--- title: "WhatsApp link generator" description: "Create a wa.me click-to-chat link with a pre-filled message in seconds. Validates the number, encodes Arabic and emoji, and adds UTM tracking. Free." canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/tools/whatsapp-link-generator/" language: "en" updated: "2026-10-10" publisher: "BroadNet Technologies" brand: "OmniChannels.ai" --- # WhatsApp link generator Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/tools/whatsapp-link-generator/ Language: en Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies A WhatsApp link is a click-to-chat URL in the form https://wa.me/ followed by the full international number with no plus sign, spaces, brackets or leading zeros, for example https://wa.me/971501234567. Adding ?text= and URL-encoded words pre-fills the customer's first message. Anyone who taps the link opens a chat with you without saving your number, and nothing is sent until they tap send. ## How to create a WhatsApp link 1. **Pick the country and type the number:** Choose the country, then type the number as you would dial it locally, or start with + or 00. The tool checks the length and number type for that country. 2. **Write the pre-filled message:** Add the words the customer should send, such as a product name or a reference code. Arabic, emoji and line breaks are encoded automatically. 3. **Copy and test the link:** Copy the wa.me link, or the api.whatsapp.com version if a platform needs it, then tap Test to open WhatsApp and check the chat before you publish. 4. **Track where chats come from:** For ads and posts, build a landing page link with UTM tags and add a reference code to the message, because wa.me itself keeps no click data. ## The official wa.me link format WhatsApp's own help page on click to chat (faq.whatsapp.com/5913398998672934) defines the format: https://wa.me/, where the number is a full phone number in international format. That means country code plus national number, written as digits only. WhatsApp's example is to use https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX and not https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX. The most common mistake is keeping the trunk zero that you dial inside a country. A UAE mobile written locally as 050 123 4567 becomes 971501234567 in the link, and a UK mobile written as 07400 123456 becomes 447400123456. The exception is countries such as Italy, where the leading zero is part of the international number and must stay. This tool applies those rules per country using the same numbering-plan data that Android uses. - UAE: 050 123 4567 → https://wa.me/971501234567 - Saudi Arabia: 050 123 4567 → https://wa.me/966501234567 - Kuwait: 5000 0000 → https://wa.me/96550000000 - Egypt: 0100 123 4567 → https://wa.me/201001234567 - United Kingdom: 07400 123456 → https://wa.me/447400123456 ## Pre-filled messages: encoding Arabic, emoji and line breaks Add ?text= followed by URL-encoded text to place a message in the customer's text box. Spaces become %20, a line break becomes %0A, and every Arabic letter is encoded as UTF-8 bytes, so مرحبا becomes %D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%A7. Typing these codes by hand is error-prone; the generator encodes the whole message, including emoji, ampersands, question marks and apostrophes that would otherwise cut the text short. The customer can edit or delete the pre-filled text before sending, and the chat only starts when they tap send. WhatsApp formatting such as *bold* and _italic_ works inside the message, and the chat preview in the tool shows how it will look. Keep the message short and written in the customer's voice, because it is sent under their name. ## wa.me or api.whatsapp.com: which link should you use? Both open the same chat. The short https://wa.me/ form is the one WhatsApp documents today and the one to print, share and put on buttons. The long form, https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=&text=, is an older URL that still works and is useful when a website builder, ad platform or link checker rejects or rewrites wa.me links. You can also leave out the number: https://wa.me/?text= opens WhatsApp with the message ready and lets the person choose who to send it to. That suits referral and share buttons, not customer service. ## Tracking clicks: why UTM tags do not work on wa.me UTM parameters are read by your web analytics when someone lands on your website. A wa.me link takes people straight into WhatsApp, so there is no page view to record, and WhatsApp does not report clicks to you. Adding utm_source to a wa.me link therefore measures nothing. The reliable pattern has two parts. First, send ad, email and social traffic to a landing page on your own site tagged with UTMs, and put the WhatsApp button on that page. Second, give each placement its own pre-filled message or reference code, such as [IG01], so agents can see where each chat started. The tool builds both: the tagged landing page URL and the message with the code appended. The UTM builder also covers links you send by SMS and in WhatsApp campaigns: one click fills utm_source and utm_medium for an SMS campaign, a WhatsApp campaign, a QR code or a social bio, and you can add utm_campaign, utm_content and utm_term. It keeps any parameters and #anchor already in your URL, warns when a value has capitals or spaces (reports would split "SMS" and "sms"), and shows how many of the 160 GSM-7 characters the link takes in an SMS. - Use one link and one reference code per placement: Instagram bio, Google ad, newsletter, packaging. - Record each code, its placement and its start date in a simple register. - Tag conversations by code in your inbox so you can report chats and sales by source. ## What happens after the customer taps send On the WhatsApp Business Platform, a message from the customer opens a 24-hour customer service window. Inside that window your team can reply with free-form messages, media and documents; outside it you need an approved template. Because the customer starts the chat, a click-to-chat link is one of the cleanest ways to begin a conversation, but it is not consent to marketing messages. If one phone receives more chats than one person can answer, connect the number to the WhatsApp Business API and route conversations to a shared team inbox, where agents, chatbots and AI agents can work the same queue. ## WhatsApp link questions ### How do I create a WhatsApp link with a message? Use https://wa.me/ followed by your full international number, then ?text= and your URL-encoded message, for example https://wa.me/971501234567?text=Hi%20there. The generator above builds and encodes it for you, including Arabic text and emoji. ### Why is my wa.me link not working? The usual causes are a plus sign, spaces, dashes or brackets in the number, a leading zero that should have been removed, a missing country code, or a number that is not registered on WhatsApp. Text that is not URL-encoded, such as an ampersand, can also cut the message short. ### Do I need to remove the 0 from my number? Usually yes. Drop the trunk zero you dial inside the country, so UAE 050 123 4567 becomes 971501234567. A few countries, such as Italy, keep the zero in international format. The tool applies the correct rule for the country you select. ### Can the customer change the pre-filled message? Yes. The text only appears in their message box. They can edit or delete it, and nothing is sent until they tap send, so treat any reference code in it as a strong hint rather than guaranteed data. ### Does a wa.me link work on desktop? Yes. According to WhatsApp's help center, click to chat works on phones and on WhatsApp Web. On a computer the link opens the desktop app or WhatsApp Web; on a phone it opens the WhatsApp app. ### Can I track clicks on a WhatsApp link? Not directly. WhatsApp reports no clicks and wa.me ignores UTM parameters. Send traffic to a landing page tagged with UTMs, put the WhatsApp button there, and use a different pre-filled message or reference code per placement. ### How do I add UTM tags to a link I send by SMS or WhatsApp? Open the UTM section, enter your landing page and choose SMS campaign or WhatsApp campaign to fill utm_source and utm_medium, then add utm_campaign. Copy the tagged link into your message. In SMS, use a tracked short link on your own branded domain, because links from public shorteners are often filtered. ### Does the WhatsApp link work with the WhatsApp Business app and the API? Yes. The link format is the same for personal accounts, the WhatsApp Business app and numbers on the WhatsApp Business Platform. With the API, chats can be routed to a shared team inbox, chatbots and CRM. ### Is my number stored when I use this tool? No. The link is built in your browser and nothing you type is sent to our servers. The share link keeps your number and message after the # sign, which browsers do not send to the server.