The WhatsApp It is not limited to your smartphone. In fact, it is entirely possible to access your discussions from your Windows or macOS computer, in two different ways: by relying on the service or by installing a custom client.
And if you don’t know how, don’t panic, here is a complete guide to help you with this task.
Read also: WhatsApp: the multi-device available soon to everyone
Note: This guide was compiled from a Mac. However, the procedure for Windows remains the same. Only the customer changes.
How to access WhatsApp from a web browser?
As we just explained, there are basically two ways to access WhatsApp from your PC.
The first is relatively simple, and therefore consists of browsing the web version of the service, using your favorite browser. Here, WhatsApp does not enforce any specific software, thus you can find your discussions from Chrome, Edge or even Firefox.
All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Open your favorite browser;
- Go to the address web.whatsapp.com ;
- A page with a QR code appears;
- Take the phone on which your WhatsApp account is configured;
- Run WhatsApp on this phone;
- Go to the three-dot menu (Android) or Settings (iOS);
- Press “Connected devices”;
- Press the “Connect Device” button;
- Scan the QR code on WhatsApp Web;
The procedure is transparent and immediate. This QR code will actually allow WhatsApp Web to connect with your phone and your conversations will automatically appear in your browser.
If you wish, you will also have the ability to activate notifications on your desktop to keep you informed of new messages that will be sent to you.
All basic functions are also present, except for voice and video calls. At least for now. Eventually, they will already be available on WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop. The company is currently testing it.
Read also: GB WhatsApp: Beware of account suspension!
How to access WhatsApp from Windows/macOS client?
While WhatsApp Web works well, it still has one major flaw: your browser must remain open to allow you to continue managing your messages from your computer.
Fortunately, there is a second solution. It consists of relying on a client specifically developed for Windows or macOS, which is WhatsApp Desktop.
And again, the procedure to follow is very simple:
- Open your browser;
- Go to the address whatsapp.com/download.
- Click the Download button on the right side;
- Wait for the download to finish;
- Run the downloaded file on Windows, or…
- Move the tool icon to the “Applications” folder on the Mac;
- Wait until the end of the installation or transfer of the code;
- launch the client;
- A window with a QR code opens;
- Take the phone on which your account is configured;
- Run WhatsApp on it;
- Go to the three-dot menu (Android) or Settings (iOS);
- Press “Connected devices”;
- Press the “Connect Device” button;
- Scan the QR code on WhatsApp Web;
As you can see, the procedure to follow is basically the same and it will again be necessary to rely on this famous QR code to create a link between the mobile application and the desktop client.
Read also: 5 other indispensable tips for WhatsApp
Which solution do you prefer?
Which finally leads us to the question: Which solution do you prefer?
Everything will of course depend on your needs. As far as I’m concerned, I chose to rely on the web client to save a tab in Chrome. In fact, I constantly use two windows each with about fifty different tabs. So it became difficult to find a web service tab when I needed it.
Then, for occasional use, this version is more than enough and will avoid you installing anything on your computer.
If you are not very comfortable with computers or if you are using a computer that is not your own, the alternative is interesting.
