Short answer
Meta's documentation lists these maximum sizes for WhatsApp Cloud API media at the time of writing: images 5 MB (JPEG, PNG, static WebP), video 16 MB (MP4 or 3GPP with H.264 and AAC), audio 16 MB, documents 100 MB, animated stickers 500 KB and static stickers 100 KB. Upload the file and send its media ID rather than a link, and check that the MIME type matches the file.
Size limits by media type
The Cloud API ceiling for any media is 100 MB. A file can meet the size limit and still be rejected for its format, for example video that is not H.264 with AAC audio or an image that is not 8-bit RGB or RGBA.
| Media type | Maximum size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Image | 5 MB | 8-bit RGB or RGBA only |
| Video | 16 MB | H.264 video, AAC audio |
| Audio | 16 MB | AAC, AMR, MP3, M4A, Opus-coded OGG |
| Document | 100 MB | Office, PDF and text files |
| Sticker (animated) | 500 KB | WebP only |
| Sticker (static) | 100 KB | WebP only |
Upload or link, and how long IDs last
Meta recommends uploading the file and sending its media ID for better performance. IDs returned by an upload are valid for 30 days, and IDs received in inbound webhooks for 7 days, so download customer files promptly. A download URL expires after 5 minutes.
Image, video and document captions can be up to 1,024 characters. Audio and sticker messages have no caption.
Common mistakes
- Judging by size alone and ignoring codec or colour format.
- Serving a file with a MIME type that does not match it, a usual cause of error 131053.
- Relying on a media ID older than 30 days.
- Sending animated WebP as an image, which is rejected.
Official sources
- Media — WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers
- Image messages — WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers
- Video messages — WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers
- Document messages — WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers
- Error codes — WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers