WhatsApp is now a part of our daily life. This messaging app is used to have text conversations, photo sharing, location sharing, audio calls, and video calls. The app keeps us connected with our friends and loved ones. WhatsApp is also available on the desktop via a desktop app and on the web. For using it on a desktop, you need to install the WhatsApp desktop app on your Windows or Mac system. if you do not want to install anything, you can use WhatsApp on the browser using the WhatsApp web.
WhatsApp Web is really easy to use. You just need to open the WhatsApp web website, scan WhatsApp Web QR Code using your mobile app, and you are done. In this article, I will explain how you can use WhatsApp on a web browser. If you are working on something on your laptop or desktop, you don’t need to keep checking your phone for WhatsApp. Just switch to the WhatsApp web tab and reply to messages.
Also see: WhatsApp keyboard shortcuts for Windows, macOS, and web
WhatsApp Web QR Code
WhatsApp Web QR Code is the primary thing you need to have for signing in to your WhatsApp account on the browser. If you are not sure how to get it, open https://web.whatsapp.com/. We can also call it the WhatsApp web scan page.
On the right side of the instruction, you see a type of two-dimensional matrix barcode with the WhatsApp logo at the center. This is WhatsApp Web QR Code or WhatsApp QR code. For using the WhatsApp web online, you need to scan it using your WhatsApp mobile app. Scanning this code with a regular QR code reader won’t work. If you are not sure how to scan the WhatsApp web QR code using WhatsApp, follow the steps given below.
Scan WhatsApp Web QR Code on Android
If you use WhatsApp on your Android phone, follow these steps. Open WhatsApp mobile app and tap on three vertical dots at the top right side of the screen. Here, you see an option saying “WhatsApp Web.” Tap on it and it will open the WhatsApp Web QR code scanner. Now point this scanner towards the QR code shown on the WhatsApp Web scan page and WhatsApp web will be logged in.
Scan WhatsApp Web QR Code on iOS
If you use WhatsApp on iPhone, follow these steps. Open WhatsApp and tap on the settings icon at the bottom right corner. Now Tap on “WhatsApp Web/Desktop”. It will open the QR code scanner. Scan the QR code shown on the WhatsApp web scan page and it will instantly open your account on the browser
This is how WhatsApp QR code scan works on Android.
A few points to remember
1. Now WhatsApp for the web doesn’t require your phone to be online. Once connected a WhatsApp web browser to your WhatsApp account, you can keep using your WhatsApp account on the browser even if your phone is not connected to Internet.
2. You can open your WhatsApp account only at one browser tab or WhatsApp for desktop. If you want to open it on another system, you will have to log out from the previous one. You can always use WhatsApp mobile app to logout from WhatsApp web or WhatsApp desktop sessions.
3. If you want to check the active WhatsApp web session, you can do that using the WhatsApp mobile app. Follow the same steps on your phone that you did to scan the WhatsApp web QR code. If there’s an active WhatsApp web or desktop session, it will show you session detail in place of the QR code scanner. Keep checking this section from time to time. If someone else has used your WhatsApp app to login on WhatsApp for the web to snoop on your conversations, this page will tell you about that.
Along with showing active sessions, it will also show you the option to log out from all devices. Use that to end all WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop sessions.
Alternatively, you can use the logout option given on WhatsApp web. Tap on three vertical dot icons and then click “Log out”.
Now you know how to check WhatsApp web active sessions and how to log out from WhatsApp web.
If you install WhatsApp on your PC, it works the same way as WhatsApp for the web. WhatsApp for PC will show you a QR code to scan and you will have to use the QR code scanner of WhatsApp mobile app to scan the QR code and login.
Use of WhatsApp web has made it easy to access conversations on PC but it has also made your chats vulnerable. If someone gets access to your phone, he/she can log in on WhatsApp or WhatsApp PC to get access to your conversation. The android phone keeps showing an alter if WhatsApp for the web is active. But there is no notification iOS. So, you need to keep checking if there’s an active WhatsApp web session. I have already talked about this. So, you know how to check if there is an active session and how to log out.
Can you use WhatsApp on computer without a phone?
Yes, WhatsApp now allows multi-device support, So, you can use WhatsApp on your computer without the phone. But you need to first create a WhatsApp account using the phone. You cannot create a WhatsApp account on a computer without a phone. You can download Android emulators on your PC and then run Android on your PC using an emulator for creating a WhatsApp account.