How to use WhatsApp Web on a PC

Set it up in a minute

1. On the PC open web.whatsapp.com in an up-to-date browser. A QR code appears.

2. On the phone open WhatsApp. Android: three dots, Linked devices, Link a device. iPhone: Settings, Linked devices, Link device.

3. Confirm your screen lock if asked, and scan the code.

4. Optional: pin the tab (right-click the tab, Pin). In Edge, Apps, Install this site as an app gives WhatsApp Web its own window and taskbar icon.

Trouble at step 3? See scanning the QR code and WhatsApp Web not working.

Browser or the Windows app?

WhatsApp also publishes a free Windows app in the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 64-bit, version 1903 or newer). It links the same way and shows the same chats. It adds calling for up to 32 people, call links, screen sharing and a longer list of keyboard shortcuts; the full comparison is on WhatsApp Web vs WhatsApp Desktop.

Since late 2025 the Windows app has been WhatsApp Web inside its own window rather than a separately built program, according to reporting by Windows Latest; WhatsApp has not commented. In practice the Windows app and WhatsApp Web now look and behave almost the same, and the app's main advantages are its own taskbar icon and not depending on a browser tab.

Everyday use on a PC

• Send files and photos: drag them from File Explorer into the chat, or paste a screenshot with Ctrl + V.
• Keep photo quality: send the image as a document if it must arrive uncompressed.
• Save what you receive: hover over a photo or file and click the download arrow; it lands in Downloads.
• Type faster: Ctrl + Alt + N starts a new chat and Ctrl + Alt + E opens the emoji panel. All of them: keyboard shortcuts.
• PDFs: since July 2026 WhatsApp Web and the desktop apps open PDFs in the chat, with highlighting and notes, without downloading them first.
• Emoji: the Windows emoji picker, Win + ., works in the message box.
• Voice messages: click the microphone and allow microphone access when the browser asks.

Notifications on Windows

1. Click Turn on desktop notifications in the banner above your chat list and choose Allow. Missed it? Click the padlock in the address bar and set Notifications to Allow.

2. In Windows open Settings, System, Notifications and check that your browser may send notifications and that Do not disturb is off.

3. Keep WhatsApp Web open. Once it is closed you get no notifications.

Calls from a PC

The Windows app makes voice and video calls with up to 32 people, with call links and screen sharing, using the PC's microphone, speakers and webcam. WhatsApp announced voice and video calling in WhatsApp Web on 28 July 2026: one-to-one and group calls, screen sharing and a Calls tab, in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox. It is rolling out gradually, so the call buttons may not have reached your account yet; until they do, the desktop apps can call.

On a shared or work PC

• Untick Stay logged in on this browser before you scan, or use a private window (Ctrl + Shift + N); the session then ends when the browser closes.
• Log out under Settings, Log out before you leave, or remotely from your phone.
• Turn on the app lock if colleagues can reach your unlocked PC.
• Remember that downloaded files stay on the PC after you log out.