OG CHECKER

Check how your link looks on WhatsApp

WhatsApp generates link previews inside chat bubbles when a URL is sent. These previews show a thumbnail image, title, and short description pulled from Open Graph tags. Since WhatsApp is the most-used messaging app globally with 2+ billion users, getting your link preview right here has massive reach implications.

How WhatsApp Renders Link Previews

When you send a link in WhatsApp, the app fetches a preview — but with some quirks:

  1. og:title — the bold title in the preview bubble. WhatsApp truncates aggressively, typically at 65-70 characters.
  2. og:description — shown below the title in smaller gray text. Usually truncated at about 100 characters.
  3. og:image — rendered as a thumbnail (or larger preview in some versions). WhatsApp fetches the image at share time and embeds it.
  4. og:url — displayed as the domain below the description.

WhatsApp caches link previews on the sender's device, not on a central server. The preview is generated when the user types/pastes the URL, and the cached version is sent with the message. Recipients see the preview exactly as it was generated on the sender's device.

WhatsApp Image Requirements

Recommended Size1200x630 px
Aspect Ratio1.91:1 (cropped to square for thumbnail)
Max File Size5 MB
FormatsJPG, PNG

Preview is generated on the sender's device. Minimum ~300x200 px. Displayed as square thumbnail in most cases; ensure key content is centered.

WhatsApp OG Tag Tips

  1. 1WhatsApp previews are generated client-side on the sender's device. This means there's no central cache to invalidate — each user gets a fresh fetch. However, the preview is baked into the message once sent.
  2. 2Use a 300x200 px minimum image. WhatsApp shows a small square thumbnail in most cases, so make sure your key visual (logo, product shot) is centered and visible at small sizes. Check our OG image size guide for platform-specific dimensions.
  3. 3Keep og:title under 65 characters. WhatsApp chat bubbles are narrow, especially on phones, and truncation happens earlier than on any other platform.
  4. 4WhatsApp does not support twitter: tags — it only reads standard og: Open Graph tags. Make sure you're not relying on Twitter-specific tags for your primary metadata.
  5. 5Ensure your OG image loads in under 2 seconds. WhatsApp's preview generator has a short timeout, and slow images result in a text-only preview that can't be retried without re-pasting the link.
  6. 6For the best thumbnail appearance, use an image with the main content centered. WhatsApp crops to a square from the center for the thumbnail view.
  7. 7WhatsApp on iOS and Android render previews slightly differently. iOS tends to show a larger image preview while Android shows a compact thumbnail. Test on both if your audience uses a mix of devices.
  8. 8If you share a link and it shows no preview, it usually means the og:image URL is unreachable from the sender's network, the image is too large, or the page responded too slowly. There's no debugger tool — you have to test by sending a link in a chat.
  9. 9Need to check other platforms? Try our Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack, or Discord checkers.

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