WhatsAppWeb on a desktop gives you all the features of the messaging app, with the added convenience of a full-size keyboard and computer monitor screen.
As your WhatsApp account is linked to your phone number, it is not really surprising that it is thought of first and foremost as a mobile app. While this is fine for messaging on the move, when you’re sitting at your desktop or laptop, it can be a pain to have to switch between devices as you bounce between working on your computer and keeping up with your chats.
With a keyboard, one can type faster. Also, you can type message in a word editor like MS Word and then copy over so easily to WhatsApp. Also, running your WhatsApp account on the computer will enable you download WhatsApp documents (images, files, videos) onto your computer. This can help you clean up phone of memory space when required while preserving important documents. So, let’s take a look and see how to get WhatsApp Web running.
1. Download WhatsApp onto your Phone
Before you get started, you need to have WhatsApp installed and working properly on your iPhone or Android handset. If it is not already in your phone, you can download your apps store (iphone’s App Store or android’s Google Play).
2. Connect both your phone and Computer to Internet
Since you will also need to connect your computer to the internet, it is better to use a WiFi modem to connect both your phone and computer to the internet. You can also use your phone as a wireless hotspot and connect your computer to it to access internet.
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3. Download & launch WhatsApp onto your Computer
You’ll need to download the desktop app for either Windows or MacOs. You can do this by going to https://web.whatsapp.com/ on your computer browser.
Once you open WhatsApp on your browser, you’ll be greeted by a QR code as shown below.
4. Launch WhatsApp onto your Phone
Launch WhatsApp on your phone, as shown below (do not open any specific chat with any contact), tap the three-dot (…) setting menu on the top right and select WhatsApp Web. Point your phone camera at the QR code on your desktop, it will snap the picture.
If the QR code has expired, you will see something as shown above. Click on the green circle to refresh the QR code, before you scan it with your phone.
As soon as you scan the QR code, the WhatsApp Desktop (or WhatsApp Web) will synchronize with your phone and you’ll see the same contacts and messages as you normally done on your phone. You can continue a chat that’s already underway by clicking the name of your contact in the list to the left.
If you can’t see the person you’re looking for, or you want to start a chat with someone new, just type the name in the search bar and click it in the results that appear.
5. Sending messages
With a contact selected, messaging is a simple matter of typing in the text box to the lower right of the window and hitting ENTER on the keyboard. If you are typing in the text box, you can use SHIFT+ENTER to insert a blank line between text. If you want space in between paragraphs, you can do SHIFT-ENTER twice.
If you hover your mouse over a message, you can read the message without changing the WhatsApp read status. You can also access a menu that lets you forward, star or reply to a specific message.
You’ll find it much faster to type with your computer keyboard rather than your phone’s touchscreen. You will also have access to extras such as emoji and GIFs. Click the smiley face button to the left of the message box and you’ll find a selection of emoji, GIFs and stickers to adorn your messages. You can either browse through what is available, or use the search box to find something quickly.
If you have a lot of text to type, it is best done using MS Word. This gives you the benefit of spelling checker and better organization of your thoughts without risk of sending the message too early. You can copy any part of your computer screen and paste into WhatsApp (using SNIPPING TOOL) or just insert the whole file document.
6. Sending pictures and files
You’re not limited to just text in your messages; WhatsApp Desktop also lets you send files. Click the paperclip icon at the upper right of a chat, and you can choose between different types of attachment.
The ‘Photos & Videos‘ icon lets you add files you’ve already got stored on your hard drive, but you can also use the camera button to take new shots. You also have the option of sending documents (any other type of file) or contact information from the attachment menu.
What I find most useful is using the SNIPPING TOOL (shown as a pair of scissors) on your Program Menu (you can make any Apps to be permanently displayed on your Task Bar by right-clicking it from the program list and pinning it to your Windows Task Bar).
With a Snipping Tool, you can copy anything shown on your desktop and post as an image into WhatsApp. This is a very fast way to bring in pictures without inserting the whole document.
7. Group chats and audio messages
Just as on your phone, you can use group chats to talk with many people at the same time. Click the ‘+‘ button at the top of your list of contacts, and then click New Group. Click the names of everyone you would like to include, click the green arrow and then assign a name and picture to the group.
It’s not possible to conduct voice calls with WhatsApp Web, but you can click the microphone button in the message box to record and send an audio recording whether in group or individual chats. Notwithstanding, you can play any video you receive via WhatsApp directly from your desktop just by clicking the video.
8. Configuring app and profile settings
The three-dot menu above your list of contacts is where you can access various settings. Click ‘Profile’ to change your profile picture, or change your name or other details.
You can also use the menu to access your starred messages or archived chats as well as to change app settings. For instance, you can change what the app should notify you about, change the background colour for chats, and choose whether WhatsApp Desktop should launch when you start your computer – which is a great idea.
Ebere Anosike 