Download Whatsapp for PC and Mac app and official program

If we are new to the WhatsApp world and want to use the famous messaging app even when we are in front of the PC? We probably haven’t discovered the WhatsApp app yet available Windows PC and Mac, to download for free and to install in a few simple steps.
In this guide we will show you then how to download and configure the WhatsApp app for PC, so that we can always read the messages we receive without having to turn on the screen of our phone every time and, more importantly, to be able to do calls and video calls with Whatsapp from PC, which can only be done through the program for Windows or Mac and not through the Whatsapp Web site.
In the guide we will also show you how to configure WhatsApp Web, a valid alternative to be used on shared computers or on computers on which we do not want or cannot install the official app (in fact it has almost the same functions).

Install WhatsApp on PC and Mac

To download Whatsapp on PC and Mac all we have to do is open our favorite browser (Edge, Safari or Chrome) and take us to the official page of the app.

The page automatically adapts to the operating system we use, all we have to do is open it and click on the item Download for. The installer works on Mac OS X 10.9 and later and on PC with Windows 10.
WhatsApp for PC also works on Windows 8, while Windows 7 is not officially supported although it should work. For Windows 8 and Windows 10 32-bit PCs, you need to download the 32-bit version, different from the 64-bit version which is the main one. If you get the error “Installation has failed. There was an error while installing the application. Check the setup log for more information and contact the author“, the reason is this.
Also note that it needs to be present for it to work .NET Framework 4.5, which will be downloaded by the installer if not already present.

If we use Windows 10 as an operating system we can also download theWhatsApp app directly from Microsoft Store, which is pretty much the same, but it also works on 32-bit PCs.

How to set up WhatsApp account on PC

After installing the WhatsApp app on our computer or Mac, open it, so as to display a QR code in the foreground.

This code is essential to associate the account, since we will have to scan it from the phone to log in; then take the Android smartphone or the iPhone on which our WhatsApp app is already configured, touch on the menu Settings (top right on Android or bottom right on iPhone) and press the voice WhatsApp Web/desktop.
We provide permissions to access the camera and, by pointing it at the computer screen, we scan the recognition code.
If everything went correctly we will immediately see personal messages and chats appear in the app, ready to be read or to reply on it using the computer keyboard.
Unlike other apps such as Telegram, Skype or Facebook Messenger, access from PC to WhatsApp takes place via connection from the smartphone (which must always be connected to the Internet), which acts as a communication bridge.
If the Internet does not work on the phone, the connection will also be lost on the WhatsApp app and we will not be able to reply or read new messages. WhatsApp writes on its blog that voice and video calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, and therefore private and not interceptable.

The WhatsApp program for PC and Mac shows the list of conversations on the left, a button with three dots to view Profile e Personal status but also to create a new group and see archived chats, a settings button to activate or deactivate notifications, to deactivate sounds and to block specific contacts.
If you open a conversation, all we have to do is click on the name of the person or group to see the details tab, you can click on each individual message to see, only in groups, who has read it and the time of sending. , and you can click the button with three dots at the top right.
From this button you can select and delete messages or delete entire chats.

The desktop application also allows you to view chat history and search for past messages. The program interface supports most of the functions of the mobile application: write messages using the PC keyboard (which is the added value of using WhatsApp from the computer), add emoticons, attach files or use voice messages if you has a microphone connected to the computer.
At the moment, unfortunately, there are no voice calls and video calls, not supported by PC and via the web: we will necessarily have to use the app on the phone.

How to set up WhatsApp Web

If our computer does not allow the installation of new apps (for example a company computer or a computer with a limited user) or we want to check our WhatsApp messages on the fly from a shared PC, first of all we open the incognito mode on the chosen browser ( as seen in our guide When to use incognito browsing (Chrome, Firefox, Edger, Safari)), then let’s go to the page reserved for WhatsApp Web.

To access, simply repeat the same steps already seen a little while ago: scan the QR code with the WhatsApp app from the phone and start receiving and replying to messages and chats directly within the browser.

The advantage of WhatsApp Web open in incognito mode is very evident: when we have finished chatting, just close the window to leave no traces of the conversation. Since the WhatsApp program for PC and Mac is a replica of the chat website, if you access one, the other disconnects and vice versa: we cannot therefore use WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop together.

Conclusions

Even if the most experienced users know perfectly how to bring WhatApp on the PC, a summary guide on all the steps to be carried out and on the tricks to get WhatsApp even on the computer is always useful, especially for users who turn on a PC for the first time and want keep an eye on all chats.

In another guide we also showed you how Use Whatsapp, Messenger, Skype and other chats together on PC.
Other very useful tricks for beginners can be found in our guides on how Tag on WhatsApp (mention) in groups to send notification e Access Whatsapp with the same account on two smartphones or more.