How to create a WhatsApp link with a pre-filled message

A WhatsApp link with a pre-filled message opens a chat with your number and drops in some text that the customer only has to send. You build it with WhatsApp's public click-to-chat format: https://wa.me/, followed by your number in international format and a ?text= parameter with the encoded message. Here's how to set it up step by step, message templates you can adapt, and the mistakes that break the link.

In short:

• The format is https://wa.me/NUMBER?text=MESSAGE.
• The number includes the country code, with no plus sign, spaces, dashes or parentheses.
• The message must be URL-encoded: spaces become %20 and line breaks become %0A.
• Using a different opening line per channel tells you where each conversation came from.
• Shortening the link makes it easier to share, lets you change the message without reprinting anything and counts the clicks.

The link format, piece by piece

A complete link looks like this (the X's stand for the digits of your number):

https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table

• https://wa.me/ is the short domain WhatsApp provides for opening chats in one tap.
• 1XXXXXXXXXX is the full number: the country code (1 for the US and Canada) plus the 10-digit phone number with area code.
• ?text= introduces the message that will appear in the text box.

It works the same way for personal accounts and WhatsApp Business. On a phone it opens the app directly; on a computer it goes to a page that opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. There's also a longer format, https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=NUMBER&text=MESSAGE, which does the same thing, but the short one is cleaner.

How to write the number

This is the number one reason these links fail. The number must be in international format, all digits, with nothing in between:

Country	Code	How the link starts
United States	1	wa.me/1 + area code + number
Canada	1	wa.me/1 + area code + number
Mexico	52	wa.me/52 + 10 digits
United Kingdom	44	wa.me/44 + number without the leading 0

The rules never change: no plus sign, no spaces, no dashes, no parentheses and no leading 0 that some countries use for domestic calls. A US number written as (555) 012-3456 becomes 15550123456 in the link. If you serve customers abroad, write their country's number the way someone dialing from overseas would, then drop the plus.

How to write the message so it doesn't break

A web address can't contain spaces or certain characters as-is, so the message has to be encoded. The most common ones:

• Space: %20
• Line break: %0A
• Comma: %2C
• Apostrophe: %27
• Question mark: %3F

Two characters deserve special attention: the ampersand (&) and the hash sign (#). Left unencoded, they cut your message off right where they appear. Encode them as %26 and %23.

You don't have to do it by hand: any URL encoder converts the text for you. Write the message normally, encode it, paste it after ?text= and test the result on a phone before you share it. Emojis work too, as long as they're encoded.

Message templates that work

A good pre-filled message is short, makes the customer's intent clear and leaves room to fill in details. A few templates to adapt:

• Restaurant: "Hi! I'd like to book a table for [number of people] on [day] at [time]."
• Online store: "Hi, I'm interested in [product]. Is it in stock?"
• Services: "Hi, I'd like a quote for [service]."
• Customer support: "Hi, I have a question about my order number: "
• Classes and events: "Hi, I'd like to sign up for [class or event name]."

Skip long messages and anything that sounds like an ad. People are sending this text in their own name, and if it feels awkward, they'll delete it or close the chat.

A different message for each channel

Here's the most useful trick for small businesses: change the first words of the message depending on where you post the link. For example, "Hi, I found you on Instagram…" in your bio, "Hi, I saw your sign in the store…" in the QR code at the register, and "Hi, I found you on Google…" on your business profile. When the chat comes in, you know where it came from without opening any dashboard.

It's a hint, not exact measurement, because people can edit or delete the text. For real numbers, pair it with a separate short link per channel, the same approach used to measure the clicks you get from Instagram. That way you count clicks per channel even when not everyone ends up writing.

Why shorten your WhatsApp link

A link with an encoded message is long, full of symbols and not very trustworthy at first glance. Shortening it has concrete benefits:

• It's easy to read and remember: an alias like "book" or "order" can be said out loud or printed on a business card.
• You can change it later: if your number or message changes, you edit the destination and the short link stays the same, including on anything you've already printed.
• It counts clicks: linko shows clicks per day for every link and leaves out the previews WhatsApp itself generates when the link is shared.
• It fits on your bio page: you can add the WhatsApp icon with your link next to your other social profiles.

If it's going on packaging or a counter display, generate the QR code from the short link, not the long one, so it's simpler and easier to scan. The free QR code generator does it without signing up. And if you're new to these tools, this explainer on what a link shortener is covers the basics.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need WhatsApp Business to create a link with a message?

No. The wa.me format works with personal accounts and WhatsApp Business accounts alike. The difference lies in the tools you get for handling chats afterward, not in the link.

Can I create a link with a message but no number?

Yes. With https://wa.me/?text=MESSAGE, WhatsApp opens the message and lets the person choose which contact to send it to. It's handy for referral campaigns along the lines of "share this with a friend."

How do I add a line break to the message?

Type %0A wherever you want the new line to start. If you use a URL encoder, any line breaks you type are converted automatically.

Can I tell how many people actually sent the message?

The link counts clicks, but sending happens inside WhatsApp and is up to each person. To know how many wrote to you, count your new conversations and compare them with the clicks.

Does the link work on a computer?

Yes. On a computer, the link opens a WhatsApp page that launches WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, with the message already typed in.