WhatsApp Desktop 2.2636.100.0 for Windows

WhatsApp Desktop 2.2636.100.0 is the official WhatsApp app for Windows from WhatsApp LLC, part of Meta Platforms. It lets you chat from your PC with the same account as on your phone, and you can download WhatsApp Desktop from whatsapp.com or the Microsoft Store.

Quick facts

What the app is for

WhatsApp started in 2009 as a mobile messenger, and the phone is still the centre of your account. The desktop app extends it to the computer: you link it once, and from then on chats, group conversations and files appear on the PC as well. Typing long messages on a real keyboard, sending documents straight from a folder and following a busy group chat while you work are the main reasons people install it. Compared with WhatsApp Web in the browser, the Windows app runs as a separate program with its own window and notifications, so it does not disappear when you close the browser. Your contacts see no difference: messages from the PC arrive exactly as if you had sent them from the phone.

Step-by-step setup

1. Check that your PC runs Windows 10 64-bit version 1903 or newer.
2. Download the app from the official WhatsApp download page or the Microsoft Store.
3. Open WhatsApp Desktop; it shows a QR code.
4. On your phone, open WhatsApp, go to Linked devices and scan the code.
5. Wait until your chats appear; the initial sync can take a while.

Tips

• Lock your Windows account when you step away if others use your computer.
• Log out of linked devices you no longer use from the phone's Linked devices list.
• Keep both the phone app and the desktop app updated.
• Choose where downloaded files are saved so they do not clutter your Downloads folder.

If the app will not connect

Most problems come from the phone side. Make sure the phone has a working internet connection and the latest WhatsApp version, then remove the old entry from Linked devices and scan a fresh code. On the PC, check the date and time settings and whether a firewall or company proxy blocks the connection. Reinstalling the desktop app from the official page solves most remaining issues without deleting chats from the phone.

Security

Install WhatsApp only from whatsapp.com or the Microsoft Store. Fake desktop installers and modified WhatsApp versions are used to steal accounts; they can also get your number banned. Never share the verification code you receive by SMS, and treat unexpected requests for money in chats with suspicion.

Pros and cons

• Pro: comfortable typing and file sharing on a PC.
• Pro: separate app with its own notifications.
• Pro: free.
• Con: requires an account on a phone.
• Con: large app for a messenger.

Alternatives

Our listings include WhatsApp Web for the browser, and Telegram Desktop, Signal, Viber and Discord as other desktop messengers for Windows.