Skip to main content
    MessagingGeneral

    WhatsApp Photos and Files Not Sending/Receiving

    Text messages work fine through the WhatsApp Business API, but images, documents, voice notes, and other media attachments fail. You might see errors when sending files, or incoming media from customers appears broken or missing.

    2 min readUpdated 9 Apr 2026

    WhatsApp media (images, PDFs, audio, video) requires a specific API permission called whatsapp_business_messaging. When your access token doesn't include this scope, text-only messages still work, but anything involving media files will fail.

    This is one of the most common token configuration issues on WhatsApp Business API.

    • Missing token scope. During the initial connection, the access token wasn't granted the whatsapp_business_messaging permission
    • Token was regenerated without full permissions. A reauthorization may have produced a token with fewer scopes than the original
    • Meta permission changes. Meta occasionally updates required scopes, and older tokens may lack newer permissions

    Step 1: Confirm It's a Media Issue

    1
  1. Send a text-only message. Does it deliver?
    2. 2
  2. Send an image or document. Does it fail?
    3. 3
  3. Ask a contact to send you a photo. Does it appear?

    4. If text works but media doesn't, you likely have a token scope issue.

    Step 2: Check Your Token Scopes

    1
  4. Go to the Meta Access Token Debugger
    5. 2
  5. Paste your access token
    6. 3
  6. Look for these required scopes:
    • whatsapp_business_messaging (Required for media)
    • whatsapp_business_management (Required for account management)

    7. If whatsapp_business_messaging is missing, your token needs to be regenerated.

    The fix is to generate a new access token with the correct permissions. The exact steps depend on your WhatsApp platform:

    1
  7. Disconnect or unlink your WhatsApp account from your platform
    8. 2
  8. Reconnect through the Embedded Signup or OAuth flow
    9. 3
  9. During the Facebook authorization step, grant all requested permissions. Don't skip or decline any
    10. 4
  10. After reconnecting, verify the new token includes whatsapp_business_messaging at the Token Debugger
    11. 5
  11. Test by sending an image to confirm media works
    • After any reauthorization or reconnection, check your token scopes
    • Always grant all requested permissions during the Facebook login flow
    • If you manage multiple WhatsApp numbers, verify scopes for each token individually

    If you're unsure how to check your token scopes, or if regenerating the token doesn't fix the issue:

    Tell us what you need

    Was this article helpful?

    Related Articles

    Messaging

    WhatsApp Photos and Files Not Working in Envoy

    Text messages send and receive fine in Envoy, but images, documents, voice notes, and other media attachments aren't working. Incoming photos from customers show as broken, or outbound files fail to send.