Use 1200 × 630 pixels (about 1.91:1) as the practical target for a WhatsApp link-preview image. Keep the file under 600 KB, make it at least 300 pixels wide, and keep the width-to-height ratio at or below 4:1. The 1200 × 630 canvas is a third-party recommendation rather than a WhatsApp-mandated dimension, and WhatsApp describes previews as best-effort rather than guaranteed.
The recommended WhatsApp preview image size
A 1200 × 630 pixel landscape image is a useful single design size for WhatsApp links and other Open Graph destinations. Its aspect ratio is approximately 1.91:1, leaving room for a headline, branding and a readable subject without creating an unusually tall card. OpenGraphPlus recommends this canvas in its 2026 guide, but it is not presented as an official WhatsApp requirement.
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The reproduced WhatsApp developer documentation, mirrored by ChatArchitect and marked updated November 5, 2025, gives the operative bounds:
- Width: at least 300 pixels.
- File size: under 600 KB.
- Shape: no wider than a 4:1 width-to-height ratio.
Meeting those limits does not guarantee a particular card design. WhatsApp says it may relax requirements, look for other HTML markup or fall back to a small link preview.
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What the 4:1 ratio means
The ratio is width divided by height. A 1200 × 630 image is 1.91:1 and is comfortably inside the limit. A 1200-pixel-wide image must be at least 300 pixels high to remain at 4:1; a 1600-pixel-wide image must be at least 400 pixels high.
| Canvas | Ratio | Within the documented maximum? |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 × 630 | 1.91:1 | Yes |
| 1200 × 300 | 4:1 | Yes, at the boundary |
| 1200 × 200 | 6:1 | No |
| 300 × 300 | 1:1 | Yes |
The minimum-width rule is separate from the ratio rule. A square image can be only 300 pixels wide and still satisfy both documented constraints, although a larger source generally gives you more usable detail.
File size: 600 KB is the documented ceiling
The mirrored developer guidance says the image “should be under 600KB.” OpenGraphPlus recommends roughly 300–600 KB, while Aback Tools recommends staying below 300 KB to reduce fetching and timeout risk. That lower figure is a cautious third-party optimization, not an established WhatsApp maximum. Treat 600 KB as the documented ceiling and compress further when quality remains acceptable.
Ways to reduce the file
- Export photographic artwork as JPEG and adjust quality until text and faces remain clear.
- Use WebP when your publishing pipeline and image URL serve it reliably.
- Remove unnecessary metadata and unused color profiles.
- Resize an oversized source before compression; a 2400-pixel-wide file provides no benefit if the delivered design is 1200 pixels wide.
- Check the final byte count, not just the extension. “600 KB” is a file-size condition.
Put Open Graph metadata in the initial HTML
WhatsApp fetches the page with an HTTP GET request and a WhatsApp user-agent string. Put the essential tags in the server’s initial response, inside the document <head>, rather than relying only on client-side JavaScript. Aback Tools reports that JavaScript-injected tags can fail in its guide; this is practical advice, not a separate WhatsApp specification.
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Use a complete, absolute HTTPS image URL:
<head>
<meta property="og:title" content="Page title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="A concise description of the page." />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/share-image.jpg" />
</head>The reproduced documentation says og:title, og:description and og:url should not be empty. Keep the description short enough for the one or two lines WhatsApp may display. The image URL must be absolute and fetchable without a login, expiring token or browser-only navigation.
Use one canonical image per page
Generate the image for the page’s actual content, and ensure the URL returns an image with a correct content type and a successful response to an ordinary GET request. If a CDN, firewall or hotlink rule treats WhatsApp’s crawler differently, the page or image may not be available to it even though it works in your browser.
How to verify a preview
- Deploy the page and confirm that the initial HTML contains all four Open Graph tags.
- Open the absolute image URL directly and check its dimensions, byte size and ratio.
- Paste the page URL into a WhatsApp message composer.
- Wait for the preview to appear above the composer before sending. The reproduced documentation suggests checking the requirements if no preview appears after 10 seconds; this is a troubleshooting check, not a guarantee that every preview loads in that time.
- After changing metadata or the image, test again with a URL variant only when your own cache strategy permits it. Do not assume a new preview is generated immediately for every recipient.
Troubleshooting missing, small or incorrect previews
No image appears
- Inspect the raw, server-rendered HTML and confirm the tags are inside
<head>. - Replace a relative image path such as
/images/share.jpgwith an absolute URL such ashttps://example.com/images/share.jpg. - Check that the image is at least 300 pixels wide, under 600 KB and no wider than 4:1.
- Verify that the page and image can be fetched without authentication, a blocked user-agent or an interstitial challenge.
A small thumbnail or text-only result appears
OpenGraphPlus reports observed layouts in which images below 100 pixels wide may become text-only, 100–300 pixels may be shown as a small thumbnail, and 300 pixels or more may produce a full-width image. These are third-party observations, not official WhatsApp display thresholds. The documented minimum is still 300 pixels wide.
The wrong title, description or image appears
Check for duplicate Open Graph tags, templates that emit stale values, and caches at your origin or CDN. Ensure og:url identifies the intended page and that the image URL itself has not been replaced by a redirect or an HTML error page.
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WhatsApp describes rendering as best-effort and does not promise identical behavior across Android, iOS and web. A missing or smaller card can therefore reflect client or crawler behavior rather than a changed image dimension.
Design guidance for a 1200 × 630 image
- Keep critical text away from the extreme edges so different card crops do not remove it.
- Use strong contrast and a large type size; previews are often displayed much smaller than the source.
- Put the page’s main subject in the center or in a visually stable area.
- Do not make the image carry information that exists only in the page title or description; the card may fall back to a smaller format.
- Export and inspect the actual delivered file after any CMS or CDN transformation.
Do not confuse marketing-message formats with link previews
WhatsApp Business marketing-message guidance in 2026 mentions a 12:7 single-image-wide format. That guidance concerns marketing messages, not a webpage’s Open Graph link-preview image. It should not replace the 1200 × 630 practical target or the documented preview bounds.
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Practical checklist
- Canvas: 1200 × 630 pixels unless your design needs another shape.
- Width: at least 300 pixels.
- Ratio: no more than 4:1.
- Size: under 600 KB; below 300 KB is optional conservative optimization.
- Metadata: non-empty
og:title,og:description,og:urland absoluteog:imagein the initial head. - Access: page and image reachable by WhatsApp’s crawler.
- Verification: paste the link into a composer and wait for the card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1200 × 630 an official WhatsApp requirement?
No. It is a practical third-party recommendation. The reproduced developer guidance instead specifies minimum width, maximum ratio and file-size bounds.
Can I use a PNG?
The documented constraints concern width, ratio and file size rather than a mandatory format. Use a format your server delivers correctly and keep the final file under 600 KB.
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Why did WhatsApp show no preview even though my image is valid?
WhatsApp says previews are best-effort and not guaranteed. Also check initial HTML metadata, absolute URLs, crawler access, caching and the documented limits.
The Bottom Line
For WhatsApp link previews in 2026, design at 1200 × 630 pixels, deliver an image at least 300 pixels wide and under 600 KB, stay within a 4:1 ratio, and publish complete Open Graph tags in the initial HTML. Treat the result as best-effort rather than guaranteed.
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