There was a time when to use WhatsApp the only way we had was the mobile. Through the smartphone we used the application and there was nothing else to do, there was no other option or alternative. At the time we saw it as normal, now we would not know how to live without its web application.
Competition, like Telegram, has made WhatsApp more modern in the last five years than in its first 7, but we’re not going to complain: competition is good for the customer.
And among its advances, the best of all of them is WhatsApp Web, which goes far beyond being a simple web version of the applicationas we are going to teach you in this user guide.
And since we are talking about the official version of whatsapp for computerit has all the security measures available to the mobile application – including end-to-end encryption, for example.
In addition to its advantages, being able to use it with a computer is of great help to many people who receive innumerable messages during the day and can access it from your work tool without having to switch from your computer to your mobile and again.
Fortunately, after a long period in which inactivity has been predominant, this application has been making significant improvements in recent months. This aspect that has made it much more competitive, since it suffered when compared to versions such as Telegram.
Index of contents to master WhatsApp Web
What is WhatsApp Web used for?
whatsapp web serves to power talk on WhatsApp on the computer. Since there are many situations in which we can’t use our mobile phones –at work, for example–, the developers of this application created an official alternative to be able to talk to our contacts through the PC some time ago.
In general they can have WhatsApp conversations with absolute normality, as well as send photos or filesthe only thing that is still in process is the video call.
This is an option that already existed in other alternatives to WhatsApp, such as Telegram or Signal, but Facebook was slow to offer it to users of its mobile messaging application.
How to enter WhatsApp Web?
There are two ways to enter the application: one is to do it through web.whatsapp.com from any browser (such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge), which also does not require installing any program; the other consists of downloading the official application program, which allows you to open the chat without having to enter the browser.
Of course, both require internet connection, as well as It is necessary that the first time we log in whatsapp web we have our mobile handy.
- Go to the official WhatsApp Web page, web.whatsapp.com.
- A QR code located on the right of the page should be displayed on it; take your mobile phone, open WhatsApp, click on the icon of the three points that you will see in the upper right and click on “WhatsApp Web”.
- Point the mobile camera at the QR code that is being shown in the browser, wait a few seconds for it to recognize it and, if everything has gone well, you should automatically be logged in.
- In this way you can use it with your usual phone number, without anyone else being able to access it.
Can I log in incognito?
Yes, you can use WhatsApp Web in incognito. The process is the same as if you did it from a conventional browser tab, with the difference that if you close the window the next time you want to use it, you will have to log in again – which means having to scan the QR code again with your mobile –.
From the official app
We also have an official program that allows us to install WhatsApp on the computer in such a way that it is integrated as one more program on the PC.
You can download it for free for both Windows (for 32-bit, click here) and Mac, and to install it you will also need to have your phone handy when verifying the QR code.
One of the aspects that has been tried to improve in recent times is the security that already exists in the mobile versions.
Among the options that have been considered is the use of biometric data, such as the fingerprint to be able to activate the web version and that nobody can access your account.
How to log out of WhatsApp Web
Log out of the computer
To close the session of your WhatsApp account on the computer, you just have to click on the icon of the three points that you will see to the right of your profile:
And then click “Sign off“. And that’s it, in this aspect there is no secret.
If you had the session open in an incognito window, then simply closing the browser tab will suffice. When you open it again, it will ask you again to point the camera at the QR code.
Log out from mobile
If what you want is to close your session from your mobile –see, for example, why you have left it open on your PC–, then the procedure to follow consists of:
- Enter the WhatsApp application on your phone.
- Click on the icon of the three points that you will see in the upper right.
- Then click on “whatsapp web“.
- Finally, click on the session you want to close and click on the “Sign off“.
Tricks for WhatsApp Web
At this point, it’s time for you to discover some tricks that will allow you to take even more advantage of the desktop version of WhatsApp. Take note.
Send emojis with the keyboard
Tired of having to go through the list of WhatsApp emoticons every time you want to send a smiley face in a message? then write : (colon) followed by the icon you want to send, and you will see that the emoji you were looking for is shown directly in the text window.
If you want to send an emoji of a heart, write :heart; if you want to send an emoji of a cat, write :cat. And so with everyone you can think of.
Use two WhatsApp accounts on the same PC
If you need to open another chat window with a different WhatsApp account, then you should know that you just have to open the browser in incognito and log in with your other account. This way, you can have both windows open at the same time.
When you do this you will not suffer any problem with conversations, photos or videos, the use will be absolutely normal with the application.
Listen to voice notes with more volume with WhatsApp Web
In case the voice notes they send you are heard very quietly, or are very long and you want to hear them faster, you will be interested in knowing Zapp: This is a completely unofficial extension that allows you to increase the volume and speed up voice notes on WhatsApp Web.
Try it if you have contacts who send you daily voice notes. You can download it for free from here.
Keyboard shortcuts for Windows
All of them are very easy with this application:
- Ctrl + N: Open a new chat
- Ctrl + Shift + ]: Skip to the next chat
- Ctrl + Shift +[[: Return to the previous chat
- Ctrl + E: Archive a chat
- Ctrl + Shift + M: Mute a chat
- Ctrl + Backspace: Delete a chat
- Ctrl + Shift + U: Mark as unread
- Ctrl + Shift + N: Create a new group
- Ctrl + P: Go to your state
As you may have verified, with WhatsApp Web there is no complicationneither to access the application nor to take full advantage of it from the first moment.
It will become part of your daily life as soon as you try it.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism