How to use two WhatsApp accounts on one Mac (2026)

You can’t run two WhatsApp accounts inside the WhatsApp Mac app at once: WhatsApp’s multiple-account feature works only on phones, and its help center says it “is not available on linked devices”, which is what the Mac app and WhatsApp Web are. What works is giving each account its own window: link one account to the WhatsApp Mac app and the other to WhatsApp Web in a browser. Each account needs its own phone number and a phone to link from.

This guide covers what WhatsApp supports today, step-by-step setups for two (or more) accounts, how WhatsApp Business fits in, and the trade-offs of multi-account apps. Every WhatsApp claim was checked against its help center on 20 October 2026.

What WhatsApp supports today (checked 20 October 2026)

Two accounts in one app is a phone feature; on a Mac, each account needs its own linked device. The details, from WhatsApp’s own pages:

Question	Answer
Can one WhatsApp app hold two accounts?	On a phone, yes: up to two accounts, switched in Settings (WhatsApp). Android first, and rolling out on iPhone since WhatsApp’s March 2026 update (WhatsApp blog)
Can the Mac app or WhatsApp Web switch accounts?	No: “This feature is not available on linked devices. Multiple accounts are currently only supported on mobile devices.”
Can a second account be used on a computer?	Yes: “You can pair a companion device to your secondary account.”
Does each account need its own number?	Yes. An account is verified with one number, and you can’t add a second number to it (WhatsApp)
How many computers can one account use?	Up to four linked devices at a time (WhatsApp)
Do linked devices need the phone?	Not online, but they log out if the phone that registered the account goes unused for more than 14 days
WhatsApp Business alongside WhatsApp?	Yes, on a different number, and Business links to Web and Desktop too (WhatsApp)

The setup that works: Mac app for one account, WhatsApp Web for the other

This is the simplest way to keep two accounts open on one Mac, and it uses only WhatsApp’s own apps. Think of each account as needing its own “seat”: the Mac app is one seat, a browser is another.

Before you start: both accounts must already exist on a phone. That can be two phones, or one phone holding both accounts with WhatsApp’s Add account feature (you’ll need a second number, for example on a second SIM or an eSIM). WhatsApp says a second account can only be created on your primary phone, not on a computer.

1. Link the first account to the Mac app. Install WhatsApp from the Mac App Store or whatsapp.com/download and open it. On the phone, with the first account active, go to Linked devices > Link a device (on iPhone it’s under Settings; on Android, tap the three-dot menu) and scan the QR code on your Mac.
2. Switch the phone to the second account (or pick up the second phone).
3. Open WhatsApp Web in a browser. Go to web.whatsapp.com in Safari, Chrome or another supported browser.
4. Link the second account. On the phone, with the second account active, go to Linked devices > Link a device and scan the QR code in the browser.

Now you have one account in the WhatsApp app and the other in a browser tab. A few things make it easier to live with:

• Give the browser account its own icon. In Safari, open WhatsApp Web, click the Share button and choose Add to Dock. Apple says this creates a web app with its own Dock icon that can send notifications “just like you would from any app”, and that if you were signed in to the website, you’re automatically signed in to the web app in most cases (Apple).
• Use different profile photos. WhatsApp lets each account have its own picture, about text, notification and privacy settings, which helps you see at a glance which account you’re typing in.
• Keep the phone in use. WhatsApp logs linked devices out if the phone goes unused for more than 14 days, and disconnects a linked device after 30 days of inactivity, so a browser tab you rarely open will eventually need relinking.

For more on the Mac app itself (versions, history, calls), see our guide to WhatsApp on Mac.

Three or more accounts: use separate browsers or browser profiles

If you’d rather not install the app, or you need a third account, give each account its own browser or browser profile. A browser profile keeps its own website data, so WhatsApp Web in each profile can be signed in to a different account.

Two browsers. The quickest version: account one in Safari, account two in Chrome (or Firefox or Edge), each linked to WhatsApp Web separately.

Safari profiles. Apple says profiles keep your personal browsing separate from work and school, and deleting a profile erases “the tabs, history, and website data associated with the profile” (Apple). To set one up:

1. In Safari, choose Safari > Settings, then click Profiles.
2. Click the Add button below the list (the first time, click Start Using Profiles).
3. Name the profile (for example “Work WhatsApp”), pick an icon and color, and click Create Profile.
4. Choose File > New Window > New Work WhatsApp Window, go to web.whatsapp.com and link the account.

