The right way to add a WhatsApp number in email signature blocks is to show the number in international format and link it to https://wa.me/ followed by the same number with no plus sign, spaces, brackets, dashes or leading zeros. For a Nigerian mobile written +234 802 000 0000, the link is https://wa.me/2348020000000. When someone clicks it, WhatsApp opens a chat with that number.
This article walks through building the link, the number format that WhatsApp expects, how to add a pre-filled message, and a short list of when to use a WhatsApp number in email signature blocks and when to skip it. The link format comes from WhatsApp’s click to chat help page, which we read in October 2026, and the number format from ITU-T E.123. All sample numbers are made up.
A WhatsApp number in email signature: the short version
- Write the number in international format: +, country code, number without the leading 0.
- Build the link as https://wa.me/ plus the digits only. No +, spaces, brackets or dashes.
- Show a readable number as the link text, such as +234 802 000 0000, or a short label like “Chat on WhatsApp”.
- Test the link on a phone and on a computer before you roll it out.
How the link behind a WhatsApp number in email signature text works
WhatsApp calls the feature click to chat. Its help page, read in October 2026, says the feature lets you begin a chat with someone without having their number saved in your address book, as long as you know the number and they have an active WhatsApp account. By clicking the link, a chat with the person opens. It says click to chat works on both a phone and WhatsApp Web.
The format, in WhatsApp’s words, is https://wa.me/ followed by “a full phone number in international format”. It tells you to omit any zeroes, brackets or dashes. Its example of what not to use includes a plus sign and brackets, so the link should have digits only after the slash.
That is why a WhatsApp number in email signature text needs two versions of the same number: the one people read, with a plus sign and spaces, and the one inside the link, with digits only.
Build the link for a WhatsApp number in email signature in four steps
- Start from the number people dial. For example, 0802 000 0000 in Nigeria.
- Convert it to international format. Replace the leading 0 with the country code: +234 802 000 0000. The article on how to write a phone number internationally explains why.
- Strip it to digits. Remove the plus sign and the spaces: 2348020000000.
- Add the prefix. https://wa.me/2348020000000.
Worked examples with made-up numbers:
| Country | Number people dial | International format | WhatsApp link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 0802 000 0000 | +234 802 000 0000 | https://wa.me/2348020000000 |
| Kenya | 0700 000 000 | +254 700 000 000 | https://wa.me/254700000000 |
| South Africa | 082 555 0142 | +27 82 555 0142 | https://wa.me/27825550142 |
| Ghana | 024 000 0000 | +233 24 000 0000 | https://wa.me/233240000000 |
| United Kingdom | 07700 900123 | +44 7700 900123 | https://wa.me/447700900123 |
If a number does not work, the usual cause is a leftover 0 after the country code, such as 2340802…, or a number that is not registered on WhatsApp.
Add a pre-filled message
WhatsApp’s page also describes a longer form. Add ?text= and the message, URL-encoded, and the text appears in the chat box when the person opens the link, ready to send. Spaces become %20. For example:
https://wa.me/2348020000000?text=Hello%2C%20I%20found%20you%20in%20your%20email
A pre-filled message on a WhatsApp number in email signature links tells you where the enquiry came from, which is useful when a signature goes out from many people. Keep it to one line. Per WhatsApp, there is also a form with no number, https://wa.me/?text=…, which shows a list of contacts to send the message to. That one is for sharing, so it is not what you want in a signature.
The HTML to paste
In a hand-written signature, a WhatsApp number in email signature form is an ordinary anchor:
Use the readable number as the link text, so a person who prints the email or reads it somewhere that strips links can still see the number. If space is tight, use a label such as Chat on WhatsApp, and put the number next to it. Here is a made-up company signature with the number written the way people should read it:
|
Example only. The company and person are made up. The number is shown in international format, and the link behind it would use the digits only.
WhatsApp also supplies an official Chat on WhatsApp button in green and white, in three sizes. Its page says to use the button as it is, and notes that the button is currently available in English only. For a signature, text is lighter, loads faster and works when images are blocked.
