WhatsApp QR code generator

What is a WhatsApp QR code?

A WhatsApp QR code is a square barcode that opens a chat with your business when someone scans it with their phone camera. It is the same thing as a wa.me link, drawn as a picture. The customer does not need to save your number or type anything: they scan, a chat opens, and your pre-filled message is ready to send.

How to create a WhatsApp QR code

1. Enter your WhatsApp number in the generator above.
2. Add a pre-filled message if you want one, for example "Hi, I scanned your QR code and want to know more."
3. Generate the code, download the PNG and test it with your own phone before you print anything.

Where to put a WhatsApp QR code

• Shop window and counter: "Scan to chat, no need to save our number."
• Product packaging and receipts: for reorders and support.
• Visiting cards and brochures: a faster route than typing a number.
• Posters, hoardings and standees: for property sites, clinics, coaching centres and events.
• Your website and social profiles: on desktop, a QR code lets people continue on their phone.
• Menus and table cards: for orders and bookings.

Print it so it scans every time

These are rules of thumb that work for most phones:

• Size: keep it at least 2 cm by 2 cm on small items, and larger for anything people scan from a distance. A rough guide is one tenth of the scanning distance.
• Contrast: dark code on a light, plain background. Do not invert the colours.
• Quiet zone: leave an empty border around the code, about the width of four of its small squares.
• Surface: avoid curved, glossy or crumpled surfaces that reflect light.
• Always test the printed code on at least two phones before you print a large batch.

Use a different QR code for each place

If every poster, card and shop window shares one code, you cannot tell which one brings customers. Make one code per place with a different pre-filled message, such as "Hi, I scanned your shop QR" or "Hi, I saw your poster". The first message each customer sends tells you the source. Our guide to WhatsApp QR codes with tracking shows how to set this up, and Responseify can create and track a QR code for each source, as described in the Help Center.

WhatsApp QR code vs the QR code in WhatsApp settings

The QR code inside WhatsApp (Settings, then the QR icon) is there to link your account to another device or to share your contact. It is not the same as a business QR code. Some versions of the WhatsApp Business app also create a QR code for your short link; this generator works for any number and lets you choose the message.

Sources

• WhatsApp, How to use click to chat: the link a QR code encodes.