Recommended image dimensions
1200 x 630 pixels at a 1.91:1 aspect ratio. Same as Facebook, since they share Meta’s crawling infrastructure.
Size-dependent display
WhatsApp picks a layout based on image width:
| Image width | Display |
|---|---|
| Below 100px | No image, text-only preview |
| 100-300px | Small thumbnail beside the text |
| 300px+ | Full-width image above title and description |
If you’re getting small thumbnails when you expect full-width, your source image is probably under 300px wide.
File size limits
Keep images between 300-600KB. No hard documented limit, but large images risk timing out during the crawl or loading slowly on mobile.
Supported formats
- JPEG: photographs and complex images
- PNG: graphics with text or transparency
- WebP: supported and efficient
- GIF: first frame only, no animation in previews
SVG is ignored. An SVG og:image produces a text-only preview.
Cropping
WhatsApp center-crops images that don’t match 1.91:1. Keep key text and visuals in the center 80% of the image.
Image URL requirements
- Absolute URL (not a relative path)
- HTTPS (HTTP images won’t load)
- Publicly accessible without authentication
- Not behind CDN hotlink prevention that blocks crawlers