--- title: "wa.me link" description: "A wa.me link is a WhatsApp click-to-chat URL that opens a chat with a specific phone number, optionally with prefilled text, without the user saving the number. The format is https://wa.me/?text=." canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/wa-me-link/" language: "en" updated: "2026-10-10" publisher: "BroadNet Technologies" brand: "OmniChannels.ai" --- # wa.me link Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/glossary/wa-me-link/ Language: en Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies **Definition:** A wa.me link is a WhatsApp click-to-chat URL that opens a chat with a specific phone number, optionally with prefilled text, without the user saving the number. The format is https://wa.me/?text=. WhatsApp's Help Center describes click to chat. The number must be in full international format, written as digits only: country code, then the number with no plus sign, leading zeros, brackets or dashes. Optional prefilled text goes in the text parameter and must be URL-encoded. Businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform can also create managed short links and QR codes through the API (wa.me/message/). Meta's documentation lists a limit of 2,000 QR codes and short links per business phone number and prefilled messages of up to 140 characters, and notes that no analytics are available for them. wa.me links are used on websites, email signatures, SMS messages, receipts and packaging. Because the user sends the first message, the link opens a customer service window, so the business can reply freely for 24 hours. A frequent error is writing a local number such as 0501234567 instead of the international form. For the UAE that number is 971501234567, and for Saudi Arabia 0551234567 becomes 966551234567. ## Example ``` https://wa.me/971501234567?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20track%20my%20order ``` ## Sources - [How to use click to chat — WhatsApp Help Center](https://faq.whatsapp.com/5913398998672934) - [QR codes and short links — Meta for Developers](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/qr-codes)