Cache duration

There’s no official documentation. In practice, previews stay cached anywhere from 24-48 hours to several weeks with no predictable expiration. This is the single most frustrating thing about WhatsApp link previews.

No dedicated debugger

WhatsApp has no tool to preview or invalidate cached link data. You can’t force a re-crawl through any official mechanism.

The Facebook Sharing Debugger workaround

WhatsApp shares Meta’s crawling infrastructure, so scraping a URL in the Facebook Sharing Debugger sometimes refreshes the cached data WhatsApp uses too. Not guaranteed, but it’s the closest thing to a cache-clear you’ll get.

Cache busting with query parameters

The most reliable workaround: append a unique query parameter.

https://example.com/page?v=2

WhatsApp caches by exact URL, so ?v=2 is treated as a new page. The original URL still shows stale data until the cache expires on its own.

URL shortener workaround

A new Bitly or TinyURL link is a new URL to WhatsApp, so it triggers a fresh crawl. Useful when you can’t control query parameters.

Clearing local app cache

WhatsApp’s “clear cache” option in app settings only clears the device-level cache. It does not touch Meta’s server-side cache, so other users still see the old preview.

Common scenarios

• Updated OG tags, old preview still showing: server-side cache hasn’t expired. Use query parameter trick or Facebook Sharing Debugger.
• Preview correct for new contacts, wrong in old chats: old chats have the preview baked into message history. Can’t update retroactively.
• Different preview on different devices: local cache mismatch. The server-side cache is what matters for new shares.