WhatsApp group invite link: create, share and reset
Create your WhatsApp group's invite link or QR code, share it safely, approve who joins and reset a leaked link, on Android, iPhone and WhatsApp Web.
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- By WavesFlo team
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Every WhatsApp group has an invite link and a QR code under Group info → Invite via link or QR code. Admins can always share them; members can too in groups started with fewer than 33 people. Anyone holding the link can join and forward it, so switch on Approve new members and reset the link if it leaks.
This guide is for your own group: making the link, sending it, printing the QR code, deciding who gets in, resetting a link that has travelled too far and fixing links that don't work. Menu names match WhatsApp for Android, iPhone and WhatsApp Web as of October 2026.
How long does a WhatsApp group invite link last?
A WhatsApp group invite link doesn't expire on a timer. It stays valid until an admin opens Group info → Invite via link or QR code and taps Reset link, which invalidates every copy already shared and generates a new one. Resetting is the only way to kill a link that has leaked, as of October 2026.
How do I create a WhatsApp group invite link?
- Open the group and tap its name to open Group info.
- Tap Invite via link or QR code.
- Choose how to share it: Send link via WhatsApp, Copy link, Share link (for any other app), Share to my status, Send link via SMS or Send link via email.
- For a scannable version, tap QR code. It opens the same link, which suits a poster at a shop counter or a registration desk.
On WhatsApp Web, open the group, click its name, then Invite to group via link. The web version offers two ways to share, Send link via WhatsApp and Copy link; for the QR code, status, SMS and email options, use your phone.
| Option | Android | iPhone | WhatsApp Web |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to find it | Group info → Invite via link or QR code | Group info → Invite via link or QR code | Group info → Invite to group via link |
| Send to WhatsApp chats | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Copy link | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Status, SMS, email or other apps | Yes | Yes | Not in WhatsApp's web steps |
| QR code | Yes | Yes | Not in WhatsApp's web steps |
| Reset link | Admins only | Admins only | Admins only |
Who can create and share the group link?
Admins always can. Members can only when the group allows it: WhatsApp's help centre says that in groups started with fewer than 33 members every member can send invite links by default, while larger groups start with admins only. An admin changes this in Group info → Group permissions with the switch Invite via group link or QR code. One help page ties member links to the Add other members switch instead, so check both if a member still can't see the option.
For a link that will travel, such as a parents' group for a new school year or a buyers' group for a project launch in Pune, keep member sharing off so the link only goes where an admin sends it. WhatsApp group admin settings explains every other permission.
How to approve people before they join
Approve new members is off by default, so anyone with the link walks straight in. Switched on, it turns every link, QR code and member invitation into a request that an admin has to accept.
- Open Group info and tap Group permissions.
- Turn on Approve new members.
- When someone asks to join, admins are notified and a banner may appear in the group. Tap Review to open Pending requests, which you can also reach from Group info.
- Tap the tick to approve a request or the X to dismiss it. If you're not sure who someone is, tap them first to see their profile or start a chat.
The person sees "An admin must approve your request" above a Request to join button, and can cancel while they wait. Each request shows where it came from, such as the link, a QR code or a member's invitation, which helps when a link has been forwarded beyond the people you sent it to. Once someone is approved, the chat shows which admin added them or that they joined through the link.
How to share a WhatsApp group link safely
WhatsApp's own advice is to share group links only with people you trust, because anyone with the link can join the group and forward the link to others. In practice:
- Remember what joining reveals. WhatsApp's help centre says members' phone numbers can't be hidden in a group, so a link posted on a public page hands every member's number to whoever taps it.
- Send it to named people where you can. A link sent to one person in a chat is easier to account for than one pasted into another group, a website or a social post.
- Treat a printed QR code as public. A poster on a coaching centre noticeboard gets photographed, and the photo works as well as the link.
- Think before sharing to status. A status reaches everyone your status privacy setting allows, which may be far more people than the group is meant for.
- Reset the link after an admission season, a sale or a change of staff, so old copies stop working.
- Keep Approve new members on whenever the link has left your own chats.
