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Image messages

Updated: Nov 3, 2025 Image messages are messages that display a single image and an optional caption.

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Request syntax

Use the POST /<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages endpoint to send an image message to a WhatsApp user. 
curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/&lt;API_VERSION&gt;/&lt;WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID&gt;/messages' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer &lt;ACCESS_TOKEN&gt;' \
-d '
\{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "&lt;WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER&gt;",
  "type": "image",
  "image": {
    "id": "&lt;MEDIA_ID&gt;", <!-- Only if using uploaded media -->
    "link": "&lt;MEDIA_URL&gt;", <!-- Only if using hosted media (not recommended) -->
    "caption": "&lt;MEDIA_CAPTION_TEXT&gt;"
  }
}'

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Request parameters

PlaceholderDescriptionExample Value
&lt;ACCESS_TOKEN&gt;
String		Required.
System token or business token.		EAAAN6tcBzAUBOZC82CW7iR2LiaZBwUHS4Y7FDtQxRUPy1PHZClDGZBZCgWdrTisgMjpFKiZAi1FBBQNO2IqZBAzdZAA16lmUs0XgRcCf6z1LLxQCgLXDEpg80d41UZBt1FKJZCqJFcTYXJvSMeHLvOdZwFyZBrV9ZPHZASSqxDZBUZASyFdzjiy2A1sippEsF4DVV5W2IlkOSr2LrMLuYoNMYBy8xQczzOKDOMccqHEZD
&lt;API_VERSION&gt;
String		Optional.
Graph API version.		v24.0
&lt;MEDIA_CAPTION_TEXT&gt;
String		Optional.
Media asset caption text.
Maximum 1024 characters.		The best succulent ever?
&lt;MEDIA_ID&gt;
String		Required if using uploaded media, otherwise omit.
ID of the uploaded media asset.		1013859600285441
&lt;MEDIA_URL&gt;
String		Required if using hosted media, otherwise omit.
URL of the media asset hosted on your public server. For better performance, we recommend using id and an uploaded media asset ID instead.		https://www.luckyshrub.com/assets/succulents/aloe.png
&lt;WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID&gt;
String		Required.
WhatsApp business phone number ID.		106540352242922
&lt;WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER&gt;
String		Required.
WhatsApp user phone number.		+16505551234

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Supported image formats

Images must be 8-bit, RGB or RGBA.
Image TypeExtensionMIME TypeMax Size
JPEG.jpegimage/jpeg5 MB
PNG.pngimage/png5 MB

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Example request

Example request to send an image message with a caption to a WhatsApp user. 
curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v24.0/106540352242922/messages' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer EAAJB...' \
-d '
\{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "+16505551234",
  "type": "image",
  "image": {
    "id" : "1479537139650973",
    "caption": "The best succulent ever?"
  }
}'

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Example response

\{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "contacts": [\
    {\
      "input": "+16505551234",\
      "wa_id": "16505551234"\
    }\
  ],
  "messages": [\
    {\
      "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgARGBI1RjQyNUE3NEYxMzAzMzQ5MkEA"\
    }\
  ]
}
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