How to check if a number is on WhatsApp without messaging it
Check your list before you send. Wapes tells you who is on WhatsApp and who isn’t, without sending anyone a message.
Messaging numbers that aren’t on WhatsApp, or that are typed wrong, wastes sends from your plan and clutters your list. Verify numbers checks one by one whether each number has a WhatsApp account. Nobody receives anything: Wapes only asks whether the account exists, just like WhatsApp Web does when it looks up a contact.
When it’s worth checking
- Old lists, from a past event or a form: many numbers change owners or stop being used.
- Lists you didn’t build yourself, or that several people put together.
- Before a big campaign, so you only send to people who can receive it.
1. Open Verify numbers
On the Wapes Home screen, tap Verify numbers.
2. Load your list
There are two tabs:
- Paste numbers: one per line. If you write
phone, name, the name shows up in the results. You can also use Paste from clipboard. - Load contacts: upload an Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV or TXT file up to 10 MB.
Always include the country code (1 for the US, 44 for the UK, 91 for India): for example 14155550123. When you paste numbers, Wapes does not add the code for you: it checks each number exactly as you typed it. With files it tries to detect the country, but check that it got it right. A number with the wrong code will come back as no WhatsApp.
3. Run the check
Wapes checks one number at a time, with a short pause between each, and you see the progress live. You can Pause, Resume or Cancel at any time. If you cancel, you still get the results for what was already checked.
Before you start, wait until WhatsApp Web has finished loading and you can see your chats, and keep the tab open while it runs. If WhatsApp is still loading or your connection is slow, some results can come out wrong.
4. Use the results
Each number ends up as on WhatsApp or no WhatsApp. At the top you can filter by All, On WhatsApp or No WhatsApp. Then you have two options:
- Export results (.xlsx): downloads an Excel file with two sheets, one for numbers on WhatsApp and one for the rest.
- Send to the N on WhatsApp: opens Bulk send with those numbers already loaded.
If you’re going to send, read Your first bulk campaign without getting blocked first. A number being on WhatsApp doesn’t mean that person expects to hear from you.
How many numbers you can check
| Plan | Checks |
|---|---|
| Free | 10 a day |
| Standard | 500 a day |
| Pro | Unlimited |
Wapes won’t check half a list: if it has more numbers than you have left today, it tells you before it starts. Split it into parts or come back the next day.
Common questions
Will the person know I checked them?
No. No message is sent and nothing shows up on their phone.
A number shows “no WhatsApp”, but I know they have it.
It’s almost always the format: the country code is missing, it’s the wrong country’s code, or the number is incomplete. Fix it and check it again.
Does it work for WhatsApp Business numbers?
Yes. A WhatsApp Business account counts as on WhatsApp too.