WhatsApp Web not working? Start here

Try these first

1. Reload the tab with Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac). This also discards a half-loaded version of the page.

2. Check the address. It must be exactly web.whatsapp.com. Look-alike sites do not work as WhatsApp Web and are not safe.

3. Check the computer's internet by opening another site. WhatsApp Web needs the computer online, not the phone.

4. Update the browser. WhatsApp Web supports the latest Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera and Safari (at least Chrome 85, Edge 85, Firefox 115, Opera 85 or Safari 15.2). Internet Explorer does not work.

5. Clear the cache and cookies for web.whatsapp.com, then log out and log back in. With the reload, these are WhatsApp's own first fixes. To test without clearing anything, open a private window: if it works there, stored site data or an extension in your normal profile is the cause.

6. Restart the computer, and if you are on office or campus Wi-Fi, try another network or a phone hotspot.

The QR code will not load or will not scan

• A grey box or spinner where the code should be almost always means the page cannot reach WhatsApp's servers: switch off VPN, proxy and ad or tracker blockers for this site and reload.
• If the code shows but the phone will not read it, see when the code will not scan, or link with a phone number instead.
• "Couldn't link device" on the phone: the phone itself is offline or WhatsApp on the phone is out of date. Update it, then try again on mobile data.

"Computer not connected" or endless loading

A yellow icon next to Computer not connected means the computer has lost its internet connection, or something between it and WhatsApp is blocking the traffic.

• VPN and proxy. WhatsApp Web keeps a live connection open to WhatsApp. Many VPNs, corporate proxies and "web shields" in antivirus software break that connection. Pause them to test.
• Wrong date and time. If the computer's clock is off by more than a few minutes, secure connections fail. Set date and time to automatic.
• Stored data is corrupt. In the browser's site settings for web.whatsapp.com, clear site data, reload and link again. You will not lose messages; they live on your phone.
• Too many tabs of it. WhatsApp Web runs in one tab per browser profile. Choose "Use here" in the tab you want and close the others.

It keeps logging me out

WhatsApp Web stays signed in through data stored by the browser. It asks for a new scan when that data disappears or the link is cancelled from the phone:

• The browser clears cookies on exit, or you use private windows. Add an exception for web.whatsapp.com.
• Cleaner utilities and some company policies wipe browser data daily.
• The phone has not used WhatsApp for more than 14 days; WhatsApp then logs out every linked device.
• The linked computer itself went unused for 30 days.
• Someone removed the computer under Linked devices, or you changed phones or reinstalled WhatsApp.

If none of that applies, the installed desktop app keeps its own session and is not affected by browser clean-ups.

Messages are missing or not syncing

• Old history is missing. When you link a computer, the phone sends it an encrypted copy of your most recent history, not everything, and the desktop apps sync more of it than WhatsApp Web does. For the full history, search on the phone.
• "Waiting for this message." A side effect of end-to-end encryption, typically after you or the other person reinstalled WhatsApp or while one of you runs an old version. Open WhatsApp on your phone, ask the other person to open theirs, and both update the app. If it affects many chats, unlink the computer and link it again.
• A long first sync. Accounts with many groups can take several minutes after linking. Keep the phone online and WhatsApp open on it during that first sync.

No notifications or no sound

1. Look for the Turn on desktop notifications banner above your chat list and click it. No banner? Reload the page.

2. In WhatsApp Web, open Settings, then Notifications, and check that message notifications and sounds are on.

3. Click the padlock or site-settings icon in the address bar and set Notifications to Allow for web.whatsapp.com.

4. On Windows check Settings, System, Notifications for your browser and switch off Do not disturb. On a Mac check System Settings, Notifications and your Focus mode.

5. Keep the tab open. A browser tab that is closed cannot notify you; the desktop app can.

Files, camera or microphone will not work

• Voice messages and calls: allow the microphone and camera for web.whatsapp.com in the address-bar site settings, and for your browser in the operating system's privacy settings. Close other apps that are using the camera or microphone, and do not use a virtual camera or audio device.
• Downloads fail: check free disk space and whether the browser blocks multiple downloads from the site.
• Photos arrive blurry: WhatsApp compresses images by default. Send the picture as a document to keep the original quality.

On a work or school network

Some organisations block WhatsApp at the firewall. The page then loads partly or not at all, whatever you do on the computer. Ask the network administrator to let traffic to web.whatsapp.com and .whatsapp.net bypass the filter, or test on a phone hotspot: if it works there, the network is the cause. For calls, WhatsApp asks for UDP and TCP ports 3478, 3480, 3484 and 443 to be open.