How to move your business WhatsApp to a new number
You can move a business WhatsApp to a new number with the change number option built into the app, which keeps your account, groups and settings and can tell your contacts for you. The harder part is everything around it: telling customers, updating your website and profiles, and treating the new number gently while it builds a history. This guide walks through the whole move, including what happens to the Spaces connection and the warm-up afterwards.
Why businesses change numbers
Most owners change their WhatsApp number for ordinary reasons. The business started on a personal mobile and now needs a number of its own. A phone contract has ended. A shop has moved and wants a local number. A partner has left and the number was theirs. Whatever the reason, customers have the old number saved, and many of them will keep using it for months.
That is why a number move is mostly a communication job, not a technical one. The steps in the app take a few minutes. Making sure nobody is left messaging a number that no longer answers takes planning.
Two different kinds of move
Before you start, decide which of these you are doing. They lead to quite different results.
| What you do | What happens | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Use the change number option in WhatsApp | The same WhatsApp account moves to the new number. Your profile, groups and settings come with it, and chat history stays on the phone. | You want one business account and simply need a different number behind it. |
| Set up WhatsApp from scratch on the new number | A completely separate account with no history, groups or settings. The old account carries on unless you delete it. | You want to keep the old number running, for example as a personal number, and start the business on a new one. |
| Keep both numbers | Two accounts, each with its own chats. Customers may write to either. | You have two branches or teams, or you need a long handover period. |
For most businesses the first option is the right one. It keeps the account you have built up, and contacts who chat with you can be told about the change automatically.
Before you start: a short checklist
- Make sure the new number is active and can receive a text or a call, because WhatsApp sends a code to check it.
- Back up your chats, especially if you are changing phone as well as number.
- Write down everywhere the old number appears: website, Google listing, Instagram bio, email signature, invoices, vans, shop window and printed cards.
- Pick a quiet day for the move. Avoid a Saturday morning in a salon or a Friday evening in a restaurant.
- Tell your team what is changing and when, so nobody is surprised when the number on their screen looks different.
- If an AI agent answers on the number, decide whether to pause it during the move. Pausing sending is quick and you can resume it the moment you are done.
Using the change number option
Both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business have a change number option in the app's settings, usually under Account. The exact wording can differ between phones and versions, but the flow is broadly the same:
- Put the new SIM in the phone, or make sure the new number can receive a code on another device.
- Open WhatsApp, go to the settings and find the option to change your number.
- Enter the old number and then the new number, both with the country code.
- Choose whether to tell your contacts. WhatsApp lets you pick who is told, such as everyone you have chatted with.
- Enter the code WhatsApp sends to the new number.
- Check your business profile afterwards: name, hours, address, description and catalogue should all still be there.
WhatsApp's help pages are the place to check if anything looks different on your phone. The app and its menus change from time to time, and their instructions will always be more current than any guide.
If you are changing phone at the same time
Changing number and changing phone are two separate jobs. The safest order is usually to change the number on the old phone first, check everything works, back up, and only then move the account to the new phone using WhatsApp's own transfer or restore option.
Doing both at once is possible, but if something goes wrong it is much harder to tell which step caused it.
Telling customers and updating your listings
WhatsApp can tell the people you chat with, but plenty of customers will find you another way. Work through every place the old number appears.
| Where | What to change |
|---|---|
| Website | Contact page, footer and any click-to-chat buttons or links. |
| Google and map listings | The phone number and any messaging link. |
| Instagram and Facebook | The contact button, the bio and any linked WhatsApp number. |
| Email signature and invoices | The number customers copy when they want a quick answer. |
| Printed material and signs | Replace over time, and keep the old number answering until most of it is gone. |
| Your team | Saved contacts, scripts and any notes your AI agent uses. |
A short personal message works better than a formal announcement. Something like this, sent only to customers you are already chatting with, is usually enough. Names and details are examples.
Hi Grace, it is Tom from Riverside Bikes. Quick note: we have moved WhatsApp to this new number, so please save it. Everything else stays the same. Is your service still booked for Thursday?Ending with a real question matters. It turns the message into a conversation, which is exactly what a number with little history needs.
What happens to the Spaces connection
You scan a QR code with the phone that has the number, the same way you would link WhatsApp on a computer. After a number change, check the account in your Spaces dashboard. If WhatsApp ended the linked session as part of the change, the account shows as needing attention, and your agent is told as soon as it tries to send:
| What your agent is told | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ACCOUNT_NOT_CONNECTED | The platform signed the account out, or asked for a security check. | Open your dashboard and reconnect the account. Sending stays paused until you do. |
Reconnect by scanning the QR code again with the phone that now has the new number. Then give it a quiet day: guidance says to wait up to 24 hours after connecting or reconnecting before starting any new chats. Replies to customers who write in can carry on as normal.
