Why WhatsApp link previews show no image, and the fix

WhatsApp link preview not showing image? The cause is nearly always on your website, not in WhatsApp. WhatsApp builds the card from your page's og:image tag, and it is stricter than Facebook: the image has to be a full address it can download quickly, and the file should be small. Meta's own documentation asks for an image under 600 KB, and in practice images under about 300 KB show most reliably. Fix the tag and the file size, and the picture comes back.

How WhatsApp builds a link preview

When you type or paste a link into a chat, WhatsApp fetches the page and reads the Open Graph tags in its <head>. Meta's developer documentation for WhatsApp link previews lists what it looks for:

• og:title, og:description and og:url inside <head>, not empty
• og:image as an absolute URL (the full https://... address)
• an image under 600 KB, at least 300 px wide, with a shape no wider than 4:1
• the <head> with these tags within the first 300 KB of the HTML

The same page says WhatsApp makes a "best attempt" at previews and that they are "not guaranteed to work". So there are no promises, but meeting these rules fixes most cases.

The request comes with a user agent that starts with WhatsApp/2., which helps if you need to find it in your server or firewall logs.

WhatsApp link preview not showing image: common causes

1. The image file is too heavy

This is the most common cause. A 1–3 MB photo straight from a phone or camera may show on Facebook but not on WhatsApp. Meta's documented limit is 600 KB. Many site owners report that WhatsApp often drops the picture, or shows only a small thumbnail, when the file is over about 300 KB. That 300 KB figure is not official, but it is the safe target.

2. There is no og:image tag

Without og:image, WhatsApp shows only the title and the address, or nothing at all. A twitter:image tag on its own is not enough.

3. The address is relative or broken

content="/images/cover.jpg" is a relative path. Use the full address: content="https://example.com/images/cover.jpg". Also check that the image actually loads: a typo, a deleted file, or an image that only works when you are logged in will all fail.

4. Your server or firewall blocks the request

Security plugins, bot protection and some host firewalls block unknown visitors. If WhatsApp's request is blocked or gets a challenge page, there is no preview. Check your firewall events for requests with a WhatsApp/ user agent, and allow them.

5. The tags are too far down, or added by JavaScript

WhatsApp only reads the start of the page (the first 300 KB, per Meta's docs) and does not run scripts. Huge inline code before your meta tags, or tags injected by JavaScript, means WhatsApp never sees them. Put the Open Graph tags near the top of <head>, in the HTML the server sends.

6. The image is SVG or an unusual format

Use JPG or PNG. SVG images don't show as link previews on the major apps.

7. WhatsApp remembers an earlier result

If you shared the link before fixing it, WhatsApp may keep showing the old result for a while. A message that was already sent keeps the preview it was sent with.

How to fix it, step by step

1. Check the page. Enter your address in our Open Graph Preview. It shows the WhatsApp card next to Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Slack and Discord, reports the image's pixel size and file size, and warns you when the image is over about 300 KB, uses a relative or http:// address, is an SVG, or won't load at all.
2. Resize the image. Make it 1200 × 630 px with our Resize Image tool. That one size works for every major app.
3. Compress it. Run it through our Image Compressor and aim for under 300 KB. A JPG at around 80% quality is usually enough and still looks sharp in a chat.
4. Upload it under a new file name, such as cover-v2.jpg. Apps cache images by address, so a new name avoids the old copy.
5. Update your tags. Use the full address and include the basics. Our Meta Tag Generator can write them for you:

<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/offer">
<meta property="og:title" content="Eid offer: 20% off all plans">
<meta property="og:description" content="Order before 30 June and save 20%.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/offer-v2-1200x630.jpg">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">

6. Purge your caches. Clear any page cache (WordPress caching plugin, host cache, or Cloudflare if it caches your HTML) so WhatsApp gets the new tags.
7. Test with a fresh link. WhatsApp has no public refresh tool like Facebook's. To see the new card at once, send the link with a small extra query, for example https://example.com/offer?v=2. For pages you don't want to change, wait: WhatsApp fetches the page again after a while.

WordPress and Shopify notes

• WordPress: Yoast SEO and Rank Math both let you set a social image per post. If the featured image is a large photo, set a compressed 1200 × 630 copy as the social image instead.
• Shopify: product pages usually use the main product image, and the store-wide default is under Online Store > Preferences. Large product photos often exceed WhatsApp's comfort zone, so upload a lighter version for the social image where your theme allows it.

Quick checklist

• og:image present, with a full https:// address
• JPG or PNG, 1200 × 630 px
• File under about 300 KB (Meta's stated limit is 600 KB)
• og:title, og:description and og:url present and not empty
• Tags near the top of <head>, in the server HTML
• Firewall allows WhatsApp's requests
• New file name after any image change, and a ?v=2 test link

If Facebook also shows the wrong picture, read why Facebook shows the wrong image. For exact sizes on every network, see the right og:image size for Facebook, X, LinkedIn and WhatsApp.