# WhatsApp link preview checker

> WhatsApp generates previews on the sender’s device from the og: tags, and is strict about image weight and format.

Check a URL: https://sharelint.pages.dev/?url=<your-url>, or as Markdown: https://sharelint.pages.dev/api/preview?format=md&url=<your-url>

## Tags WhatsApp reads (fallback order)

- Title: `og:title` -> `<title>`
- Description: `og:description` -> `meta description`
- Image: `og:image`

## Image requirements

- Recommended: 1200×630, under 300 KB
- Minimum: 100×100 (300 px wide for the large layout)
- Maximum weight: about 600 KB
- Formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP (no SVG or AVIF)

## Card layout

Wide images of 300 px or more show above the text. Smaller or square images show as a thumbnail on the left.

## Refreshing the cache

There is no refresh tool. WhatsApp caches per URL on each device, so add a query string such as ?v=2 to force a new preview.

## Common problems

- No image: the file is usually too heavy. Compress it to under 300 KB.
- No preview at all: the page took too long to respond, or blocks the WhatsApp User-Agent.
- http:// image URLs are often skipped. Use https.

Rule confidence: observed.