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A video message sends a playable video clip to a recipient with an optional caption. Supported via public URL or media ID. See Media by URL vs Media ID.

Send by URL

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "919959623255",
  "type": "video",
  "video": {
    "link": "https://example.com/demo.mp4",
    "caption": "Watch this demo!"
  }
}

Send by Media ID

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "to": "919959623255",
  "type": "video",
  "video": {
    "id": "1234567890",
    "caption": "Watch this demo!"
  }
}

Supported formats

FormatMIME typeMax size
MP4video/mp416 MB
3GPvideo/3gpp16 MB
  • Only H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec are supported.
  • Caption is optional, max 1024 characters.

Frequently asked

Set type to "video" and provide the video in video.link (public URL) or video.id (media ID). Only MP4 and 3GP under 16 MB are supported.
MP4 and 3GP, both under 16 MB. The video must use H.264 codec and AAC audio. Other formats must be converted before sending.
WhatsApp only supports AAC audio codec. If your video uses a different audio codec, re-encode it with AAC.

Gotchas & common mistakes

  • Wrong codec — must be H.264 video + AAC audio. Other codecs are rejected.
  • Over 16 MB — compress the video before sending.
  • GIF files — GIFs are not supported as video. Send them as documents or convert to MP4.