number. It opens WhatsApp with the message ready and lets the person choose who to send it to, which is handy for "share this offer with a friend" buttons.
The person tapping the link still has to press send. A prefilled message is a suggestion, not an automatic message.
How do you write the phone number?
Use the full international number, digits only. Start with the country code, then drop the local trunk zero. Remove the plus sign, the international prefix 00, spaces, brackets and dashes.
| Country | How people write it locally | What goes in the link |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia (+966) | 05X XXX XXXX | wa.me/9665XXXXXXXX |
| United Arab Emirates (+971) | 05X XXX XXXX | wa.me/9715XXXXXXXX |
| Egypt (+20) | 01X XXXX XXXX | wa.me/201XXXXXXXXX |
| Jordan (+962) | 07X XXX XXXX | wa.me/9627XXXXXXXX |
| United Kingdom (+44) | 07XXX XXXXXX | wa.me/447XXXXXXXXX |
Two problems catch Arabic-speaking teams often. First, numbers typed with Arabic-Indic digits (٠٥٥…) do not work in a URL; convert them to 0–9 first with the Arabic to English numbers converter. Second, copying a number from a contact card can bring hidden spaces or direction marks with it, so retype it or use the generator, which only keeps digits.
How do you add a prefilled message, including Arabic text?
Everything after ?text= must be percent-encoded, because a URL cannot contain raw spaces or most symbols. In JavaScript that is what encodeURIComponent does. Arabic letters are encoded as UTF-8 bytes, which is why an Arabic message looks long and unreadable inside the link but appears normally in WhatsApp.
| Character | Encoded as | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Space | %20 | Raw spaces break the link. |
| New line | %0A | Lets you send a two-line message. |
| & | %26 | Unencoded, it cuts the message short. |
| # | %23 | Unencoded, everything after it is dropped. |
| + | %2B | Some systems read a raw + as a space. |
| % | %25 | A raw % breaks the encoding. |
| مرحبا | %D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%A7 | Arabic text is encoded byte by byte. |
You do not need to do this by hand. The WhatsApp link generator accepts punctuation, emojis, Arabic text and multiple lines and encodes them safely. If you only need to encode a piece of text for another tool, use the URL encoder.
What do real WhatsApp links look like?
Order support (English)
Message: "Hi, I want to ask about my order"
https://wa.me/9715XXXXXXXX?text=Hi%2C%20I%20want%20to%20ask%20about%20my%20order
Order support (Arabic)
Message: «مرحبا، أريد الاستفسار عن الطلب»
https://wa.me/9665XXXXXXXX?text=%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%8C%20%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B1%20%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8
Appointment booking (Arabic)
Message: «السلام عليكم، أرغب في حجز موعد»
https://wa.me/201XXXXXXXXX?text=%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%85%D8%8C%20%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%BA%D8%A8%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%B2%20%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%AF
Share with a friend (no number)
Message: "Look at this offer"
https://wa.me/?text=Look%20at%20this%20offer%20https%3A%2F%2Frabet.li%2Foffer
A useful trick: write a slightly different first line for each channel, such as "Hi, I saw your Instagram post" or "Hi, I scanned the code in your shop". Your team then knows where each conversation came from without asking.
Where should you put your WhatsApp link?
- Instagram and TikTok bio: add it as a button on a link-in-bio page so it sits next to your shop, menu and location.
- Google Business Profile: use it as the chat or booking link so people searching on Maps can message you directly.
- Website: a floating "Chat with us" button on product and contact pages, with a message that names the page.
- Email signatures and invoices: a short link such as rabet.li/support is easier to trust than a long number.
- Print: counters, receipts, delivery bags and menus, always as a QR code with the short link printed underneath.
Use a different short link, or at least a different first line of the message, for each place. Otherwise every conversation looks the same and you cannot tell which placement is worth keeping.
How do you create a WhatsApp link and QR code with Rabetly?
- Open the WhatsApp link generator and choose the country code.
- Enter the number without the country code or the first zero. The tool validates it as an international number.
- Write the optional message in English, Arabic or both. Keep it to one or two short lines.
- Generate, then copy the link or open it in WhatsApp to test that the right chat and message appear.
- Download the QR code as PNG or SVG for counters, menus, packaging and business cards. You can also start from the WhatsApp QR code generator.
- Shorten it with Rabetly if you need tracking or flexibility. Use "Shorten with Rabetly" to put the wa.me link behind a short link such as rabet.li/chat.
Should you shorten and track your WhatsApp link?
A plain wa.me link works forever, but it tells you nothing and it cannot change. That matters most in print.
| Plain wa.me link | WhatsApp Business short link | Rabetly short link to wa.me | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Click or scan counts | No | No. Meta says analytics are not available for these links. | Yes, on every plan (30-day history on Free) |
| Change number or message after printing | No | Message can be edited in the app | Yes, edit the destination |
| Separate links per placement | Only by changing the text | Limited | Yes, one short link per flyer, shop or campaign |
| Readable on print | Long, especially with Arabic text | Short random code | Short, with a custom ending such as /chat |
Meta's documentation for WhatsApp QR codes and short links notes a 140-character limit for the prefilled message in those codes and states that analytics are not available. A Rabetly short link in front of your wa.me link fills that gap: each scan or click is counted, and if the staff member or number changes, you update one destination instead of reprinting. Learn why this matters in static vs dynamic QR codes. To share WhatsApp alongside your other channels, add it to a link-in-bio page.
If the chat starts from a landing page or campaign, tag the landing page link with UTMs and keep WhatsApp traffic consistent in GA4. Our UTM naming guide includes a WhatsApp example.
Checklist
Country code first
966, 971, 20, 962… then the number without its first zero.
Digits only
No +, 00, spaces, brackets, dashes or Arabic-Indic digits.
Encode the message
Spaces, &, #, + and Arabic text must be percent-encoded.
Test on a phone
Open the link on mobile and desktop and check the chat and message.
Short link for print
Use a trackable short link behind printed QR codes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn a WhatsApp number into a link?
Write the number in international format with digits only and add it after https://wa.me/. For a Saudi mobile number 05X XXX XXXX, the link is wa.me/9665XXXXXXXX. The free Rabetly WhatsApp link generator does this for you.
Do I need to save the number to start a chat?
No. That is the purpose of click to chat: anyone who opens the link can message the number without adding it to their contacts first.
Can the prefilled message be in Arabic?
Yes. Arabic text is percent-encoded in the link and appears normally in WhatsApp. Emojis and line breaks (%0A) also work.
Why does my WhatsApp link show an error?
Usually the number is in the wrong format (it still has +, 00, the local zero, spaces or Arabic-Indic digits), or the number is not registered on WhatsApp.
Can I track clicks on a wa.me link?
Not on the wa.me link itself. Put a Rabetly short link in front of it to count clicks and scans; analytics are included on every plan, with 30 days of history on Free.
Is a WhatsApp group invite link the same thing?
No. Group invite links are created inside WhatsApp by a group admin and use a different address. wa.me links open a one-to-one chat with a phone number.
Sources
Create your WhatsApp link now
Generate a wa.me link with a ready message and a QR code, then shorten it when you need tracking.
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