WhatsApp link preview checker
WhatsApp generates previews on the sender’s device from the og: tags, and is strict about image weight and format.
Tags WhatsApp reads
| Field | Tags, in 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.
How to refresh the WhatsApp preview 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.