WhatsApp Link Preview Not Working — How to Fix It
When you paste a URL into WhatsApp, it should show a rich preview: a title, a short description, and a thumbnail image. If the preview is missing, shows the wrong content, or only shows the bare URL, the fix almost always comes down to your Open Graph meta tags.
How WhatsApp Generates Link Previews
WhatsApp's servers fetch your URL and read the Open Graph tags in the <head>:
og:title— the bold headline in the previewog:description— the short text below the titleog:image— the thumbnail (must be at least 300×200 px, ideally 1200×630 px)og:url— the canonical URL
WhatsApp fetches the page when you paste the link before sending a message. It does not use your browser's cached version — it hits your server directly from WhatsApp's crawler IP.
Why WhatsApp Link Previews Fail
1. Missing or empty og: tags
The most common cause. WhatsApp requires og:title and og:image at minimum. If either is missing, you'll get no preview.
2. og:image is too small or inaccessible
WhatsApp needs an image of at least 300×200 px. Images smaller than this are silently ignored. The URL must also be publicly accessible — no auth, no redirects that require cookies.
3. Page is behind a login or bot-blocking middleware
If your server returns a 401, 403, or the page requires JavaScript to render, WhatsApp's bot can't read the tags. WhatsApp doesn't execute JavaScript — it only reads the raw HTML returned from the server.
4. Cached preview is outdated
WhatsApp caches previews for days. Even after you fix your tags, old shares in existing chats may still show the old preview. New shares of the fixed URL will show the updated preview immediately.
5. Image URL uses HTTP not HTTPS
WhatsApp requires HTTPS image URLs. HTTP images are blocked on modern messaging platforms.
6. Server returns wrong Content-Type
If your page is served with Content-Type: application/json or another non-HTML type, WhatsApp won't parse it for meta tags.
How to Fix WhatsApp Link Preview
- Add or fix your Open Graph tags in the
<head>of your HTML:
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="A short description, ideally under 100 characters." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/preview.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/your-page" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
Verify the image is publicly accessible — open the image URL in a private/incognito browser window. If it loads, WhatsApp can fetch it.
Ensure the page is server-rendered — if you're using a JavaScript framework (React, Vue, Next.js), confirm the og: tags are in the initial HTML response, not injected after JavaScript runs. Use
curl -L https://example.com/your-page | grep og:to check what the raw server response contains.Test the preview — paste your URL into WhatsApp on a test device. The preview generates fresh each time you paste into a new chat.
Check image dimensions — use TryUnfurl to verify the detected image size. See the og:image size guide for the correct dimensions.
Clear old caches on other platforms — other platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn) have dedicated cache-clearing tools. WhatsApp does not expose a public cache-clearing API; the cache expires naturally after a few days.
Checking Your Tags with TryUnfurl
TryUnfurl shows you exactly what WhatsApp will see: the title, description, image URL, detected image dimensions, and any missing or malformed tags. Paste your URL and switch to the WhatsApp tab for a live preview of how it will render.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my WhatsApp link preview show the correct image on web but not mobile?
WhatsApp Web and the mobile app sometimes cache separately. The preview is generated server-side and cached, so both clients should eventually show the same result. If mobile shows a stale preview, it will refresh the next time the link is pasted in a new chat.
Can I force WhatsApp to refresh a link preview?
There is no public tool to clear WhatsApp's cache for a specific URL. The cache typically expires within 24–72 hours. For immediate testing, paste the URL into a new chat — WhatsApp fetches fresh metadata each time you paste.
Does WhatsApp support Twitter Card tags?
No. WhatsApp only reads Open Graph (og:) tags, not Twitter Card (twitter:) tags. Ensure your og: tags are correct; the twitter: tags are irrelevant for WhatsApp.
Why does my preview show on desktop WhatsApp but not mobile?
This can happen if the image is very large (over 5 MB) and mobile data is throttled, or if the mobile app version is older. Use images under 1 MB at 1200×630 px to avoid this.
Do WhatsApp Business links work the same way?
Yes. WhatsApp Business reads the same Open Graph tags. The preview behaviour is identical across personal and business accounts.