When to include a WhatsApp number in email signature blocks
There are no statistics here, only a judgement. Whether a WhatsApp number in email signature blocks helps depends on how your customers already reach you.
| Situation | Include it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sales or support staff who already answer WhatsApp enquiries | Yes | It saves a step for the customer, and the chat is where you will end up anyway |
| A shop, tour operator, clinic booking line or similar front desk | Yes, as a shared business number | One number that a team watches, not a person’s private phone |
| Lawyers, accountants and others handling confidential matters | Think first | Decide whether client messages should sit in a chat app, and what your professional rules say |
| Senior people whose numbers should not be public | Probably not | Every email you send, and every forward of it, carries the number |
| Staff who do not have a company phone | Ask them | A personal number in a signature is a personal decision, not a template field |
A good rule is to put a company-controlled WhatsApp number in email signature blocks for everyone, and keep personal numbers out unless the person chooses to share one. If you use the company number, say so in your signature policy, and decide who watches the chat and how fast they reply, because a visible number sets an expectation.
What emailfooter does with a WhatsApp number
emailfooter has no field for a WhatsApp number in email signature layouts. Employees have fields for name, job title, department, email, phone, scheduling link and photo, and the social links are LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, GitHub, Dribbble and TikTok. The phone number is turned into a tel: link, which dials, but not into a wa.me link. The scheduling link is shown as “Book a meeting” in the built-in layouts, so it is not a good home for a WhatsApp link.
If you use emailfooter and want a WhatsApp link for the whole company, the way to do it is a custom template. The company admin can open the code editor, start from a built-in layout and add a hand-written link with the company’s wa.me address. That puts the same company number in every signature. There is no per-employee WhatsApp merge tag, so a personal WhatsApp number per employee is not something the built-in fields cover.
A signature that is easy to keep consistent matters more here than a clever link. For the wider email setup behind it, see our guide to business email setup in Africa. The phone number in an email signature article covers whether to show a desk number, a mobile or both, and the guide to clickable phone numbers shows the tel: link that makes a number tappable.
Test before you roll it out
- Send an email with the signature to yourself and open it on a phone. Tap the link.
- Open the same email on a computer and click the link. WhatsApp’s page says click to chat works with WhatsApp Web.
- Check the pre-filled message reads sensibly and that the number in the chat is the one you meant.
- Ask a colleague who is not saved in your contacts to try it from their own phone.
A WhatsApp number in email signature templates needs testing once with the final template, not once per employee. Teams in Nigeria can also look at the Nigeria signature page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a WhatsApp number in email signature settings?
Show the number in international format as text, and link it to https://wa.me/ followed by the digits only. In most mail apps you do this with the link button in the signature editor, or in the HTML.
Should I use a plus sign in the wa.me link?
No. WhatsApp’s help page says to use a full number in international format and omit zeroes, brackets and dashes, and its example of what not to do includes a plus sign. Keep the plus sign for the text people read.
Can a WhatsApp number in email signature links carry a ready-made message?
Yes. Add ?text= and a URL-encoded message after the number, for example ?text=Hello%20there. The text appears in the chat box when the person opens the link.
Does emailfooter support a WhatsApp number in email signature layouts?
Not as a built-in field. The company admin can add a company-wide wa.me link in a custom HTML template, but there is no per-employee WhatsApp field.
Why does my WhatsApp number in email signature link open the wrong number or fail?
The most common cause is a leading 0 left after the country code, or a plus sign in the link. Check that the digits match the international format and that the number has an active WhatsApp account.
Keep reading
- Clickable phone number in email signature: how to build a tel: link that works: Build a clickable phone number in email signature blocks with a tel: link: the international format, what RFC 3966 and Apple say, and how to test it.
- How to write phone numbers internationally (with examples for Africa, the UK, US and Canada): How to write a phone number internationally with the plus sign and country code, plus examples for Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, the UK, US and Canada.
- Phone number in email signature: which to show and how to format it: Which phone number in email signature blocks to show (office, mobile, WhatsApp, extension) and how to format US, Canadian, UK and African numbers.
- Business email signature in Nigeria: example with +234 numbers and RC number: A business email signature Nigeria example with +234 phone formatting, a WhatsApp link and an RC number line, plus what we could verify about CAC rules.
Make every signature in your company match
emailfooter is a free WordPress plugin. You design the signature once, and each person adds their own details and installs it in their mail app. Prefer not to run a website? emailfooter Managed is the same software, hosted for you.