How to create a WhatsApp Business account step by step (India, 2026)

The short answer

To create a WhatsApp Business account you need three things: the free WhatsApp Business app, a phone number you own that can receive an SMS or a call, and 20 to 30 minutes to fill in your business profile. There is no form to send to Meta, no fee and no document check. The app is built for small businesses that reply from a phone. If you need several agents on one number, automated order updates or campaigns to thousands of opted-in customers, that is the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), covered at the end of this guide.

The menu names below are taken from WhatsApp's Help Center for the Android app as of 30 Oct 2026. WhatsApp moves things around between versions, and the iPhone layout differs slightly, so if a button is not where we say, look under the Tools tab first.

Step 1: choose the number

WhatsApp's rules for the Business app are simple. You can register a mobile or landline number that you own, and you must be able to receive a call or SMS on it. These cannot be registered:

• VoIP numbers
• Toll-free numbers
• Paid premium-rate numbers
• Universal access numbers (UAN)

A landline works: choose Call me during registration and an automated voice reads out the code. Use the number without an extension, because extension numbers cannot complete registration.

The bigger decision is which number. One phone number can be on WhatsApp Messenger (the normal app) or on WhatsApp Business, but not both at the same time. You can run both apps on one phone if they use two different numbers. That gives you three realistic choices:

If you plan to move to the WhatsApp Business API within a year, a dedicated number is usually the better choice, because that is the number you will connect later.

Step 2: download the app and register the number

1. Install WhatsApp Business from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. It is a separate app from the regular WhatsApp (which WhatsApp calls WhatsApp Messenger).
2. Open it, read the Terms of Service and tap Agree and continue.
3. Choose India from the country list (it fills in +91), then type your number. Do not put a 0 in front.
4. Tap Done to receive the 6-digit registration code by SMS. If it does not arrive, wait for the timer, which can take up to 10 minutes, then tap Call me.
5. Type the code. Do not guess: wrong attempts can lock you out for a while.

Moving an existing WhatsApp number to the Business app

If the number is already on WhatsApp Messenger, the Business app detects it and offers to use it. Your chat history and media can move across. Before you start:

• Back up your chats in WhatsApp Messenger.
• Save contacts to the phone's address book. Contacts you saved only inside WhatsApp (the WhatsApp contacts feature) are not supported in the Business app and are lost when you move. In WhatsApp Messenger settings you can switch that feature off and save everyone to the phone instead.
• Update WhatsApp Messenger to the latest version, then open WhatsApp Business, tap the option showing your number, allow access to chat history and media, and verify with the code.

You can move back to WhatsApp Messenger later, but Business-only data such as catalogue items and collections does not come with you.

Step 3: fill in the business profile

Right after registration, the app walks you through the profile. These are the fields WhatsApp asks for, in order, and what to put in them:

1. Business name. This is the name customers see on your profile. See the naming rules below.
2. Category. Pick up to three. You cannot create a custom category; if yours is missing, choose a broader one or Other Business.
3. Business hours. Choose Open for selected hours, Always open or Appointments only. Fill this in even if you are flexible, because the away message can use it.
4. Profile photo. A square logo that is readable at thumbnail size.
5. Address and website. Search for the address so the map pin is placed automatically. If you have no shop, choose This business does not have a physical location and set a coverage area instead.
6. Description. Two or three plain sentences: what you sell, where you deliver, how to order.

Everything after the name and category can be skipped and filled in later. To edit it, open the Tools tab and tap Profile. That screen also lets you add an email address, a price range, payment and parking options, an About line, and links to your Facebook Page and Instagram account.

A worked example

Meera runs a home-baking business in Pune and takes orders on WhatsApp. A complete profile for her looks like this:

Customers now see her hours, delivery area and starting price before they type a word, which removes the three questions she was answering all day.

Business name rules

WhatsApp says a business name must represent the business. Its stricter formatting rules are written for accounts that want Official Business Account status, but they are a safe standard for everyone:

• Capitalise only the first letter of each word, except acronyms. 'Sunrise Clinic' is fine; 'SUNRISE CLINIC' is not.
• No emoji, symbols such as ®, extra spaces or unnecessary punctuation.
• Not only a person's full name ('Meera Sharma'), a generic word ('Cakes') or a place ('Pune'), and not three characters or fewer.
• No variation of the word 'WhatsApp'.

One detail surprises most owners: on a regular business account, a customer who has not saved your number sees only your phone number in their chat list, not your business name. Ask customers to save the number, for example in the greeting message. The display name rules for the API are different and are reviewed by Meta.

Step 4: copy and share your short link

Every Business account gets a short link automatically. When a customer opens it on a phone with WhatsApp, a chat with you opens; on a computer, they see a page with your business details and a Continue to chat button. Open the Tools tab and look for Short link. From there you can copy it, send it, and switch on a default message that is pre-typed for the customer.

A good default message names the thing people most often ask for, for example: "Hi Meera's Bakehouse, I want to order a cake for (date)." Put the link in your Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, website footer, delivery-bag stickers and the QR code on your counter. The same link is what you would later use in Click-to-WhatsApp ads.

Step 5: greeting, away messages and quick replies

Three free tools in the Tools tab handle most first replies: Greeting message (sent on a customer's first message, or after 14 days without messages in that chat), Away message (sent always, on a custom schedule, or outside the business hours in your profile) and Quick replies (up to 50 saved answers you insert by typing / in a chat, such as your price list, UPI ID and delivery charges).

Switch on at least the greeting on day one. Meera's reads: "Thanks for messaging Meera's Bakehouse! Please save this number. Share your date, flavour and cake size (500 g / 1 kg) and I'll reply with the price within the hour." Our auto-reply guide for WhatsApp Business walks through each setting with more ready-to-use messages.

Step 6: organise chats with labels

Labels are coloured tags for chats. Create them from the Chats tab menu (Label chat), then press and hold any chat and tap the label icon to apply one. You can create up to 20. A simple order pipeline works well:

• New enquiry
• Quote sent
• Paid
• Delivered
• Repeat customer

From the label screen you can also Message customers in a label at once; for sending one message to many customers, see WhatsApp broadcast lists in the Business app. WhatsApp is gradually replacing labels with lists (Tools → Lists, also up to 20), which group contacts in the same way; if your app shows Lists instead of Labels, use those.

Two more profile items are worth setting up soon: a catalogue of your products, explained in our WhatsApp Business catalogue guide, and links to your Facebook Page and Instagram from the profile screen.

When to move from the app to the API

The app is designed for one business on a phone and a few linked devices. These are the signs you have outgrown it:

• Chats are missed because only a few devices can see them, and you cannot tell who replied to whom.
• You answer the same questions all day and want a real chatbot, not just a greeting.
• You want order confirmations, delivery updates or payment reminders sent automatically from your store or billing software.
• You want to message thousands of opted-in customers with delivery and read reports.

Those jobs need the WhatsApp Business API, used through a platform with a shared inbox and automation. In India you do not have to give up the app to do it: Meta's coexistence option connects the same number to the API while you keep using the Business app (version 2.24.17 or later), with contacts and up to six months of one-to-one chats synced. Some app features change when you do this; for example, broadcast lists are turned off. Messages you send from the app stay free, while messages sent through the API are charged by Meta per delivered template. Read how coexistence works and the API setup guide before you decide.

For a plan of what to send once you are set up, see our WhatsApp marketing strategy for Indian businesses. Agencies that set up WhatsApp for local clients can also offer the API version under their own brand through a white-label platform.