Treat the new number gently
This is published provider guidance, written in our own words and last updated on 28 Aug 2026. It is advice, not a promise from the platform, and the platform can change what it watches for at any time.
- Connect a number with a real history of conversations, not a brand-new one. Fresh numbers can be blocked after only two or three new chats.
- Wait up to 24 hours after connecting or reconnecting before starting any new chats.
- Leave at least 10 to 20 seconds between messages.
- Keep new chats few, start with people likely to reply, and write first messages that invite an answer. Many new chats without replies is what WhatsApp watches for.
A new number has had no conversations of its own, so every unanswered first message counts for more. Even when WhatsApp keeps your account and groups, act as if the number is new for the first few weeks: mostly replies, a few new chats with people who expect to hear from you, and nothing that looks like a campaign.
When a number is connected to Spaces, new chats follow a warm-up whatever your agent asks for. Messages are always at least 10 seconds apart, up to 200 a day.
| Since connecting | New chats an hour | New chats a day |
|---|---|---|
| First 24 hours | 0 | 0 |
| Rest of week 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Week 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Weeks 3 and 4 | 3 | 8 |
| After that | 5 | 10 |
If you set up a brand-new account on the new number rather than moving the old one, it has no history at all. Use it by hand for a week or two before connecting it, as our warm-up guide explains.
Running the old and new numbers side by side
If you keep the old number for a while, decide what it should do. A simple approach is to leave it answering, with a short note in the profile and a friendly reply pointing people to the new number. Avoid copying every customer across in a burst of new chats from the new number. That is many new chats in a short time, which is what WhatsApp watches for.
Each WhatsApp number you connect to Spaces is its own account, with its own warm-up and its own limits, and each counts towards your plan. Moving messages from one number to another to get more room is working around a limit, and Spaces' Terms rule it out.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending the same "we have a new number" message to everyone at once. Spaces refuses the same cold message sent to many people, and WhatsApp notices it too.
- Letting the old number go dead overnight. Customers who did not see the change will think you have closed.
- Forgetting the click-to-chat link on your website, so new enquiries still go to the old number.
- Starting lots of new chats on the day you reconnect. Give the number a quiet day first.
- Using a modified or unofficial version of WhatsApp to manage two numbers. WhatsApp can ban accounts that use them.
Notes to give your AI agent
Your agent needs to know about the move too, so it does not quote the old number or rush to message everyone. You can paste something like this into its instructions:
WhatsApp number change:
- We now use the new number for WhatsApp. Never give out the old number.
- For the next four weeks, mostly reply to people who message us.
- If a regular customer writes in, mention the new number once and ask them to save it.
- Do not send a new-number announcement to people who have not written to us.
- If Spaces says the account needs reconnecting, tell me and stop.
- If Spaces says to wait, wait.Who you message
Summing up
Moving a business WhatsApp to a new number is quick in the app and slow everywhere else. Use the change number option if you want to keep the account, update every place the old number appears, and tell customers in short, personal messages that invite a reply.
Afterwards, check the connection in your Spaces dashboard, reconnect if needed, wait a day before new chats and let the warm-up run. Treat the number as new for a few weeks, and it will settle down like the old one did.
Pricing
FAQ
Will I lose my chats if I change my WhatsApp number?
Not if you use the change number option on the same phone. Your chat history stays on the phone, and your account, groups and settings move to the new number. Back up first in any case, especially if you are changing phone too.
Does WhatsApp tell my contacts about the new number?
It can. When you change number, WhatsApp lets you choose who to tell, such as the people you have chatted with. Customers who found you through your website or a sign will still need the new number there.
Do I need to reconnect Spaces after changing number?
Check your dashboard. If the account shows as needing attention, scan the QR code again with the phone that has the new number. Then wait up to 24 hours before starting new chats, as guidance recommends.
Does a new number start the warm-up again?
Treat it as if it does. A new number has no conversations of its own yet, so keep to replies and a few expected new chats for the first weeks, whatever the counters allow.
Can my agent message all my customers to say the number has changed?
Not in one go. The same cold message sent to many people. Spaces refuses copy-paste blasts. Mention the new number in replies to people who write in, and send short personal messages only to customers you are actively working with.
Should I keep the old number running?
For a while, yes, if you can. Leave it answering with a friendly pointer to the new number, so customers who missed the change are not left without a reply.
Can I connect both the old and new numbers to Spaces?
Yes. A workspace can connect more than one WhatsApp number, and each is its own account with its own warm-up and limits. Each counts towards your plan, which the pricing page explains.
What if WhatsApp will not send the code to my new number?
Check the number is active and can receive texts or calls, and that you typed it with the right country code. WhatsApp's help pages cover the options if a code still does not arrive.