Overview
When you paste a link in a WhatsApp chat, the app fetches a preview — a thumbnail image, title, and description. This is generated by WhatsApp's built-in crawler, which reads Open Graph meta tags from the target page.
WhatsApp's preview bot runs from both the mobile app and WhatsApp Web/Desktop. On mobile, the preview is generated client-side — the device itself fetches the URL. On WhatsApp Web, it's fetched server-side. This dual behavior means you may see different results depending on how the link is shared.
Since WhatsApp is owned by Meta, it reads the same Open Graph tags as Facebook. How the preview image is displayed varies by image shape and app version, so make sure the image still reads well when shown small.
WhatsApp Preview Bot User-Agent Strings
WhatsApp Preview Bot identifies itself with the following user-agent strings:
WhatsApp/2.23.20.0WhatsApp/2.x.x.x A|I|N (version and platform vary)WhatsApp Preview Bot robots.txt
WhatsApp's compliance with robots.txt is inconsistent. Since mobile previews are fetched client-side (by the app, not a server-side crawler), robots.txt may not be checked. Server-side fetches generally respect it.
User-agent: WhatsApp
Allow: /How WhatsApp Preview Bot Handles OG Images
WhatsApp reads standard OG tags. Display varies by image shape and app version, so keep the image readable when it's shown small.
Meta Tags Read
og:imageog:titleog:descriptionog:url| Preferred Size | 1200 × 630 |
| Minimum Size | 300 px wide, no wider than 4:1 |
| Max File Size | 600 KB |
| Cache Duration | Not documented |
Caching Behavior
WhatsApp doesn't publish how long it caches link previews, and there is no public tool to clear the cache. If an old preview keeps showing after you update your tags, change the URL (for example, add ?v=2).
Fallback Behavior
Without an og:image tag, WhatsApp shows a text-only preview with the page title and domain name. No fallback image is extracted from the page.
Things to Know
- On mobile, the preview is fetched by the phone itself — if the phone is on a slow connection, the preview may fail to load.
- Meta asks for og:image files under 600 KB. It says previews that miss its requirements may still appear, but aren't guaranteed to.
- There is no public WhatsApp debugger. Check your tags with a checker first, then send the link to yourself to see the preview WhatsApp shows.
- Cached previews persist even if you update your OG tags. The most reliable workaround is appending a query parameter like ?v=2 to the URL.
How to Test
WhatsApp has no public debugger. To check the tags and image WhatsApp looks for, run your URL through MyOG's checker. It also shows an approximate WhatsApp card. Then confirm by sending the link to yourself, because the app's rendering and cache are final.
- Put og:title, og:description and og:url inside <head>, and don't leave them empty. Meta's docs also require the <head> to appear within the first 300 KB of the HTML.
- Send the link to yourself or a test group. Meta's docs say that if no preview shows above the message box after 10 seconds, check that the page meets its requirements.
- If an old preview still shows after you fix your tags, append a query parameter (e.g., ?v=2) to force a fresh fetch.
- If your audience uses both, check on a phone and on WhatsApp Web or Desktop. Display varies by app version.
FAQ
Why isn't WhatsApp showing my link preview image?
Meta's WhatsApp link preview docs ask for an absolute og:image URL pointing to an image at least 300 px wide, no wider than 4:1, and under 600 KB. og:title, og:description and og:url must be in the <head>, within the first 300 KB of the HTML. The image URL must be publicly reachable (no login or paywall). If you fixed the tags but still see the old preview, change the URL, for example by adding ?v=2.
How do I clear WhatsApp's link preview cache?
There is no official way to clear WhatsApp's cache. The most reliable workaround is to change the URL by appending a query parameter (e.g., example.com/page?v=2). This forces WhatsApp to treat it as a new URL and fetch fresh metadata.
Does WhatsApp compress OG images?
Meta doesn't document how WhatsApp processes preview images, but it asks for og:image files under 600 KB. Display varies by image shape and app version, so use high-contrast images with large text that still reads when shown small.
Related Bots
Check what crawlers see
Paste your URL to test OG tags, image fetches, crawler access, and the preview card before you share it.
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