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WhatsApp message template character limits for 2026

Published 6 Nov 20264 min readAll posts

A WhatsApp Business message template allows a 60-character text header, a 1,024-character body, a 60-character footer and 25 characters of text on each button. A template can have up to 10 buttons.

Every number below comes from Meta’s own WhatsApp Business Platform documentation, read on 6 November 2026 and cited next to the number.

Template text limits

Source: Meta for Developers, Template components¹.

A template has at most one header, one body and one footer¹. Media and location headers can’t contain variables, and neither can footers¹. Every variable you use needs a sample value when you create the template, which Meta uses during review¹.

Button limits

Source: Meta for Developers, Template components¹.

Two more numbers apply to what’s behind a button: the URL itself can be up to 2,000 characters, and a phone number up to 20¹. A URL button can take one variable, but only at the end of the URL¹.

Template names and accounts

Source: Meta for Developers, Templates overview².

Meta reviews each template when it’s created or edited, and only approved templates can be sent². Templates that go unused for 12 months are archived².

Authentication templates are stricter

Templates that send one-time passcodes must be in the authentication category. Meta requires them to come from its template library, to include a one-time password button such as copy code, and to leave out URLs, media and emoji. Their parameters are limited to 15 characters³.

A worked example

Say your order update body reads: “Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is on its way and should arrive by {{3}}. Track it any time from the button below.” As written, with the placeholders, that’s about 110 characters. Fill in a long customer name, an order number with a prefix and a full delivery date, and it grows past 150. That’s still far inside 1,024, but the same template with a product list in one variable can grow quickly.

The header is where tight limits really show. A header like “Your order from {{1}} has shipped” fits 60 characters easily with a short store name, but a long brand name in the variable can push it over. Check the header with the longest value you’ll ever send, not the sample you submit for review.

Where the limits bite

The 1,024-character body sounds generous, but it’s measured after your variables are filled in. These are the patterns we’d check, as suggestions rather than Meta rules:

• Test with the longest real values. A customer name, an address or a product title can add hundreds of characters to a body that looked short in review.
• Keep button text short of the limit. 25 characters is the maximum Meta accepts, not a guarantee that a phone shows it all on one line.
• Count emoji carefully. Many emoji are made of several code points, so tools that count differently can disagree.
• Write the footer as optional. It’s easy to skip, so don’t put the offer there.

You can paste a body into our free WhatsApp template checker to see the count before you submit it for review.

Sources and credits

All limits are credited to Meta and were read on Meta for Developers on 6 November 2026. WhatsApp and Meta are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. Truncly isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Meta.