Chrome profiles. In Chrome, click your profile icon at the top right, choose Add Chrome profile, then open web.whatsapp.com in the new profile’s window and link the account.

Avoid using a private window for this: Safari doesn’t save cookies and website data from private windows, so you’d have to scan the QR code again every time.

A practical limit: one phone holds at most two WhatsApp accounts, so a third account means a third number and another phone to register it on.

The fallback: log out and switch

If you only need the second account occasionally, you can keep a single Mac session and swap accounts. On the phone, open Linked devices, tap the Mac and choose Log out, then link the other account. It works, but every switch means logging out and scanning a new QR code, so it’s best for a work account you check once a week.

What about WhatsApp Business?

If your second account is for a business, WhatsApp Business is the route WhatsApp designed for it. It’s a separate app for Android and iPhone, and WhatsApp says you can use WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Messenger at the same time, “but the accounts must be linked to different phone numbers” (WhatsApp).

On the Mac, a Business account works like any other: WhatsApp says you can “use WhatsApp Business on Web, Desktop, and other devices by linking them to your phone”, with up to four linked devices and one phone at a time (up to 10 with multi-agent, which comes with a Meta Verified or Meta One subscription). So the same setup applies: personal account in the Mac app, Business in WhatsApp Web, or the other way round.

Multi-account apps: convenient, with a caveat

Some third-party Mac apps put several WhatsApp accounts in one window, alongside your other chat apps:

• Rambox shows web apps such as WhatsApp Web in tabs. Its free Basic plan allows up to 2 instances per app, and Pro ($7 a month or $70 a year) allows unlimited instances (Rambox pricing, as of October 2026). Ferdium, Franz and Wavebox are similar tabbed apps; our comparison of Franz, Rambox, Ferdium and Wavebox covers their prices and free-plan limits.
• Beeper is a unified inbox that connects to WhatsApp with its own software rather than showing WhatsApp Web. Its Plus plan allows 3 accounts per network and 10 in total, for $9.99 a month after a 7-day trial (Beeper pricing, as of October 2026). Our Beeper review covers what the free plan includes.

The caveat: these are not WhatsApp’s apps. WhatsApp’s help center tells you to link only on WhatsApp Web, WhatsApp for Windows and Mac, WhatsApp Android tablets, WhatsApp companion phones or AI glasses, and warns that “linking your account to an unofficial app or website, now or in the past, may result in a temporary or permanent account ban” (WhatsApp). It doesn’t say how it treats an app that shows WhatsApp Web inside its own window. If an account matters to you (a business number, say), the two-browser setup above carries no such question. We cover the trade-offs in are all-in-one messaging apps safe?

Where Tera Chat fits

Tera Chat for Mac, our app, is a free Mac app that brings iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Tinder into one inbox and drafts replies in your own texting style. It connects one WhatsApp account per Mac, so it isn’t a way to run two accounts. If you have one main WhatsApp account and want it next to your other chats, it fits; keep a second account in WhatsApp Web or the WhatsApp Mac app.

What to know before you try it: you pair WhatsApp with a QR code, like WhatsApp Web, and sending from Tera Chat is text only. Tera Chat isn’t made by or affiliated with WhatsApp. WhatsApp’s help center warns that linking an account to an unofficial app or website “may result in a temporary or permanent account ban” (WhatsApp). It needs a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 15 or later. The Tera Chat with WhatsApp page covers what works and what doesn’t. To compare it with other ways of getting every chat in one place, see the best messaging apps for Mac and our guide to combining WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram and Instagram.

Which setup should you use?

Your situation	Best setup
Personal and work numbers, both used daily	WhatsApp Mac app for one, WhatsApp Web (added to the Dock) for the other
You don’t want to install anything	Two browsers, or two Safari or Chrome profiles
Three or more accounts	One browser profile per account (and enough phones and numbers to register them)
A business number with staff answering	WhatsApp Business with linked devices for each person
A second account you check once a week	Log out and switch
Two WhatsApp accounts plus other networks in one window	A multi-account app, if you accept the third-party risk

The short version

The WhatsApp Mac app holds one account. Put your second account in WhatsApp Web, in Safari’s Dock web app, a second browser or a separate browser profile, and link it from the phone that holds that account. Each account needs its own number; one phone can hold two accounts. Third-party multi-account apps can combine them in one window, but WhatsApp’s own apps are the only ones it supports.