You send a link in WhatsApp and the preview shows an old image, the wrong title, or a random screenshot from your page. WhatsApp does not read your page fresh on every message. It uses Meta's cached Open Graph data, the same system Facebook and Messenger rely on.
Short answer
WhatsApp link previews come from Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image) fetched by Meta's crawler. Wrong previews usually mean stale cache, missing tags, or a broken image URL. Fix the tags on your live page, clear the cache via the Facebook Sharing Debugger, then send the link in a new chat to test.
How WhatsApp builds link previews
When you paste a URL into WhatsApp, the app asks Meta's servers for preview data. Meta's crawler (facebookexternalhit) fetches your HTML and extracts OG tags. WhatsApp renders a small card with title, description, and thumbnail.
WhatsApp does not use:
- Twitter Card tags alone (needs
og:*tags) - JSON-LD schema
- JavaScript-injected meta tags (only initial HTML counts)
If og:image is missing, WhatsApp may pick a random large image from the page or show text only.
Wrong preview vs. no preview
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Old image after site update | Meta OG cache not refreshed |
| Wrong title (not your og:title) | Missing og:title, fallback to <title> or H1 |
| Random product image | No og:image, crawler picked page content |
| No preview at all | Crawler blocked, timeout, or no usable tags |
| Preview in one chat, wrong in another | Old message cached locally; test in new chat |
Step 1: Verify your Open Graph tags
- View page source (not DevTools after JS runs).
- Confirm these tags exist with absolute HTTPS URLs:
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Title"><meta property="og:description" content="Your description."><meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og.jpg"><meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page">- Open the
og:imageURL directly. It must load without login.
Scan with OpenGraph Check to see a live preview before sharing.
Step 2: Clear Meta's cache (affects WhatsApp)
WhatsApp shares Facebook's link preview cache. To refresh:
- Open Facebook Sharing Debugger.
- Enter your URL and click Debug.
- Click Scrape Again twice.
Full walkthrough: How to Clear Open Graph Cache on Facebook.
Step 3: Test in a new WhatsApp chat
Already-sent messages keep their original preview. WhatsApp does not retroactively update cards in old conversations.
To test properly:
- Open a chat you have not shared this URL in before.
- Paste the link and wait 3-5 seconds.
- Or add a query string:
https://yoursite.com/page?w=1
Image requirements for WhatsApp
WhatsApp is less picky than LinkedIn but still fails on broken images.
| Requirement | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Minimum size | 300 × 200 px (use 1200 × 630 px) |
| Format | JPG or PNG |
| URL | Absolute HTTPS, no auth required |
| File size | Under 300 KB for fast loads |
Small or slow images may produce no thumbnail. See Open Graph Image Size Guide.
Common causes of wrong WhatsApp previews
Stale cache after image swap
You replaced og.jpg on the server but kept the same URL. Meta's CDN still serves the old file. Fix: rename to og-v2.jpg and update og:image, then scrape again.
SPA without server-rendered meta tags
React, Vue, or Angular apps that set meta tags client-side leave the initial HTML empty. Meta's crawler sees no og:image. Fix: SSR or static meta in <head>.
robots.txt blocks the crawler
Allow facebookexternalhit in robots.txt:
User-agent: facebookexternalhit
Allow: /
Wrong page cached
Sharing https://example.com but og:url points to https://example.com/old-path. Align canonical URL and og:url.
CDN serves different HTML to bots
Some CDNs cache error pages for crawlers. Purge cache after deploy and confirm bots get 200 responses.
WhatsApp Business API vs. regular WhatsApp
Regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business use the same preview system for standard URL unfurling. Custom template messages are different and not covered here.
FAQ
Why does WhatsApp show the right preview on my site but wrong in chat?
Your on-site preview tool may render JavaScript tags. WhatsApp only sees server HTML. Check raw source.
Does WhatsApp use the same cache as Facebook?
Yes. Both use Meta's infrastructure. Clearing cache in the Sharing Debugger updates WhatsApp previews for new shares.
Can I force WhatsApp to refresh an old message?
No. Send the link again in a new message or use a cache-busted URL.
Why is there no image, only text?
og:image is missing, blocked, too small, or too slow to fetch. Fix the image URL first.
Do WhatsApp link previews affect SEO?
No direct SEO impact. They affect click-through when people share your links in chats.
How long does WhatsApp take to show an updated preview?
After a successful scrape, new shares usually update within minutes. Old messages never update.
Bottom line
Wrong WhatsApp previews trace back to Open Graph tags and Meta's shared cache. Serve correct og:* tags in server HTML, version image URLs when files change, scrape in the Sharing Debugger, and test in a fresh chat. That fixes most wrong preview reports.
