You can chat with your friends using WhatsApp Web from any browser. If you think it won’t have much to offer, you’re in for a surprise. Using WhatsApp Web can accomplish many of the things WhatsApp Mobile can. Here’s a rundown of the best WhatsApp Web features, as well as some helpful tips you may not know.
1. Use WhatsApp Web in Dark Mode
If you enjoy using WhatsApp in dark mode, WhatsApp Web will not let you down. To switch to dark mode:
- Press the three-dot icon above the chat list and select “Settings” from it.
- Go to “Theme” and select “Dark.”
You will now be able to relish WhatsApp dark mode in all its glory.
2. Change Chat Background Color
You can customize the chat background on WhatsApp Web the same way you can on mobile:
- Go to “Settings -> Set Chat Wallpaper” by clicking the three-dot icon above the chat list.
- Choose a new background color for chats.
- Uncheck the “Add WhatsApp Doodles” checkbox to turn off the doodle background.
3. Format WhatsApp Messages
Similar to mobile, you can format WhatsApp messages by making them bold, italic, or adding a strikethrough. Place the following symbols on both sides of the text to format messages:
- Bold: asterisk (*)
- Italic: underscore (_)
- Strikethrough: tilde (~)
- Monospace: three backticks (“`)
4. Find Emojis Quickly
When you want to send an emoji on WhatsApp Web, you usually have to type the emoticons (:-P, :-), :-() or press the emoji button. There is, however, an easier way. Simply type a colon (:) followed by the first few letters of the emoji in the message box.
Let’s say, you want to send a cat emoji. Type “:ca.” WhatsApp will automatically show the appropriate emojis. Use the Arrow Keys to navigate through them, and press the Enter button to send the selected emoji.
5. Transfer Files Between Phone and PC
WhatsApp is one of my favorite apps to transfer photos, videos, documents, and other data between my PC and phone. To transfer data between your PC and phone:
- Create a group with yourself by making a regular WhatsApp group and adding one of your friends as a member.
- Remove them immediately after adding them, leaving you with your own personal group. Alternatively, save your own number as a contact and start a chat thread with yourself.
- From your mobile device, send the files to the chat thread and download them to your PC by pressing the small down arrow on the received file and hitting the “Download” button. Some files, such as audio files, require you to click the “Download” button on the file itself.
Tip: right-click on an image in WhatsApp Web and press “Search Google for this image” to do a reverse image search for WhatsApp images on your PC.
6. Drag and Drop Files
Typically, if you want to send files from WhatsApp Web, you have to press the attachment icon. Alternatively, do this more easily by dragging and dropping the files from your PC in the chat thread. The file will be attached to the chat thread as a result.
7. Take Action on Multiple Messages
Whether you want to delete, download, forward, or favorite multiple messages, WhatsApp Web lets you do so.
- Open the chat that includes the messages you want to delete or forward.
- Click on the three-dot icon at the top of the chat thread.
- Choose “Select messages” from the menu.
- Check the boxes next to the desired messages.
- Choose the required action, such as favorite, delete, forward, and download from the options at the bottom.
8. Download Multiple Media Files
In addition to the method described above to download multiple media files, WhatsApp provides a faster workaround.
- Open the chat that includes media you want to download (photos, videos, documents) and click on the contact’s name at the top.
- Press the “Media, Links and Docs” text.
- To select files, hover your mouse over the files and click the checkmark icon.
- Click the Download button to download a ZIP file containing the selected files.
9. Use Multiple WhatsApp Web Accounts
Normally, you can only connect one WhatsApp account to the WhatsApp Web service. However, there are a few workarounds that will allow you to use multiple WhatsApp accounts on your PC.
One of the most basic methods is to launch the second WhatsApp Web account in an incognito window. If that doesn’t work, make a new Chrome profile and connect WhatsApp to it or open WhatsApp Web in a different browser.
10. Read Messages without Read Receipt
We’re all aware that you can easily disable blue ticks and read receipts in WhatsApp settings. But what if you only want to turn it off temporarily? Assume you’re in the middle of something and don’t want another person to know that you have read the message. The following trick will help you read incoming messages without the blue ticks.
- Open the chat thread on WhatsApp Web where you will receive the messages. Yes, you must open it just before.
- Launch another program, such as Notepad or Word.
- Resize it in any way that allows you to see incoming messages in WhatsApp Web.
- Shift the focus to this new window by clicking on it.
Now if you receive new messages in the chat, you can see and read them without blue ticks. When you’re ready to respond, click the WhatsApp Web window to bring it to the front of your screen.
11. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
WhatsApp Web includes a number of keyboard shortcuts. Some of them are:
- New Chat: Ctrl + Alt + N
- Search: Ctrl + Alt + /
- Emoji Panel: Ctrl + Alt + E
- Settings: Ctrl + Alt + .
The full list of WhatsApp Web keyboard shortcuts can be found under “WhatsApp Web Settings -> Keyboard shortcuts.”
12. Mute WhatsApp Notifications
WhatsApp provides several options to disable Web notifications to make your life easier. You can disable the sound, desktop alerts, previews, or completely disable notifications. To customize your notifications, navigate to “WhatsApp Web Settings → Notifications.”
13. Access WhatsApp Web Quickly
If you plan on using WhatsApp Web instead of downloading the desktop app, you can create a shortcut to access it quickly from the taskbar in Windows.
- Open WhatsApp Web in the Chrome browser and connect your account.
- Click on the three-dot icon
- Go to “More Tools → Create shortcut.”
- A pop-up window will appear. Assign a name to the shortcut, check the box next to Open as window, then press the Create button.
- WhatsApp web will load in a new browser tab.
- Right-click on the tab icon in the taskbar and choose “Pin to taskbar”.
Now you can access WhatsApp quickly right from your taskbar.
To save space in the tab bar, you can pin the WhatsApp Web tab to it. That will make it always accessible. Just right-click on the WhatsApp Web tab in Chrome and select “Pin.”
WhatsApp Multi-Device Beta Program
Currently, WhatsApp Web requires an Internet connection to be active on your mobile. WhatsApp is testing a feature where you will be able to use WhatsApp on your PC without keeping your phone online. The feature is live on WhatsApp but is in beta. You can access it from “the three-dot menu → Linked devices.” Tap on “Multi-device beta” followed by “Join Beta.”
With this feature, you can use WhatsApp on four additional devices – even if your phone is offline. All your messages and calls will continue to be encrypted. Because the feature is currently in beta, you may face performance and quality issues. Also, other users need to have an updated version of WhatsApp, otherwise you won’t be able to message or call them using this feature.
Nice article