How to use WhatsApp on desktop computer?

Image Source: Whatsapp.com

WhatsApp is currently the most popular messaging app for many users worldwide, almost diminishing the need to use SMS for personal messaging, though SMS is still in use for some other purposes such as receiving OTPs and updates from online shopping etc. I suppose, that may be the case for many other users, now that most users have smartphones and most people use mobile data to stay connected even when moving around. Nowadays, I see many people use WhatsApp for work also. Work related groups are created for quick updates and information.

While at home, I like to use WhatsApp on the computer where I can use the computer keyboard to type conveniently. It is also convenient when I have to copy some text from websites or emails to send to someone. In this post we will see how to use WhatsApp on a computer and how to install the WhatsApp software on computer.


If you like the desktop convenience, WhatsApp can be used on computer in two ways:
A) Use WhatsApp on your desktop browser (no need to install anything)
B) Install WhatsApp software on your computer and use

A) Using WhatsApp on web browser:

If you do not want to install, you can use WhatsApp from your favorite desktop browser. This is what I normally do at home and at work when I am sitting with the laptop. I like the convenience of using the keyboard and also to easily copy text from computer to share.

To use WhatsApp from web browser, do the following:

1) Open the link  https://web.whatsapp.com in your desktop web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Edge browser)
2) Both your phone and computer should have internet connection (of course!).
3) A QR code should be displayed on the page when you open the link https://web.whatsapp.com
4) Open WhatsApp on the phone, tap on the menu (three vertical dots on the top right corner), and tap on "WhatsApp Web"
5) Using the scanner, scan the QR code displayed on the page " https://web.whatsapp.com".

WhatsApp should now open your chats on the desktop browser. The messages you send and receive are fully synced between your phone and your computer, and you can see all messages on both devices. Any action you take on the phone will apply to WhatsApp Web and vice versa. We can conveniently copy paste text from any text document, web page or even drag and drop images directly from the computer into chats.

Open WhatsApp on your phone.

    On Android: in the Chats screen > Menu > WhatsApp Web.
    On Nokia S60 and Windows Phone: go to Menu > WhatsApp Web.
    On iPhone: go to Settings > WhatsApp Web.
    On BlackBerry: go to Chats > Menu > WhatsApp Web.
    On BlackBerry 10: Swipe down from top of the screen > WhatsApp Web.
    On Nokia S40: Swipe up from bottom of screen > WhatsApp Web.


B) Install and use WhatsApp on your computer

We can also install WhatsApp on our computer and use it on our desktop / laptops. WhatsApp can only be installed on your computer if your operating system is Windows 8 (or newer) or Mac OSX 10.9 (or newer).  WhatsApp desktop app runs natively on your desktop, and thus support for native desktop notifications, better keyboard shortcuts and more. If your operating system is not among the supported OS listed above,  you may use WhatsApp Web on your browser.

1) Go to https://www.whatsapp.com/download from your computer’s browser and download for Windows or Mac.
2)  Open the "WhatsAppSetup.exe" (in case of Windows) downloaded. WhatsApp app gets installed on the computer.
3) A QR code is displayed which we need to scan using the phone. Open WhatsApp on the phone, go to menu and select "WhatsApp Web" to scan the QR code. If you have logged in to WhatsApp web on browsers earlier, logout and scan.

WhatsApp should now open your chats on the desktop browser. The messages you send and receive are fully synced between your phone and your computer, and you can see all messages on both devices.

To logout of WhatsApp desktop app, click on the menu and click Logout.

To open the WhatsApp app again, look for WhatsApp shortcut icon on the desktop, open it and scan the QR code displayed to continue in the same manner as we did before.

WhatsApp Desktop Icon on Windows Computer

Enjoy using WhatsApp on your computer!