Top 7 Best Ways How to Use WhatsApp on a Computer

WhatsApp has around 500 million daily active users, and most of those who use this wildly popular instant messaging platform access it from their mobile devices. But there are also ways how to use WhatsApp on a computer, and, in this article, we are taking a look at seven of them.

1. WhatsApp Web
2. WhatsApp Desktop App
3. Bluestacks App Player
4. Nox App Player
5. MEmu
6. Vysor
7. DeskDock

1 WhatsApp Web

By far the easiest way how to use WhatsApp on a computer is WhatsApp Web, an official web-based client that was first announced by WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum in 2015. It works in all major web browsers, except for Internet Explorer, and it takes just three steps to get started with it:

1. Open the WhatsApp app on your mobile device.
   
2. Open the main Menu, go to Settings, and select WhatsApp Web.
   
3. Open WhatsApp Web in your web browser of choice and scan the QR code.
   

The only major limitation of WhatsApp Web is that you must keep your mobile device connected to the internet for the browser client to work. Should you, for example, run out of battery power, WhatsApp web would instantly disconnect you, making it less than ideal for emergency situations.

2 WhatsApp Desktop App

Besides the official web-based client, WhatsApp now also has an official desktop client for macOS and Windows computers. The desktop client runs on Windows 8 or higher and macOS x 10.9 or higher.

It was launched in May of 2016, and it offers much of the same functionality as the mobile client, with a few notable exceptions. Perhaps the biggest limitation is that WhatsApp currently doesn’t allow users to make audio and video calls from desktop operating systems. To set up the desktop client:

1. Download the version that corresponds with your operating system.
   
2. Install it as you would any other application.
   
3. Launch the desktop client and wait for it to display a QR code.
   
4. Grab your mobile device, open WhatsApp, go to Settings, and select WhatsApp Web.
   
5. Scan the QR code and enjoy WhatsApp on your Mac or Windows computer.
   

Just like with WhatsApp Web, you must keep your mobile device connected to the internet to use WhatsApp on your computer. To overcome this limitation, use the next method.

3 Bluestacks App Player

Bluestacks App Player is an Android emulator designed to enable Android apps and games to run on computers with Windows and macOS. The first version of Bluestacks App Player was launched in 2011, and it has since then become one of the most popular applications of this kind. According to its developers, Bluestacks App Player can run 96 percent of apps in the Google Play Store, including WhatsApp.

1. Download Bluestacks App Player and install it on your Windows or Mac computer.
   
2. Launch it and sign in with your Google Play account.
   
3. Install WhatsApp in Bluestacks.
   
4. Open WhatsApp in Bluestacks and enter your mobile phone number to verify it.
   
5. After your number has been verified, you should be able to use WhatsApp in Bluestacks just like on your mobile device.
   

With the mobile WhatsApp client running in Bluestacks, you can use both the web-based WhatsApp client as well as the desktop client even with your mobile device disconnected from the internet as long as you keep your computer running.

4 Nox App Player

Nox App Player is another popular Android emulator. It promises a smoother experience than Bluestacks thanks to its cutting-edge engine that ensures compatibility with a wide range of Android apps and games, WhatsApp included. Nox App Player is compatible with Windows and macOS, and it has been translated into over 20 languages.

1. Download Nox App Player from its official website and install it.
   
2. Open it and sign in with your Google Play account.
   
3. Download the official WhatsApp mobile client from Google Play Store.
   
4. Open WhatsApp in Nox App Player and enter your mobile phone number to verify it.
   
5. A verification message should arrive in a moment and allow you to use WhatsApp on your computer.
   

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5 MEmu

The last Android emulator we want to mention is MEmu. Launched as MEmu App Player in 2015, this reliable Android emulator aims to provide the best way how to run Android games and apps on PC. It has over 20 million users in 200 countries around the world, and it has been praised for its excellent compatibility with popular Android apps and games. Using MEmu to run WhatsApp on a Windows computer is simple:

1. Download MEmu either from its official website or from the official Google Drive mirror.
   
2. Install it and sing in with your Google Play account.
   
3. Open Google Play Store and download WhatsApp.
   
4. Launch WhatsApp in MEmu and complete the verification process just like with Bluestacks and Nox App Player.
   

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6 Vysor

Vysor is a remote desktop application that lets you wirelessly view and control your Android device from a computer. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and in the Chrome web browser. This means you can control the official WhatsApp mobile client using a full-sized keyboard to easily type over a hundred words per minute without your thumbs disintegrating in the process.

1. Visit Google Play Store on your Android device and install Vysor.
   
2. Enable USB debugging on your Android device.
   
3. Install the Vysor desktop client.
   
   • If you’re on Windows, make sure to install ADB drivers as well.
4. Open Vysor on your computer and pair it with Vysor on your mobile device.

You need to purchase the premium version of Vysor to access all the features the app offers. You can pay $2.50 per month, $10 per year, or $40 per lifetime in the form of an in-app purchase.

7 DeskDock

DeskDock isn’t an Android emulator or a remote desktop solution. Instead, this handy app allows you to share your computer’s mouse and keyboard with your Android device. No root is required for the app to work, and it supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

You can place your Android device in a dock and use DeskDock to control it as if it were a second screen. Once you experience how convenient it is to just be able to move your computer’s mouse cursor over the screen boundaries to use it with your Android device, you will refuse to use WhatsApp any other way.

1. Install DeskDock from Google Play Store on your Android device.
   
2. Install the DeskDock Server application on your computer.
   
3. Connect your Android device to your computer via a USB cable.
   
   • If you’re on Windows, make sure to install ADB drivers as well.
4. Launch the DeskDock Server application on your computer and the DeskDock app on your Android device and pair the two together.

Conclusion

There are many ways how to use WhatsApp on a computer. Apart from the official web and desktop clients, you can also use an Android emulator to run the mobile WhatsApp client directly on any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. If you own an Android device, you can access it remotely and control WhatsApp with a mouse and keyboard.

Whichever way how to use WhatsApp on a computer you choose, make sure to stick to the instructions and links in this article to avoid downloading malicious software of illegitimate websites.