Reply to a conversation

You reply to a customer from the reply box under the conversation. While the customer's 24-hour reply window is open, you can send text, attachments and products freely.

Send a text reply

1. Go to Inbox and open the conversation.
2. Make sure the Reply tab is selected above the box. (The Notes tab is for internal notes. See Internal notes.)
3. Type your message in the box.
4. Press Enter, or click Send.

To start a new line without sending, press Shift + Enter. A WhatsApp text message can be up to 4,096 characters.

After you send, the message appears in the thread with a status under it: Queued, Sending, Sent, Delivered, Read or Failed. Messages that no person typed, such as those sent by a flow, a campaign or the API, are marked Sent automatically.

Formatting

WhatsApp formatting works in the reply box: *bold*, _italic_ and ~strike~. The hint under the box reminds you.

Add an emoji

1. Click Insert an emoji under the reply box.
2. Pick an emoji. It's inserted where your cursor is.

Insert a saved reply

Type / at the start of a line, or click the Saved replies button, then pick a reply. See Saved replies.

Send an attachment

1. Click Attach a file (the paperclip).
2. Choose a file.
3. Optionally, type a caption in the box. The text is sent as the caption (audio files don't take a caption).
4. Click Send.

To remove the file before sending, click the × next to its name.

What you can attach:

A file that is too large or of the wrong type is refused before anything is sent. If you see Uploads are busy right now, the app retries for you and says when.

Send products

If your organisation sells through a WhatsApp catalog, you'll see Send products under the reply box.

1. Click Send products.
2. Choose the Catalog.
3. Under Send, choose One product or A product list (up to 30).
4. Pick the products. A product list needs a Header and a Body. Footer and Section title are optional.
5. Click Send products.

Products can only be sent inside the 24-hour window. Carts the customer sends back appear in the customer panel. See Orders and Catalogs.

When the reply box is replaced by a notice

Sometimes you can't send a free reply. The box explains why instead:

• The 24-hour reply window has closed or This customer has never messaged you: send an approved template instead. See The 24-hour window and templates.
• This contact has opted out or This contact is blocked: nothing can be sent, not even a template. Click Open the contact record to review their consent. See Opt-outs and consent.
• Not enough WhatsApp credits, Sending is paused for this period or a notice that an allowance is used up: see The 24-hour window and templates.

When a message fails

If WhatsApp refuses a message after it was sent, the message shows Failed, and the reason appears under it, for example WhatsApp refused this message. Where Meta gave an error code, it's shown, with a Fix in Meta link when Meta provides one. Click Details for Meta's full explanation.

To send it again:

1. Fix the cause if you can (for example, a payment method on your WhatsApp Business account).
2. Click Try sending again under the failed message.

If you see This number is sending too fast, WhatsApp is rate-limiting your number. Nothing was lost or sent twice. Wait and try again.

Related

• The 24-hour window and templates
• AI copilot, for suggested replies and translation
• Keyboard shortcuts