WhatsApp QR code generator: a free code that opens a chat with you
Make a QR code that opens a WhatsApp chat with your number and a pre-filled message. This free WhatsApp QR code generator runs in your browser, needs no signup and downloads as PNG or SVG for print. The code holds a wa.me link, so it keeps working for as long as your number is on WhatsApp.
By the Whapi teamUpdated Made by Whapi, a Shopify app for WhatsApp automation
Your WhatsApp QR code
Enter your number to see your QR code.
- Scanning opens a chat with
- your number
- Error correction
- M (~15%)
- PNG size
- 1024 × 1024 px
Made in your browser. Whapi doesn’t receive or store your number or message. Scan the code with two or three phones before you print it.
The short answer
- A WhatsApp QR code contains a wa.me click-to-chat link. Scanning it with a phone camera opens a chat with your number, with your message ready to send.
- This generator makes static codes: the number and message are inside the code, so there is nothing to renew and no subscription.
- Download PNG (512 to 2,048 pixels) for screens and SVG for print. Meta recommends SVG for printed WhatsApp QR codes.
- To change the message later you need a new code. Meta’s own short-link QR codes for WhatsApp Business Platform numbers can be edited, with messages of up to 140 characters.
How to make a WhatsApp QR code
Four steps. The code updates as you type, so you can see how the message changes it.
- 1
Enter your WhatsApp number
Pick your country code and type your number the way you dial it, or type the full number with the country code. The generator turns it into the digits WhatsApp expects. - 2
Write the message people will send
Add a short pre-filled message, such as “Hi, I scanned the code on my parcel”. Short messages make a simpler code that scans more easily. - 3
Choose color, error correction and size
Black on white scans best. Keep error correction at M for screens, or choose Q or H for packaging that can get scuffed. Pick a PNG size for screens. - 4
Download PNG or SVG and test it
Download a PNG for screens and social posts, or an SVG for print. Scan the code with two or three different phones before you print a batch.
Where Shopify stores use WhatsApp QR codes
Use a WhatsApp QR code anywhere a customer holds something physical: the parcel, the flyer inside it, a shop counter or a market stall. Give each placement its own pre-filled message, so you know which one started the chat.
| Placement | Pre-filled message | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel insert or thank-you card | “Hi, I received my order and have a question.” | Questions, exchanges and reorders come straight to your WhatsApp |
| Delivery slip or shipping label | “Hi, I have a question about my delivery.” | Delivery questions, such as a damaged parcel or a missing item, come straight to you |
| Product label or packaging | “Hi, I’d like to reorder this product.” | Makes reordering one scan away |
| Shop counter, stall or pop-up | “Hi, I visited your stand.” | Turns walk-in visitors into WhatsApp contacts |
| Flyers and posters | “Hi, I saw your flyer.” | Shows which print campaign works |
When a customer sends the pre-filled message after scanning, a 24-hour customer service window opens and you can reply with free-form messages. To send that customer offers later, Meta requires their opt-in, which the Whapi WhatsApp newsletter signup collects on your store. For an on-screen link instead of a code, use the WhatsApp link generator, and for a button on every page of your store, the WhatsApp chat button for Shopify.
How to print a WhatsApp QR code that scans
A code scans reliably when it is high-contrast, has a clear border and is large enough for the distance it is scanned from.
- Print the SVG. It is a vector file, so it stays sharp on a business card or a banner. Meta gives the same advice for its own WhatsApp QR codes.
- Keep it dark on white. Don’t put the code on a photo, a pattern or a dark background, and don’t invert the colors.
- Keep the white border. The generator adds a quiet zone 4 modules wide around the code. Scanners need it, so don’t crop it off.
- Size it for the distance. A code on a parcel is scanned up close; a poster across a room needs a much bigger code. Print a test copy and try it from where people will stand.
- Keep the message short. More characters mean more modules in the same space, and a denser code is harder to scan, especially when printed small.
- Test before the print run. Scan the printed proof with two or three different phones, using the built-in camera app.
