How to link another device to WhatsApp

What you can link

Link a computer

1. On the computer open web.whatsapp.com, or install and open the WhatsApp app for Windows or Mac. Both show a QR code.

2. On the phone: Android, three dots, then Linked devices, then Link a device. iPhone, Settings (or your profile picture), then Linked devices, then Link device.

3. Confirm your screen lock if asked, and scan the code.

Full walkthrough with troubleshooting: scan the WhatsApp Web QR code. No camera: link with a phone number.

Link a second phone

1. Install WhatsApp on the second phone, open it and tap Agree and continue. On an iPhone, tap Use a different number if it offers your current one.

2. Do not enter a phone number. Open the menu (the three dots) and choose Link as companion device. The phone now shows a QR code.

3. On your main phone go to Linked devices, tap Link a device and scan the code on the second phone.

The second phone then shows "This is a linked device" in its settings. It follows the same rules as WhatsApp Web, and live location does not work on it.

Link a tablet

WhatsApp has tablet apps for iPad and for Android tablets. Open the app on the tablet and scan its QR code from your phone, exactly like a computer. Since July 2026 an iPad can also be set up with an account of its own instead of being linked, and Android tablets offer the same choice under Register new account. On a tablet without the app, web.whatsapp.com in the browser still works.

The rules that apply to every linked device

• Four at a time. To add a fifth, remove one first.
• The phone stays the owner. You need the phone to register the account and to link anything new, and the phone can remove any device at once.
• 14 days and 30 days. If the main phone does not use WhatsApp for more than 14 days, every linked device is logged out. A linked device that is itself inactive for 30 days is disconnected too.
• Still end-to-end encrypted. Each linked device connects to WhatsApp independently, with its own encryption keys. Messages are encrypted separately for each of your devices.
• A few features stay on the phone: viewing live location, creating and viewing broadcast lists, and interactive forms from businesses (WhatsApp Flows).

Review your devices now and then

Under Linked devices the phone lists every linked device and when it was last used. If one does not look familiar, tap it and choose Log out. More in how to log out remotely and WhatsApp Web security.