How to use WhatsApp Web on a tablet, PC or laptop
WhatsApp is the messaging app preferred by many smartphone users. The platform sends a staggering 100 billion messages every day, but when your battery is low or you don’t have your phone at hand, you can suddenly find yourself in isolation with no access to your messages.
However, by logging into WhatsApp on your computer, you can be sure that you are always connected, especially when you are at work.
With a new cross-device feature (currently in beta), you can use WhatsApp on up to four “companion devices”. Unfortunately, these cannot be other phones, although we have a workaround if you really want to use WhatsApp on two phones. Instead, it should be computers (using WhatsApp Web or a desktop app) or the Facebook portal.
While WhatsApp can be installed on a tablet, we do not recommend that.
WhatsApp Web is a much more attractive solution for most users, allowing not only to read and reply to messages on any device, but also to send and receive photos and videos. The best part is that it is completely free to use and only requires a quick setup, after which you stay logged in until you log out.
We’ll walk you through the short process below.
How to access WhatsApp Web through a browser on a PC or laptop
- On your smartphone, launch WhatsApp, tap the three dots icon (or the settings gear on your iPhone) and select “Linked Devices.”
- Click “Pair Device”.
- On the device you want to access WhatsApp, go to web.whatsapp.com in any browser. It will even work with Safari on iPad if you want to access it from a tablet.
- You should now see a QR code on the screen of your tablet or PC; point your phone camera at this to link them.
WhatsApp Web will automatically launch in your browser and remain active until you log out of your computer or phone.
You can do this on your phone by going back to the Paired Devices screen in Settings and tapping on the device and then Exit. You can also do this in a browser window by clicking the three-dot icon at the top of the conversation list and then clicking Sign Out.
How to install the WhatsApp desktop app
Instead of logging in through a browser, WhatsApp also offers a desktop client for PC or Mac, offering additional features, including full support for desktop chatter notifications. If you will be using WhatsApp Web on a daily basis, this is an easier option and can be downloaded from whatsapp.com/download right now.
Click the green Download button to download the installation file to your computer. Once downloaded, find the file (usually in your Downloads folder) and double-click it to install.
On a Windows PC, you must follow the instructions in the installer, and on a Mac, simply drag and drop the WhatsApp icon into the Applications folder to complete the installation.
Launch the WhatsApp desktop app and you will be greeted with an almost identical web interface to WhatsApp. As with the browser version, you will be prompted to scan a QR code, so grab your phone, open the settings menu and select “Paired Devices.” Then point your phone camera at the QR code displayed on the screen.
As with the browser app, on the desktop app, you will stay on WhatsApp until you decide to sign out. Now you can chat with your friends on WhatsApp from your PC or laptop, with the ability to send and receive multimedia and much more, and of course, it is much faster to type messages on your PC or laptop keyboard.
That’s all! Just remember that if you want to pair more than one device, you need to join the multi-device beta.
