WhatsApp Link Generator
Build a wa.me link with a pre-filled message, and get told plainly when a number cannot work.
About this tool
Builds a `wa.me` link that opens a WhatsApp conversation with a message already written, ready to paste into a button or a page.
**The number is what goes wrong.** wa.me takes digits only, in full international form: no plus sign, no spaces, no brackets, and no leading zero. The leading zero is the one that catches everybody, because it is a domestic trunk prefix that means nothing outside the country — `07700 900123` is an ordinary UK mobile and nothing in it says which country that is.
So a number without a country code is **refused rather than guessed at**. A guess produces a link that opens a conversation with a stranger, and it works perfectly from your own phone, where your own country code is implied.
The message is encoded the way WhatsApp reads it, so line breaks and punctuation survive.
Common questions
Why is my number refused?
Almost always a missing country code, or a leading zero where the country code should be. wa.me needs the full international number as digits: 447700900123, not 07700 900123.
Why not just strip the leading zero and guess?
Because the guess would be your country, not necessarily the number's. It would work when you tested it and open a conversation with a stranger for a visitor somewhere else.
Does the recipient need WhatsApp Business?
No. wa.me works with any account. Business adds a catalogue, automated replies and labels, none of which the link depends on.
Can I track clicks on the link?
On your own site, yes — it is an ordinary link and analytics can record the click. What happens inside WhatsApp afterwards is invisible; a short code in the pre-filled message is the usual way to tell campaigns apart.