Error correction: which level to choose
Error correction lets a QR code scan even when part of it is dirty or damaged, at the cost of a denser code. Choose M for screens and clean prints, and Q or H for packaging that gets handled or scuffed.
| Level | Share of the code that can be damaged | Offered here | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| L (Low) | About 7% | No | Screens only |
| M (Medium) | About 15% | Yes, default | Websites, social posts, flyers |
| Q (Quartile) | About 25% | Yes | Packaging, labels, stickers |
| H (High) | About 30% | Yes | Rough handling, or a small logo placed over the code |
Static wa.me QR codes vs Meta’s WhatsApp QR codes
This generator makes static codes that work with any WhatsApp number. Businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform can also create QR codes in Meta’s own tools, which point to a short link instead of your number and message.
| This generator (static wa.me code) | Meta’s QR codes and short links | |
|---|---|---|
| What the code contains | wa.me link with your number and message | Short link such as wa.me/message/ plus a random code, which hides your number |
| Works with | Any number with an active WhatsApp account | Numbers on the WhatsApp Business Platform |
| Change the message after printing | No, make a new code | Yes, edit or delete it at any time |
| Pre-filled message length | No fixed limit; shorter scans better | Up to 140 characters |
| Codes per number | No limit | Up to 2,000 QR codes and short links per business phone number |
| Scan analytics | None | Not available |
| Expiry | None | Don’t expire, but show an expired message if the business deletes them |
| Where you make it | Here, free, in your browser | Meta’s Business Management API or Meta’s business tools |
Why a WhatsApp QR code isn’t working
If the camera reads the code but WhatsApp doesn’t open the right chat, the link inside it is the problem. If the camera can’t read it, the print is.
- Wrong number format. The number must include the country code without a leading 0. Check the “Scanning opens a chat with” line before you download.
- The number isn’t on WhatsApp. Click to chat only works for numbers with an active WhatsApp account.
- Printed too small or too dense. Shorten the message or print larger.
- Low contrast or a cropped border. Reprint dark on white with the full white margin.
- Damaged or curved surface. Use error correction Q or H and place the code on a flat part of the packaging.
WhatsApp QR code generator questions
Enter your WhatsApp number with its country code and an optional message in the free Whapi WhatsApp QR code generator. It encodes a wa.me click-to-chat link into a QR code that you can download as PNG or SVG. Anyone who scans it with a phone camera gets a WhatsApp chat with your number, with your message ready to send.
Yes. There is no signup, no watermark and no limit on how many codes you make. The code is generated in your browser, so Whapi never receives or stores your number or message.
Codes made with this generator don’t expire. The wa.me link with your number and message is stored inside the code itself, so it works as long as the number is active on WhatsApp. Meta’s own short-link QR codes also don’t expire automatically, but they stop working if the business deletes them.
Not with a static code like this one: the message is part of the code, so a new message needs a new code. Meta’s QR codes for numbers on the WhatsApp Business Platform use short links such as wa.me/message/ followed by a code, and their pre-filled message, up to 140 characters, can be edited or deleted at any time.
Use PNG for screens: websites, social posts and slides. Use SVG for print, because it is a vector file that stays sharp at any size. Meta also recommends the SVG format for the best print quality of its own WhatsApp QR codes.
This generator offers black or a dark olive on white, and no logo, because contrast is what makes a code scan reliably. Meta recommends not customizing the color or look of WhatsApp QR codes to keep them readable. If you add a logo in a design tool anyway, choose error correction H, keep the logo small and centered, and test with several phones.
Static QR codes don’t count scans, and Meta doesn’t offer analytics for its WhatsApp QR codes either. The practical method is to give each code its own pre-filled message, such as “Hi, I scanned the flyer” or “Hi, I scanned my parcel”, then count the chats that start with each message.
Yes. The code opens a chat with any number that has an active WhatsApp account, whether it uses WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business App or the WhatsApp Business API. If you use Whapi with coexistence, chats from the code arrive in the WhatsApp Business App on your phone as usual.
Sources
- Meta: QR codes and short links for WhatsApp Business (checked October 20, 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to use click to chat (checked October 20, 2026)
- node-qrcode documentation: error correction levels (checked October 20, 2026)
- Meta: Get opt-in for WhatsApp (checked October 20, 2026)
Keep reading
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- ToolsWhatsApp API & Ecommerce GlossaryPlain definitions of WhatsApp Business API and ecommerce terms: utility template, service window, coexistence, BSP, opt-in, GDPR and more.Read
Answer every scan, and automate the rest.
Whapi connects your Shopify store to your WhatsApp number: order confirmations, shipping updates, review requests and a shared inbox for the chats your QR codes start. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.