People who join by link also start without the group's past messages. When a member adds someone directly, they can send up to 100 messages from the last 14 days, but WhatsApp says people who join through a link or QR code can't see message history. Pin what newcomers need, or post a welcome message for them; message history for new members has the detail.
How to reset a WhatsApp group link
- Open Group info and tap Invite via link or QR code. On WhatsApp Web, click Invite to group via link.
- Tap Reset link, then Reset link again to confirm. On Android, tap OK as well.
- Share the new link, or the new QR code, only with the people who should have it.
Only admins can reset a link. The old link, and any QR code made from it, stops working straight away, and WhatsApp says a reset link can't be restored. WhatsApp's instructions give the link no expiry date, so resetting is how you retire it. Resetting doesn't remove anyone who has already joined: check the member list and remove anyone who shouldn't be there.
Why isn't my WhatsApp group link working?
| What happens | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The link says it has been reset | An admin reset it, and an old link can't be brought back | Ask an admin for the current link |
| You don't get the option to invite via link | You're not an admin and member sharing is off, the default in groups started with 33 or more members | Ask an admin to send the link or to switch member sharing on |
| People tapped the link but aren't in the group | Approve new members is on, so they're waiting as requests | Open Pending requests and approve them |
| Nobody new can get in | The group has reached its cap of 1,024 members | Remove inactive members, or split the audience across groups in a community |
| You can't add someone by their number | Their Groups privacy setting only lets their contacts add them | Send the link: joining through a link is always their choice, whatever their privacy setting |
| Someone who left twice can't be re-added | WhatsApp makes them wait 24 hours, longer after each exit, up to 81 days | Send them the link, which avoids the wait |
Private invites, community links and wa.me links
Three other things look like group links. A private invite is what WhatsApp offers when someone's privacy settings stop you adding them directly: it reaches them in a one-to-one chat and expires after three days. On Android, Group info → Manage invites lists pending and expired invites with Remind and Resend; on iPhone, pending invites sit under Invites in Group info. Adding members without saving their number covers direct adds.
A community has its own link, under Community info → Invite (Community info → Add members on iPhone), and only community admins can share it; creating a WhatsApp community covers it. And a wa.me link opens a one-to-one chat with a phone number rather than a group. The WhatsApp link generator builds one with a pre-filled message, for a website button or a visiting card.
Inviting customers who already know you
A business running a group for existing customers, say a Bengaluru bakery's pre-order group or a boutique's new-arrivals group, usually invites by message rather than poster, and a link leaves the decision to join with each customer. WavesFlo can send one personalised message per row of a Google Sheet from your own linked number, with the group link inside and an opt-out register checked at send time, so people who said no aren't asked again. Send it only to customers who expect to hear from you, and keep Approve new members on in case the message is forwarded.
Questions
Does a group invite link stop working after a while?
WhatsApp's help centre gives no expiry for a group's invite link: as of October 2026 it works until an admin resets it, and a reset link can't be restored. The private invite WhatsApp sends when privacy settings block a direct add is different and expires after three days.
Can I make people ask before joining through my WhatsApp group link?
Yes. Turn on Approve new members in Group info, then Group permissions. Everyone who taps the link then waits as a request until an admin approves or dismisses them.
Can members who aren't admins share the invite link?
Yes, if the group allows it. Admins always can; in groups started with fewer than 33 members, every member can by default, and admins can switch member sharing on or off in Group permissions.
How many people can join a WhatsApp group through a link?
As many as the group has room for. A group holds up to 1,024 members as of October 2026, and once it's full nobody else can join until someone leaves or is removed.
If I reset the invite link, are existing members removed?
No, they stay in the group. Resetting only stops the old link and its QR code letting anyone new in, so remove anyone who shouldn't be there by hand.
Can people who join through the link see members' phone numbers?
Yes. WhatsApp's help centre says members' phone numbers can't be hidden in a group, so anyone who joins can see them. Keep Approve new members on if the link has been shared beyond people you know.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and invite into a group (checked 5 Oct 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to change group admin settings (checked 5 Oct 2026)
- WhatsApp Help Center: About group join requests
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to approve new members as a group admin
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to join a group
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to make changes to groups
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to change group privacy settings
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to rejoin a group chat