How to Make sms: Links for a List of Phone Numbers (Excel and Bulk)

To make an sms: link, write sms: then the number in E.164 form, then ?body= and your message. For a whole list, the bulk SMS link generator does it for every row: paste the numbers or upload a CSV, add an optional message, and download the links with ready HTML anchors. It runs in your browser, so the list goes nowhere.

The link does not send anything. It opens a new message, addressed and filled in, and the person taps send.

What an sms: link looks like

An sms: link is the text-message version of a mailto: link, set out in RFC 5724. For example:

Part	Example
Link with no text	sms:+14155550132
Link with a message	sms:+14155550132?body=Hello
Older iPhone form	sms:+14155550132&body=Hello

The number is in E.164 form: a plus sign, the country code and the number, with no spaces or brackets. That works from any country. For the format itself, see the E.164 phone number format.

Step 1: pick the default country

Numbers written without a + code are read in the default country you pick. (415) 555-0132 has no country code, so it needs one. Numbers that start with a + ignore the default.

Step 2: paste the list and write the message

Paste numbers, or upload a CSV and the phone column is found for you. Type the message to pre-fill, or leave it blank for links that only open a new text. Spaces and punctuation in the message are encoded for you, so an ampersand or question mark does not break the link.

Step 3: choose the link style

The standard style is ?body=. The second option, &body=, is for some older iPhones. If you are unsure, test one link on your own phone before a large run.

Step 4: check the preview and download

Valid numbers get a link and an HTML anchor. Numbers that do not fit their country's numbering plan get no link. They are left blank, not guessed. Fix those rows, or change the default country, and run again. Download the CSV with the links added to your original columns.

The by-hand way in Excel or Sheets

If the numbers are already clean E.164 in column A and the message is short, this works in both:

=HYPERLINK("sms:"&A2&"?body=Hello",A2)

Fill it down. It does not clean messy numbers, does not tell you which rows are wrong, and a message with an ampersand or a question mark needs encoding first. To clean the column first, see how to format phone numbers in Excel.

Before you send a text to a list

A tap-to-text link is one person pressing send, but marketing texts still need the recipient's consent whatever opens the message. A text over 160 characters splits into parts, so count it with the SMS character counter and read SMS character limits, GSM and UCS-2.

What this tool cannot do

• It does not show that a number can receive texts. The check is against the country's numbering plan, not a phone network.
• It does not send anything or record who tapped.
• It uses one default country a run, so split a mixed list first with the phone list segmenter.
• Support for body= varies a little between phones and messaging apps.

Does a well-formed number mean it is active

No. Nothing here contacts a phone network, so a number that passes is only well formed. If the same list has email addresses, check them on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.

Make your links now

Paste the list into the bulk SMS link generator.