A Messenger link (m.me) and QR code for your Page

This comes from the Messenger Platform page “m.me Links” on Meta for Developers. The page showed “Updated: Mar 23, 2026” when it was read on 7 October 2026. It says the format is m.me/PAGE-NAME, where the name is the Facebook Page linked to your messaging app, and that clicking it redirects someone to a new conversation with the business or to an existing one.

In a new conversation, Meta says a default message appears saying the person entered the conversation by following a link and that the Page has been told they are there. The page also documents a text parameter, to include a customised message. This tool does not build that one: it is limited to the plain link and the ref.

Meta describes ref as context about the conversation, for example a link on your website versus a link in a store. It reaches the Page’s messaging app, not the customer. Two cases are documented. When someone presses Get Started to begin a new conversation, the ref arrives in the postback notification the app receives. When a conversation already exists, following the link takes the person back to it, resets the 24-hour standard messaging window, and the app is sent a referral notification carrying the ref.

So the ref only helps if software reads it. A Page that answers only from the inbox in Facebook will never see it. A Page whose messages go through an app or automation tool can use it to start the right flow, for example a discount coupon for people who scanned a poster. Meta’s own example is a QR code holding m.me/OriginalCoastClothing?ref=summer_coupon, which starts a coupon flow. Whether your tool does something with refs is something to check in its settings.

• Meta says the ref must be URL-encoded and can be at most 2,083 characters. The tool encodes it for you.
• Plain letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores are the safest, because they need no encoding.
• Meta lists three requirements for reading it: Advanced Access for the app linked to the Page, a Get Started button, and subscriptions to the messaging_postbacks and messaging_referrals fields.

Meta’s page carries a warning under “Limitation on referral parameters”: referrals “might not work for some Messenger for Android customers or Pages with georestriction”, and Meta does not guarantee them. It adds that the m.me link itself still works to send people to a conversation, and recommends against using the feature if those limits hurt your business. Treat the ref as a helpful hint, not a count you can bill from.

Tip: Meta also documents an m.me/rn form for recurring notification opt-in requests, which needs a registered topic. This tool does not build those links.