WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to easily connect with friends, family, coworkers, and more through instant messaging, voice and video calls.
A common question many WhatsApp users have is how to find someone on WhatsApp when you only have their phone number. There are a few different ways to go about this, which we’ll outline below.
Check Your Phone Contacts
The easiest way to find someone on WhatsApp is if you already have them saved in your phone’s contacts. WhatsApp automatically syncs with your phone’s contacts, so if you have someone’s number saved, they should show up in your WhatsApp contacts list.
To check if someone is on WhatsApp using your phone contacts:
- Open the Contacts app on your phone.
- Search for the person’s name or number.
- If they have WhatsApp, you should see the WhatsApp icon next to their name or number.
- Tap on their contact to open it.
- Tap on the WhatsApp icon to send them a message through WhatsApp.
If the WhatsApp icon does not appear next to their contact, then they are likely not on WhatsApp.
Search for Them in WhatsApp
If you don’t already have the person’s number saved in your phone’s contacts, you can search for them directly in WhatsApp using their phone number. Here’s how:
- Open the WhatsApp app.
- Tap on the Chats tab at the bottom.
- Tap on the search icon at the top.
- Type in the phone number you want to find, with the country code included.
- If they have WhatsApp, their contact should appear. Tap on it to start chatting.
This will only work if the person already has you in their phone’s contacts. If they don’t, keep reading for other options.
Use WhatsApp Click to Chat Link
WhatsApp has a click to chat feature that allows you to create a link to start a chat with someone’s number, even if you don’t have them saved in your contacts.
Here’s how to find someone with the click to chat link:
- On your phone’s web browser, go to https://wa.me/ and enter the phone number after the slash, with the country code.
- Hit enter. This will generate a click to chat link for that number.
- Tap the link on your phone. It will open WhatsApp and start a chat with that number.
The click to chat link essentially forces WhatsApp to look up the number, even without having to save the contact first. This method can be helpful if the previous search method didn’t work.
Use WhatsApp Web
Searching on WhatsApp Web provides another option for finding someone when you only have their number. Here’s what to do:
- Go to web.whatsapp.com on your computer browser.
- Click on the search icon at the top left.
- Enter the phone number with country code.
- If they have WhatsApp, their contact will show up. Click it to start chatting.
This method works similarly to searching directly in the WhatsApp mobile app. But it can be easier to search contacts using a computer keyboard compared to mobile.
Ask Someone in Your Contacts
If none of the above methods are working, another option is to ask someone who is already in your WhatsApp contacts if they have the person’s number saved.
Steps:
- Open your WhatsApp contacts and message someone you think might have that person’s number.
- Ask them if they have so-and-so’s number in their phone’s contacts.
- If they do, ask them to share the number with you so you can add it to your contacts.
- Once you get the number, follow the steps above to search or create a click to chat link.
Getting the number from someone else in your contacts essentially helps you bypass the need to already have it saved.
Use Third-Party Contact Discovery Apps
There are also various third-party apps and websites that offer WhatsApp contact discovery using just a phone number. These include:
- Truecaller – Searches an extensive database of phone numbers.
- Spytox – Allows you to enter a number to check WhatsApp usage.
- Numlookup – Searches international phone number directories.
To use these apps:
- Download the app or search the website.
- Enter the phone number you want to look up.
- If the number is registered with WhatsApp, it should show in the results.
- You can then save the number or use it to message on WhatsApp.
Do keep in mind that these third-party services have varying accuracy. But they provide additional options when trying to find someone.
Tips for Finding Someone Easily
Here are some tips to help search for and find people more easily on WhatsApp:
- Always enter the full phone number, including the country code.
- Double check the number is entered correctly to avoid searching the wrong person.
- Try searching on both mobile and WhatsApp Web for better results.
- Make sure your own privacy settings allow people to find you by your number.
- Searching by name doesn’t work on WhatsApp – you need the phone number.
- If someone doesn’t use WhatsApp, you won’t be able to find them on it.
Following these tips will optimize your chances of connecting with someone on WhatsApp if you only have their number.
Can You Find Someone’s Number on WhatsApp?
While WhatsApp provides several options to search for someone if you have their number, it’s not as easy to do a reverse search.
There is no built-in way to lookup someone’s phone number using just their WhatsApp name or profile. This is by design for user privacy and security.
Some ways people try to find someone’s number on WhatsApp include:
- Looking them up on Truecaller or similar apps using their name.
- Asking mutual connections if they have the person’s number.
- Trying a phone number profiler website, which has very limited accuracy.
However, these methods are not reliable. Your best bet is asking the person directly for their number if you want to connect on WhatsApp. Avoid any services that claim to retrieve numbers through WhatsApp itself, as that violates WhatsApp’s security policies.
Troubleshooting When You Can’t Find Someone
There are a few reasons you may not be able to find someone on WhatsApp even if you have their number:
- They may not be using WhatsApp.
- Their privacy settings may be restricting contact discovery.
- They might be blocking you from viewing their WhatsApp profile.
- It’s possible you have the wrong or outdated number.
Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Double check you entered the number correctly.
- Try searching on WhatsApp Web as well as your phone.
- Check if the number is registered on Truecaller to confirm it’s active.
- Contact the person through another method to get their WhatsApp details.
- Use a different contact discovery service or ask friends for help.
If you still can’t find the person, they likely either changed numbers, stopped using WhatsApp, or have you blocked. In that case, you may need to reach them outside of WhatsApp to connect.
Conclusion
Finding someone on WhatsApp is easy when you know their phone number. Saving them to your contacts, searching directly in WhatsApp, or using the click to chat link will allow you to message anyone who has an active WhatsApp account.
If you don’t have their number, it becomes much more difficult to lookup someone’s WhatsApp details due to privacy settings. Your best option is getting their number directly from them or a mutual contact. Avoid any illegal or sketchy third-party services claiming to retrieve WhatsApp numbers.
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp makes connecting with others around the world seamless and fast. Follow these tips to easily find people on WhatsApp and stay in touch through messaging.