WhatsApp isn’t just for smart­phones and tablets, it works on PCs too. If you’re spending a lot of time at your computer or need to type longer messages, using the app on your desktop is a great option.

How to use WhatsApp on your PC quick guide

  1. Launch the WhatsApp web app in your browser.
  2. Call up the ‘Linked devices’ menu in the WhatsApp app on your smart­phone
  3. Scan the QR code.
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How to use the WhatsApp PC web app in the browser

If you can’t or don’t want to download a separate program, like on a work computer, you can easily use WhatsApp in your browser. Just scan a QR code to connect the app on your phone to the web version, and you’re good to go. The web version works in all major browsers. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Launch the WhatsApp web app in your browser. A set-up guide including QR code will open.
Image: Screenshot of WhatsApp desktop version in the browser
You can log in to the web.whatsapp.com page in your browser using a QR code.

  1. Launch WhatsApp on your smart­phone and tap ‘WhatsApp Web’ in the three-dot menu at the top right.

  2. A prompt may appear asking for camera access. Confirm with ‘OK, UN­DER­STAND’.

  3. Hold your phone over the QR code displayed in your browser on the PC until it’s scanned.

  4. Your WhatsApp account is now connected to the web app, letting you access your chat history in the browser. You can send messages from both your PC and phone.

Tip

You can sync multiple desktop devices with your smart­phone or WhatsApp account. To connect another device, open WhatsApp on your phone, tap ‘WhatsApp Web’ in the top-right menu, and use the ‘+’ sign to scan ad­di­tion­al QR codes and add more devices.

How to use WhatsApp on the PC with the desktop app

To use WhatsApp on your PC, you can also use the WhatsApp desktop app. The ap­plic­a­tion can be down­loaded free of charge from the WhatsApp website. However, as with the web app, you’ll always need a smart­phone with WhatsApp installed and activated to log in.

Tip

While using WhatsApp desktop, your smart­phone must remain connected to the internet to ensure syn­chron­isa­tion. Therefore, connect your mobile device to the Wi-Fi network (if possible) to avoid using up your mobile data volume un­ne­ces­sar­ily.

How to set up the WhatsApp desktop app on your PC

  1. Download the WhatsApp desktop app.

  2. Scan the QR code that appears after starting the tool. Just open WhatsApp on your phone, tap ‘Linked devices’ in the menu, and use the scanner to capture the QR code on your desktop.

Image: Screenshot of WhatsApp desktop app
The desktop client is very similar to the web app – the two ap­plic­a­tions hardly differ in terms of design and layout.
  1. The syn­chron­isa­tion between your phone and PC will happen next. You’re now ready to use WhatsApp on your PC!

How to cancel syn­chron­isa­tion with the WhatsApp PC apps

If you tick the box during in­stall­a­tion, you’ll stay per­man­ently logged in on your PC. But you can cancel syn­chron­isa­tion with your phone anytime. Here’s how:

  1. Open WhatsApp on your smart­phone.
  2. Tap ‘Linked devices’ in the three-dot menu at the top right.
  3. Either tap on ‘Un­sub­scribe from all devices’ or choose the device you want to log out from.
  4. The syn­chron­isa­tion will be cancelled.
Tip

Read our articles on ‘Using WhatsApp without a contactor ‘Using WhatsApp without a SIM cardto find out more about the different ways to use WhatsApp.

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