How to Create a WhatsApp Link for Your Instagram Bio (Click to Chat, With a Pre-Filled Message)
October 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Make a wa.me WhatsApp link with your country code and a pre-filled message, add it to your Instagram bio, and avoid the plus sign and leading zero mistakes.
Quick answer: To create a WhatsApp link, type https://wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format: country code first, then the number, with no plus sign, no leading zero, and no spaces, brackets or dashes. Add ?text= and a URL-encoded message to pre-fill the chat. Then open Instagram, tap Edit profile, then Links, then Add external link, and paste it.
This guide is about sending people from Instagram into a WhatsApp chat with you. If you want the opposite, putting a website link inside WhatsApp (Business profile, Status, Channels), see our guide on how to add a link to WhatsApp.
What is a wa.me link?
WhatsApp calls it click to chat. A wa.me link opens a chat with a phone number without the customer saving that number first. It works on a phone, where it opens the WhatsApp app, and on a computer, where it opens WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. You do not need a WhatsApp Business account to make one, and you do not need a link generator website. The format is simple enough to type by hand.
How do I create a WhatsApp link with my phone number?
- Write your number with the country code in front: 91 for India, 44 for the UK, 1 for the US and Canada, 234 for Nigeria, 55 for Brazil.
- Delete the plus sign.
- Delete the leading zero you dial at home (the trunk zero). In the UK, 07700 900123 becomes 7700900123. In Nigeria, 0803 123 4567 becomes 8031234567.
- Delete every space, bracket and dash, so only digits are left.
- Put the digits after https://wa.me/. A UK number becomes https://wa.me/447700900123. An Indian mobile, 98765 43210, becomes https://wa.me/919876543210.
- Open the link on your own phone and on a friend's phone. It should open a chat window with your name or number at the top.
WhatsApp's Help Center gives the same rule: use the full number in international format and omit any zeros, brackets or dashes. The older form https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=919876543210 opens the same chat, but wa.me is shorter and easier to check.
How do I add a pre-filled message to a WhatsApp link?
Add ?text= after the number, then your message, URL-encoded. URL-encoded means spaces and symbols are swapped for codes a browser can read. WhatsApp's own example writes a space as %20.
A message such as Hi, I saw your Instagram and want to order becomes:
https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%2C%20I%20saw%20your%20Instagram%20and%20want%20to%20order
The codes you will need most often:
- Space: %20
- Comma: %2C
- Question mark: %3F
- Ampersand (&): %26
- Hash (#): %23
- New line: %0A
The message only fills the text box. The customer can edit it and still has to tap send, so nothing goes out without them. Keep it short and specific to how they found you, for example "Hi, I saw the blue kurta on Instagram". When the chat arrives, you know which post or product brought them in.
How do I make a WhatsApp Business short link?
If you use the WhatsApp Business app, it already made a link for you. WhatsApp's Help Center says a short link is generated automatically when you set up the account.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app and go to the Tools tab. On some versions it sits under Settings, then Business tools.
- Tap Short link.
- Tap the pencil next to the default message to write the text that appears when someone opens the link.
- Tap Share link to copy it, or View QR code to get a code you can print.
Short links look like wa.me/message/ followed by a random code, so your number does not appear in the URL itself. It still appears in the chat once someone messages you. The advantage is that you can change the default message later without changing the link.
How do I share my WhatsApp catalog link?
If you have set up a catalog in the WhatsApp Business app, it has its own link: https://wa.me/c/ followed by your number in the same international format, for example https://wa.me/c/919876543210. Meta's developer documentation describes this format, and the Business app lets you forward the catalog link from the Catalog screen. A catalog link opens your products inside WhatsApp, which suits shops that take orders in chat. If you switch the catalog off, WhatsApp shows an invalid catalog link message instead, so remove the link from your bio if you ever do.
How do I add a WhatsApp link to my Instagram bio?
- Open the Instagram app and tap your profile picture.
- Tap Edit profile, then Links, then Add external link.
- Paste your wa.me link in the URL field.
- Add a title such as "Order on WhatsApp" or "Chat with us".
- Tap Done, then tap the link on your profile to test it.
Instagram allows up to five links, but only the first shows on your profile before the "and more" count. If WhatsApp is how you take orders, put it first, or use a link page so the chat button sits next to your catalog and price list. Our guide to adding multiple links to your Instagram bio covers ordering.
Does Instagram have a built-in WhatsApp button?
For some accounts, yes. Instagram's Help Center says professional accounts (business or creator) can connect a WhatsApp Business app number or a WhatsApp Business API number so customers can contact them, and that the feature is only available in some countries. The usual path is Edit profile, then Contact options under public business information, then the WhatsApp option, where you pick your number and enter a confirmation code. Menu names vary between versions, so look for it in the app rather than relying on screenshots.
Use it if you have it. It does not replace the bio link, though: a personal account cannot get it, and it does not help on TikTok, Facebook or a printed flyer. A wa.me link works anywhere a link works.
Why is my WhatsApp link not working?
- Plus sign in the link. wa.me/+44... is the most common mistake. Digits only.
- Leading zero kept. wa.me/4407700900123 fails. Drop the zero after the country code.
- Country code missing. wa.me/9876543210 is read as a number in a different country. Always start with the code.
- Spaces or dashes. A space cuts the link off at that point.
- Unencoded message. A raw & or # in your text cuts the message short. Encode it.
- The number is not on WhatsApp. Click to chat only works for a number with an active WhatsApp account.
- Old business number. If you changed numbers, update every link, QR code and printed card that uses the old one.
WhatsApp link formats at a glance (as of October 2026)
| Link type | Format | What it opens | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Click to chat | https://wa.me/919876543210 | A chat with your number | Any account, any bio |
| Click to chat with message | https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%20there | A chat with your text already typed | Knowing where an enquiry came from |
| Business short link | https://wa.me/message/ plus a code | A chat with your default message | Business app users who change their message often |
| Catalog link | https://wa.me/c/919876543210 | Your WhatsApp catalog | Shops that sell in chat |
| Share link, no number | https://wa.me/?text=Your%20message | A contact picker with your text | Asking people to forward something |
| Instagram WhatsApp button | Set in Edit profile, no link needed | A chat with your connected number | Professional accounts in supported countries |
Should the WhatsApp link go straight in your bio, or on a link page?
If WhatsApp is the only place you sell, the wa.me link alone is fine. Most small shops need more than one destination, though: the chat, a catalog or price list, Google Maps for walk-ins, reviews, and maybe a website or a marketplace shop. A link page holds all of those behind the one link Instagram shows.
On lit.bio the WhatsApp button is free. Add the WhatsApp social icon with your number, or paste your full wa.me link, pre-filled message included, as the icon or as a normal link button labelled "Order on WhatsApp". Add phone and email buttons the same way, then up to 10 links on the free plan with 7-day click analytics, so you can see whether people tap the chat button or the catalog. The free plan also includes a Save contact button and a QR code for the page. lit.bio does not process orders or payments for physical products, so the sale still happens in your chat. Make a free page and put its lit.bio/yourname address in your Instagram bio, your WhatsApp Business website field and your TikTok bio.