# Quickstart

> From zero to a shared, tracked WhatsApp link in a few minutes: a free link first, then a Premium Link with your own address and click analytics.

This guide takes you from nothing to a link that opens a WhatsApp chat with you, carries your own address and counts every click. You need your WhatsApp number or username.

## Make a free link

A free link is the fastest way to see how a wa.link works. It needs no account.

1. Go to [walink.com](https://walink.com/#create). The **Create your WhatsApp link** form is at the top of the page.
2. Under **WhatsApp account**, choose **Phone number** or **Username** and enter yours.
3. Optionally, write a **Pre-filled message**: the text the visitor sends you when the chat opens.
4. Select **Generate my free wa.link**.
5. Select **Try it** to open the chat, **Copy link** to share it, or **Download PNG** to save its QR code.

A free link gets a random address, can't be edited later and shows no analytics. [Free links](https://walink.com/docs/free-links) explains what you can do with one, including saving it to an account.

> [!TIP]
> Want your own address right away? In the same form, switch on **Make it a Premium Link** and type the address you want. The button then takes you to sign in, and the app opens your new Premium Link with everything filled in.

## Sign in to the app

Walink's dashboard is at app.walink.com. There's no password and no separate sign-up: your account is created the first time you sign in.

1. Go to [app.walink.com](https://app.walink.com/login?lang=en).
2. Enter your **Email address** and select **Continue with email**, or select **Continue with Google**.
3. With email, type the 6-digit code Walink sends you and select **Sign in**. The code expires after 5 minutes.

## Create a Premium Link

1. Open **Links**, select **New link**, then **Premium link**.
2. In **Custom Link**, type your address, for example `tiendaluna` for wa.link/tiendaluna. Use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens. The field tells you whether it's available.
3. Optionally, give it a **Link Name**. Only you see it.
4. In **Destination Settings**, keep **Link Type** on **Chat** and enter your **WhatsApp account**: a phone number or a username.
5. Write the **Pre-filled Message**.
6. Select **Create link** and review the summary.

Another **Link Type** opens your WhatsApp Business catalog, a channel or a group instead. [Premium Links](https://walink.com/docs/premium-links) covers every setting.

> [!WARNING]
> The address can't be changed after the link is created. Choose one you're happy to print and keep.

## Publish it

Publishing puts the link live, and it's what you pay for: $9 a year per link. Until then, the link is a draft, and drafts are free.

1. If you don't have a subscription yet, the summary says **One step from publishing**. Select **Save as draft**.
2. Open the menu under your initials, top right, and select **Billing**. On **Premium Links**, choose a **Quantity** and select **Go to checkout**. You pay on Stripe's secure checkout.
3. Back in **Links**, open your draft and select **Publish**.

Once your subscription has room, **Create link** in the summary publishes a new link straight away. [Billing](https://walink.com/docs/billing) covers changing the quantity and canceling.

A draft doesn't hold its address: each address goes to whoever publishes it first, so publish soon after you pick one.

## Share it

Your link's page has a **Share Your Link** card:

- **Copy** puts the link on your clipboard, ready for your bio, your website or a chat.
- The QR code below it opens the same link. The download button saves it as a PNG unless you pick another format, and **Style** adds your colors and logo.

The guides show where to put it: [Instagram](https://walink.com/docs/guides/instagram), [your website](https://walink.com/docs/guides/website), [ads](https://walink.com/docs/guides/ads) and [print](https://walink.com/docs/guides/print).

## See your clicks

Clicks show up moments after they happen.

- **Quick Stats**, on the link's page, shows its clicks over the last 30 days and its top source.
- **View Full Analytics** opens the full report: clicks by day, **Traffic Sources**, countries and cities, devices and browsers, and **QR Code Scans** counted apart from taps.

Link previews and other automated visits that Walink detects are left out, so the numbers show real visitors. More in [Analytics](https://walink.com/docs/analytics).