How to get whatsapp on your desktop
How to Set up and Use WhatsApp Web or the Desktop App
- You can use WhatsApp Web from your computer's browser by linking your account through a QR code from the WhatsApp mobile app.
- You can also use WhatsApp from your computer by installing the WhatsApp desktop application.
- You can open multiple WhatsApp accounts on your computer as long as you use a different browser window for each one.
Most people are familiar with using WhatsApp via a mobile app on their phone, but not everyone is aware that it's also possible to use WhatsApp on the computer desktop — either in a web browser or using a desktop app. The main difference? You still need to log into WhatsApp on the computer using your WhatsApp mobile app.
How to access WhatsApp Web or the desktop app
There are two ways to access your WhatsApp account on your PC or Mac computer:
- Use the web app.
Go to web.whatsapp.com in a web browser.
- Use the desktop app. Install the WhatsApp desktop app on your Mac or Windows computer from the WhatsApp download page.
How to set up and use WhatsApp Web or the desktop app
1. Once you've opened the webpage or installed and run the desktop app, you should see a QR code on your computer.
You'll need to scan the QR code in your WhatsApp mobile app to log in.
Dave Johnson 2. Start WhatsApp on your phone.
3. Tap Settings. On iPhone, you'll find Settings at the bottom right of the screen, but on Android tap the three-dot menu at the top right and then choose Settings in the drop-down menu.
4. To the right of your account name, tap the QR code icon.
Use the QR code icon to log in to your desktop's WhatsApp. Dave Johnson5.
On the QR code screen, get ready to scan. On iPhone, tap Scan at the bottom of the page; on Android, tap the Scan Code tab at the top.
6. Point your phone's camera at the QR code in WhatsApp on your computer.
7. If this is your first time using WhatsApp on the computer, you will see the Device Login Detected pop-up. Tap Continue and then tap Link a Device.
For a rundown on all the different ways to use WhatsApp, see our guide to the popular messaging app.
How WhatsApp Web differs from the mobile app
Once you've linked your computer and mobile app, you should see your WhatsApp Chats page in the web app or desktop app. Everything you do on either the computer or mobile app will be kept in sync and mirrored on the other device. New messages will appear in bold and you'll hear a notification on your computer. Click any conversation to reply from your computer.
WhatsApp web replicates the chat conversations from your mobile app. Dave JohnsonWhatsApp offers other features on the computer as well:
- Click your own account icon to change your profile details like display name and About message.
- Click any contact icon to control your interactions with that user. You can start an audio or video call, for example, mute notifications, block or report the user, and delete the chat.
- At the top of the window you can also start a new chat (including start a new group chat) and see starred messages.
There are some significant advantages to using WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. It's often easier to type using a real mouse and keyboard, for example, and you can keep WhatsApp on the screen, side by side with other windows to copy and paste information into chat messages. And you can easily log into more than one WhatsApp account at the same time just by opening them in different WhatsApp Web browser windows.
On the other hand, be aware that you always need your phone to log into WhatsApp on the computer — there's no way to use WhatsApp Web without your mobile app.
Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life.
Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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How to Use WhatsApp on Your Desktop or Laptop
WhatsApp is a wildly popular free messaging service that boasts more than 2 billion users worldwide. And while many people use WhatsApp via their phones, it can also be used on a desktop or laptop. If you know you’re going to be away from your phone for a bit and need to send a quick message, or if you just want to be able to keep in touch with your friends or family while you work, using WhatsApp on your MacBook, Windows 10, or Windows 11 computer can be a great option.
Contents
- For all platforms: Use the WhatsApp Web app
- WhatsApp desktop app
- Other options
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
5 minutes
What You Need
-
A Mac, Linux, or Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer
-
WhatsApp on iOS or Android
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An internet connection
-
A web browser like Chrome or Microsoft Edge
In this guide, we’ll show you how to use WhatsApp Web, a web app that allows you to quickly set up WhatsApp on your desktop or laptop regardless of your operating system. We’ll also talk about a couple of other options if you’d rather just use the WhatsApp desktop app or have other desktop messaging needs. Here’s how to use WhatsApp on your desktop or laptop.
For all platforms: Use the WhatsApp Web app
By far, the quickest and most versatile option for using WhatsApp on a computer is the WhatsApp Web app.
Using WhatsApp Web doesn’t require downloaded software for a specific OS and can instead be accessed via most browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Firefox.
Step 1: Navigate to the WhatsApp Web website via your chosen browser on your computer. A QR code will be displayed. Keep in mind that you'll only be able to log in to WhatsApp desktop on four different devices.
Step 2: Open the WhatsApp mobile app on iOS or Android. Select Settings (or on Android, Menu) Linked Devices and then Link Device followed by Link a Device
Step 3: Your phone will ask you for authentication like FaceID or a fingerprint, and then the camera will open to allow you to scan a QR code. Hold your phone up to your computer screen to scan the code.
Step 4: Once you scan the QR code, your messages will appear in your web browser. You can click on an existing message to open it and continue the chat just as you would on the phone.
Or, you can Search or Start a New Chat to start a new chat. You also might want to click the Turn On Desktop Notifications button on the left side of your screen so you can be notified of your messages.
WhatsApp desktop app
WhatsApp on the web is not the only way to experience WhatsApp on your computer. You also can try alternative methods. One of the best alternatives is the WhatsApp desktop app. It's specially built for both Windows 10, Windows 11, and macOS. It will let you do video calls, which the web app does not allow. Here's how to use it.
Step 1: Visit the WhatsApp download website, and look for the Download for MacOSX or Windows button. Choose the platform that you're on, and save the DMG or EXE installer.
