WhatsApp is one of the most used communication platforms, but it can be annoying having to keep reaching for your phone when you’re working.
That’s where WhatsApp web comes in. While you can easily access WhatsApp through a web browser, there are native apps for Windows and Mac operating systems which promise to provide increased performance and reliability.
To help get you started, we’ve detailed the steps on how to use WhatsApp on your desktop, whether that’s one of the best Windows laptops or best Macs.
What you’ll need:
- Either a Windows running at least Windows 10, or a Mac running macOS 12.1 or later
- Your WhatsApp account logged into your Android or iOS smartphone
The short version:
- Visit whatsapp.com/download on your web browser
- Click Download
- Follow the steps on screen
- Click Continue
- Log into your WhatsApp account
We’ll detail the steps using a Mac, however the steps are the same when using a Windows computer too. To get started, simply visit whatsapp.com/download on your preferred browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari.
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Step 2.
Click Download
Click the green Download button, found in the top right corner of the home page.
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Step 3.
Follow the steps on screen
You should then be guided through the download process, which will involve dragging the WhatsApp icon into your Applications folder if you’re using a Mac, as shown here.
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Step 4.
Click Continue
Once WhatsApp has successfully downloaded, the app should open automatically. However, if it doesn’t then you can open it manually by finding WhatsApp in your respective app library.
From here, click the green Continue button to log in.
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Step 5.
Log into your WhatsApp account
You’ll need to have your iOS or Android smartphone handy here, as this is how you’ll log in. As listed here, you’ll need to open the Whatsapp app on your smartphone, then tap either Settings (iPhone) or Menu (Android). From here, tap Linked Devices followed by Link a Device.
A QR code will appear on your PC’s screen, which you should then scan with your smartphone’s camera.
Troubleshooting
Like other apps, you’ll find WhatsApp in your Windows App Library or Mac’s Launchpad or by searching for it through the respective search functions.
For easy access, you can pin WhatsApp to your Windows or Mac taskbar. To pin WhatsApp on Windows, simply right-click on its icon and select Pin to taskbar. For Mac users, you’ll need to drag and drop WhatsApp from the Launchpad into the taskbar.
Alternatively if WhatsApp is open, you can simply right click on the app in your taskbar and hover over Options and click Keep in Dock.
