According to a survey by the firm Statista, in january 2021, two billion users were accessing WhatsApp chat on a monthly basis. In february 2014, the social network Facebook acquired the mobile application for US$19 billion.

WhatsApp also has a desktop version with which you can send and receive messages from your computer: it is Whatsapp Web. This version can be run from your favorite browser or through the WhatsApp Web application, which will be more convenient, especially on those days when activities abound and you have to spend long days using your PC.

"The advantage of your PC being the center of your professional or student life, including everything you need to make and present your projects, communicate, with options and technology increasingly focused on the needs of today's consumer, which is not the same as before the pandemic, is one of the factors that continues to push the PC market globally and will continue to do so", said Angelica Davila, Acer's marketing manager.

Why Whatsapp Web?

This messaging platform has end-to-end encryption for its Web version, which was the subject of discussion at the beginning of 2021 due to the lack of security, but now in its most recent versions it has been improved.

Some of the advantages are as follows:

• Multiple accounts.

If you have a personal phone and a corporate phone, you can use WhatsApp Web for both lines on the same laptop, just open an incognito window in your browser, log in with the account you don't have active and that's it, you can let your cell phones go.

• Read messages without leaving traces of "seen"

Easily from the WhatsApp settings you can disable the reading confirmation or double blue check mark, but if you are one of those who prefer to keep it active and sometimes you do not want the other person to know that you have read their message or that you are online, with WhatsApp Web is very simple.

Just open another window on the desktop, "minimize size" and place it so that you continue to see WhatsApp Web, but keeping the other active window in the foreground.

When messages come in you will be able to read them, but as the window is inactive, they will still appear as unread and the other person will not see the blue tick nor will you appear online until you click on WhatsApp Web.

• Send files from phone to PC

Want to send a file to yourself and don't know how to do it? The first thing to do is to create a group with only you in it (you will need to add someone else and then delete them). With this you will be able to share messages that only you will read. If you want to quickly transfer a photo from your laptop to your cell phone or vice versa, you only have to send it through that group.

• Copy and paste photos

While you are browsing you might come across images that interest you or you want to share, the most logical thing would be to download it on the computer and then send it through Whatsapp Web, but there is an even faster way. When you locate the photo, right click and select Copy image, then go to WhatsApp Web and paste it and you're done.

Shortcuts on your keyboard

• Use WhatsApp Web with much more dexterity by employing these keyboard-activated commands.
• Ctrl + N: open a new chat.
• Ctrl + Shift + ]: move to the next conversation.
• Ctrl + Shift + [: return to the previous conversation.
• Ctrl + E: archive conversation.
• Ctrl + Shift + M: mute conversation.
• Ctrl + Backspace: delete conversation.
• Ctrl + Shift + U: mark as unread.
• Ctrl + Shift + N: create new group.
• Ctrl + P: open profile

It is very important to note that WhatsApp Web does not have all the features of the mobile application. In fact, it cannot work without the mobile app. You will need your phone to connect the application and then use it.