Step 2: Open the installer, and follow the instructions on your screen. You'll have to go to WhatsApp Settings, choose Linked Devices and point your phone at the screen to scan the QR code to log in.
You'll then be able to make video calls just as you would on mobile by tapping the user profile icon, and choosing the call buttons.
Other options
Other than WhatsApp desktop and web, you also can try out a service known as Rambox. This efficient program is an easy-to-use dashboard-style tool that puts all your social applications in one place. Rambox is convenient to use and painless to install. We especially like the Do Not Disturb feature, which mutes all of your apps’ push notifications with one click.
You can get Rambox in one of two ways. There’s a budget-friendly (as in free) version, which people often refer to as the Community Edition. It provides users with access to 99 popular apps, including WhatsApp.
The Pro version is still affordable, at about $4 per month if you pay for the year, or $5 a month when billed monthly. If you want access to apps that don’t come with the free version, this option is the one for you. The Rambox Pro version currently accesses and organizes over 600 applications.
This tool is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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How to add a WhatsApp chat icon to the desktop on Android
Despite all the shortcomings of WhatsApp, it is the most popular instant messenger in the world. Its combined audience of users has long exceeded a billion people, many of whom use WhatsApp as the main way to contact family, friends and work colleagues. And to make it easier for users to search for acquaintances, the developers came up with the idea of automatically adding users from your address book to the contact list, which often leads to the appearance of many unused chats, in which finding the right one becomes a non-trivial task.
But we have a solution.
WhatsApp for Android allows you to bring any chats to your smartphone desktop. They have the form of applications, integrating into the general grid and not at all out of the general style. And to make it easier for you to distinguish them from each other, the photo of the interlocutor is used as an icon, the joint chat with which you bring to the desktop.
Read also: How to hide WhatsApp profile picture from all or some contacts
- To bring the chat to the desktop, launch the WhatsApp application on your Android smartphone;
- Find the desired one in the list of chats and select it by placing your finger on it and holding it for one and a half to two seconds;
- Press the context menu key (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner;
- Select the "Add a chat icon to the screen" option;
- Minimize WhatsApp and return to the desktop - there you will see the avatar of your interlocutor;
- Click on it - this action will take you to a joint chat.
If necessary, you can repeat this procedure with an unlimited number of chats. In this case, you will be able to launch the Chats without going to the WhatsApp application.
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- 1 Searching for the icon in the application menu
- 2 Reinstalling WhatsApp
- 3 How to add a chat icon to the smartphone screen
- 4 Conclusion
- Hold down the WhatsApp shortcut until it can be freely moved around the display.
- Then you need to drag the icon onto the desktop surface and place it anywhere on the screen.
- Enter the name of the application in the AppGallery search bar.
- Then go to the page with information about the messenger and click on the "Install" button.
- Wait for the installation to complete.
- It remains to find the WhatsApp shortcut on the screen and launch the messenger in the standard way.
- Start the messenger.
- Find the desired chat and hold it until additional tools appear at the top of the display.
- Click on the settings icon with three dots and select the "Add a chat icon to the screen" option.
- You will then need to confirm the action and make sure that the selected dialog reappears on the desktop surface.
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Partners news
0001
WhatsApp is one of the most convenient and popular instant messengers, because it allows you to communicate using text messages and voice calls absolutely free. After installing the application, the shortcut automatically appears on the desktop. Clicking on it opens a list of contacts that you can call or write messages. However, many users are faced with a problem when the WhatsApp icon has disappeared and the application cannot be launched on the phone.
The following recommendations will help you return the shortcut and enjoy your communication further.
Contents
Searching for the icon in the menu with 902 applications smartphone running Android OS, you need to go to the installed applications section and follow the steps in the following order:
After that, the disappeared WhatsApp icon will return to the desktop and launching the messenger will become much easier. This algorithm is designed for users of mobile phones operating on the Android OS, but it is also suitable for iPhone owners. If the above option did not help restore the WhatsApp icon, you should try the next method.
Reinstalling WhatsApp
System errors, crashes and inaccurate user actions can cause the WhatsApp application icon to disappear from the phone screen. It cannot be ruled out that a person accidentally deleted the messenger when he was clearing the device’s memory in order to install a game or application that occupies a large amount of internal memory. To reinstall WhatsApp, you need to go to the Play Market store. It is installed by default on most Android smartphones, with the exception of mobile phones from the Chinese corporation Huawei. Their owners will have to use the AppGallery proprietary software using the following instructions:
Often there is no need to reinstall the application. If the icon has disappeared from the desktop, you can try to return it by simply restarting your smartphone. To do this, you need to hold down the on / off button of the device or use the corresponding key in the mobile phone menu. Often the problem is caused by clogged memory, which slows down the work of both individual applications and the operating system as a whole. Before clearing the cache, you need to make sure that this action will not lead to a return to the factory settings.
How to add a chat icon to the smartphone screen
Many users of Android smartphones and Iphones, in order to make the process of communication in the messenger as comfortable as possible, put chat icons on the desktop surface. After clicking on such a shortcut, the desired dialog automatically opens. If the chat icon disappears, you can add it again by following the step-by-step instructions:
It is most convenient to create a separate section (folder) and place the most important dialogs in it, which will greatly simplify chat navigation. A quick transition to the desired dialog will be carried out by clicking on the corresponding icon. In this case, you do not need to launch the messenger every time and enter the chat through the general menu.
Conclusion
If the WhatsApp icon on your phone has disappeared, don't worry. First you need to look for the lost shortcut in the installed applications section, and if found, drag it to the desktop. If this option did not help to return the icon, it is recommended to clear the cache and then reinstall WhatsApp by downloading the installation file from the Play Market, AppStore or AppGallery (only for smartphones from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei).
