Can you make a WhatsApp account without a phone number?
No. WhatsApp will not create an account without a phone number, and it does not offer an email or username sign-up instead. Its privacy policy says: "You must provide your mobile phone number and basic information (including a profile name of your choice) to create a WhatsApp account." Tablets, computers and children's accounts all still start from a phone number.
Below is what WhatsApp's own documents say as of November 1, 2026, what you can do with one number across several devices, and how to keep that number away from everything else you sign up for.
Does WhatsApp require a phone number?
Yes, and WhatsApp says so in three places.
The privacy policy lists the number under "Your Account Information" and adds: "If you don't provide us with this information, you will not be able to create an account to use our Services."
The terms of service put it as a rule: "You must register for our Services using accurate information, provide your current mobile phone number, and, if you change it, update your mobile phone number using our in-app change number feature."
The terms for the European Region add how the code reaches you: "You agree to receive text messages and phone calls (from us or our third-party providers) with codes to register for our Services."
So there is no hidden setting, no web sign-up and no email option. The number is the account. Guides that promise a WhatsApp account with no number at all are, in practice, telling you to use someone else's number, which brings its own problems (covered below).
What each WhatsApp sign-up variant actually needs
People search for this in several forms. Here is what WhatsApp documents for each one.
| What you want | Does it need a phone number? | What WhatsApp says |
|---|---|---|
| A new account on a phone | Yes | "You must provide your mobile phone number" |
| WhatsApp on an iPad or Android tablet | Yes, through a phone | "You'll still need your primary phone to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices" |
| WhatsApp on Windows, Mac or in a browser | Yes, through a phone | Same linked-devices rule |
| An account for a child under 13 | Yes, the child's number | Parent-managed account set-up: "Verify your child's phone number and confirm their birthdate" |
| Keeping the account after you change numbers | Yes, the new number | Use the in-app change number feature |
The table is built from the privacy policy, the terms, the tablet download page and the parental controls page, all checked on November 1, 2026.
Using WhatsApp on a tablet or computer without a second number
This is the one real answer to "WhatsApp without a phone number" that WhatsApp supports. You still register once with a number, but every other device rides on that account and needs no number of its own.
WhatsApp's linked-devices FAQ says you can link "up to four devices at a time to your primary phone," and lists Windows, Mac, Web, Android tablet, iPad, WearOS, companion phones, Meta AI glasses and VR as supported. Your chats are then available on all of them.
The steps, in outline:
- Register WhatsApp on your phone with your mobile number and the code WhatsApp sends.
- Install WhatsApp on the second device. The iPad and Android tablet apps are in the App Store and Google Play. On Windows, WhatsApp Desktop is in the Microsoft Store (Windows 10.1 64-bit 1903 or later). On a Mac, it needs macOS 11 or later. Anything else can use WhatsApp Web in a browser.
- On your phone, open Settings, then Linked devices, and follow the prompts to link the new device.
If what you wanted was WhatsApp on an iPad that has no SIM card, this is the route. The iPad does not need a number. Your phone does.
WhatsApp for children under 13
"WhatsApp without a phone number for kids" is a common search, usually from parents who would rather not give a young child a SIM. WhatsApp's terms say you "must be at least 13 years old to register for and use our Services on your own (or such greater age required in your country or territory)." Below that age, "your parent or guardian can create a parent-managed account for you if it is available in your country or territory."
That account still starts with a number. WhatsApp's set-up steps read: "Download WhatsApp on your child's phone," tap to create a parent-managed account, then "Verify your child's phone number and confirm their birthdate," and link it to the parent's account. WhatsApp also says "parental controls are rolling out gradually and may not be available in your region yet."
Why WhatsApp asks for your number
WhatsApp's documents give a few reasons, in its own words.
- The number is your identity on the service. Your contacts find you by it, and the contact upload feature matches "the phone numbers in your mobile address book" against WhatsApp users.
- It is how you get back in. The security page says: "If you've lost access to your account, re-register your phone number."
- It helps WhatsApp estimate where you are. The privacy questions page says: "We rely on your IP address and phone number to estimate your general (not precise) location, like country or city, to enable features like payments, or to comply with local laws and regulations."
- It makes spam harder. The same page describes spotting automated accounts, giving the example that "a user sending 1,000 messages a minute is probably an automated spam account." Tying each account to a real number raises the cost of running many of them.
On the privacy side, WhatsApp's security page also says "No one can search for your phone number or read your personal messages." That line is about search. It says nothing about the people you chat with, which is one reason the settings in our guide is WhatsApp safe are worth ten minutes.
What not to do
- Don't use a public SMS website or a number you don't control. Whoever controls the number can receive the code that logs into your account, and WhatsApp's own recovery path is to re-register the number. If that number belongs to a stranger, so does your account.
- Don't register with a friend's number unless they know it is theirs to keep. It becomes their WhatsApp account in every practical sense.
- Don't make a new account after a ban. The terms say that if WhatsApp disables or suspends your account, "you agree not to create another account without our permission."
- Don't use modified WhatsApp apps that claim to skip the phone step. WhatsApp's security page warns that "using fake versions of WhatsApp poses serious privacy and security risks to your account and data."
If you gave WhatsApp your number, protect it
You can't avoid the number, but you can make it less useful to someone who steals it.
- Turn on two-step verification. WhatsApp's security page says to "set up a secret pin and never share it with anyone to prevent someone from stealing your account." With it on, a stolen SMS code is not enough by itself.
- Never forward a WhatsApp code. WhatsApp says it will "prompt you to verify your identity if we detect any suspicious or unauthorized attempts to take over your account." A message from a "friend" asking for the code you just received is the classic takeover.
- Keep the number current. If you switch numbers, use the in-app change number feature, as the terms require, rather than letting the old number lapse while still attached to your account.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign up for WhatsApp with an email address?
No. WhatsApp's privacy policy and terms both say you must provide a mobile phone number to create an account. There is no email sign-up option on any platform.
Can I use WhatsApp on an iPad without a phone number?
Only by linking it to a phone that has WhatsApp. WhatsApp says "you'll still need your primary phone to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices." The iPad itself does not need a SIM or a number.
Can I use WhatsApp on a computer without a phone?
Not on its own. WhatsApp Desktop and WhatsApp Web are linked devices, and WhatsApp says you need your primary phone "to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices." Once linked, the computer needs no number of its own.
Does WhatsApp show my phone number to other people?
WhatsApp's security page says "No one can search for your phone number." That covers search, not the people you chat with or anyone who already has your number. Our guide on whether WhatsApp is safe lists the privacy settings that limit what else they see.
Can I remove my phone number from WhatsApp later?
Not while keeping the account. You can change the number with the in-app change number feature, or delete the account. WhatsApp's privacy policy says "you can delete your WhatsApp account at any time."
Keep your number out of everything else
WhatsApp is one of the few big services where a phone number is truly mandatory. Most of what you sign up for runs on an email address instead, and that is where you can cut the number out.
Many email providers ask for a phone number too. We explain what Gmail and Outlook actually require, and our page on email without a phone number covers the rest. Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number and no card, and you save a 12-word recovery phrase instead of a recovery phone. The free plan includes 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so you can give each app its own address and keep your main one private.
WhatsApp gets your number either way. Your inbox doesn't have to: create a free Secria address with no phone number at all.
Secria fact-checks every post against primary sources. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email hq@secria.me and we will correct it.