Although most of us use WhatsApp with our smartphones, there will be times when using WhatsApp on your computer desktop is much more convenient.
This is especially so if you have to handle a large number of messages. For those who type slowly on their smartphone keyboards, the computer or laptop keyboard is a boon.
They get to send and reply to messages much faster than they would with a smartphone.
Also, there will be situations (think workplace), when you don’t want to be seen messaging with your smartphone and give away the impression that you’re shirking work.
In this instance, too, working with Whatsapp from the desktop would be a wise option.
Also sharing stuff is easier, especially, if you have documents created on your computer.
For example, if you have a PDF file on your computer, it would be much faster sending it through your desktop Whatsapp than you would through email. This is especially so if the recipient also uses the desktop version of WhatsApp.
She can easily download the PDF and read it with a PDF reader.
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How to Access WhatsApp from Your Desktop
That said, there are two ways you can access Whatsapp from your Desktop.
The first way is through Whatsapp Web. The second way is through the WhatsApp Desktop.
The first method is through the Whatsapp Web page, whereby you log in by scanning a barcode with your phone.
WhatsApp Desktop needs to be installed like any other program on your computer, Once installed, you would need to scan a barcode to connect your smartphone Whatsapp account to that of your desktop version.
Why Install WhatsApp Desktop?
Why take the trouble to install WhatsApp Desktop when you can easily access WhatsApp through a browser.
Although both the desktop versions can be accessed through your computer desktop, there are differences between them.
Additional Features
Firstly the Desktop version has additional features compared to the web version.
The standout difference of WhatsApp Desktop is it offers you keyboard shortcuts that WhatsApp Web doesn’t.
For example, if you want to start a new Chat, you just have to hit CRTL + N button.
If you want to start a new group, you hot CRTL + Shift + N.
You can add asterisks on both sides of a word to bold it. For example, *Warning!*
You Don’t want to Tax Your Computer Resources
Opening WhatsApp Web takes up memory and processing power. If you’re opening it on one tab, while working with other tabs, it may slow down your browser and even your computer.
So, if you don’t want to slow down your browser, you would want to stay away from WhatsApp Web and use WhatsApp Desktop.
WhatsApp Desktop takes up computing resources, too, but then not as much as WhatsApp Web.
That said, let’s see how we can install WhatsApp Desktop on your computer.
How to Download and Install WhatsApp Desktop
Head to the WhatsApp Desktop download page.
Once here, WhatsApp will automatically detect your computer operating system. It will then offer you a download option based on it.
On a Windows 8 or higher computer, you’ll be offered 2 download options – 32 bit or 64 bit. Choose appropriately.
If you’re on a Mac. you’ll need macOS 10.10 or newer.
At the time of writing it’s a 130MB download for the 64-bit version of Windows.
Just follow the instructions which will involve QR code scanning just like in WhatsApp Web.
Watch the video below for guidance.
Now you can go ahead and use WhatsApp on your desktop without using WhatsApp web.
