WhatsApp Link Generator: Create a wa.me Click-to-Chat Link, QR Code and a Profile Picture That Does Not Crop

A click-to-chat link lets anyone start a WhatsApp conversation with you without saving your number first. It is the single most useful thing a small business can put on a flyer, a menu, an Instagram bio or an invoice. This guide explains the wa.me format, the pre-filled message trick, the QR code, and a bonus that people search for constantly: how to set a full-size profile picture without the crop.

Short version: Chat Link & QR Code Maker builds the link, encodes the message, saves a printable QR code to Photos and pads any photo onto a square. Free, offline, nothing uploaded.

The wa.me link format

The link is https://wa.me/<number> where the number is in international format without the plus sign: country code followed by the subscriber number, digits only. Examples:

• US +1 (415) 555-0142 → https://wa.me/14155550142
• UK 07700 900123 → https://wa.me/447700900123 (drop the leading 0)
• Germany 0151 12345678 → https://wa.me/4915112345678
• India 98765 43210 → https://wa.me/919876543210

The most common mistakes are keeping the leading zero, adding the plus sign, and using spaces or dashes. The app strips all of them, but if you type the link by hand, digits only.

Adding a pre-filled message

Append ?text= and the message, URL-encoded: https://wa.me/14155550142?text=Hi%21%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table. Spaces become %20, apostrophes %27, line breaks %0A. Get the encoding wrong and the link breaks at the first special character, which is the main reason to let a tool do it. A good pre-filled message tells you where the person came from: “Hi, I saw your card at the market and would like to order…”.

Making a QR code you can print

• Build the link in Chat Link & QR Code Maker with the message you want.
• Tap Save QR to Photos. The code is saved as a full-resolution PNG with no watermark.
• Place it on the menu, counter card, flyer, business card, shop window or receipt. Keep the white margin around the code and print at 300 dpi for signage.
• Scan it with any phone camera to test; it should open the chat with the message already typed.

Unlike online generators, the number never leaves the phone, and the QR code has no third-party redirect that could stop working or start showing ads later. It encodes the wa.me link directly.

Where to use the link

• Instagram, TikTok and X bios, Linktree and similar pages
• Email signatures and invoice footers
• Google Business Profile, Facebook page and ads
• Websites: a “Chat with us” button that opens WhatsApp on tap
• Printed: menus, flyers, receipts, stickers, business cards

Bonus: a profile picture that does not get cropped

Profile photos are stored as squares and displayed as circles, so a landscape or portrait photo is forced to fill the square and the edges disappear. The fix is to pad the photo onto a white square before uploading it, so the whole image sits inside the circle. The Profile Pic tab does exactly that: choose a photo, tap Save square picture, then set the saved square as your profile photo. Nothing is zoomed or pinched, and logos keep their full shape.

The apps mentioned here are independent utilities built by the author. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WhatsApp LLC or Meta Platforms, Inc. WhatsApp is a registered trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.