Send Any File on WhatsApp, With a Caption

WhatsApp chats now handle files properly. You can add a caption so the customer knows what they are looking at, send every file type the WhatsApp Business API allows, and attach files straight from Media Storage without re-uploading them. This is available through the New Conversations UI in Labs.

How do I add a caption to a file?

Type your message as normal and attach the file in the same send. The text becomes the caption on the file, so the customer sees the explanation and the document together instead of two disconnected messages.

Captions work whether you upload the file from your computer or attach it from Media Storage. If you send several attachments at once, your message text is applied as the caption across them.

What files can I send now?

Every format the WhatsApp Business API supports now works, including the document types that used to be blocked. Spreadsheets, presentations and Word documents all send normally.

• Images: PNG, JPG, JPEG, up to 5MB
• Videos: MP4, 3GP, up to 16MB
• Audio: AAC, AMR, MP3, M4A, up to 16MB
• Documents: TXT, PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, up to 100MB

Can I attach files I have already uploaded?

Yes. Media Storage is now available inside the WhatsApp chat, so you can browse your existing files and attach them without uploading again. Original filenames are kept, so the customer receives a file named properly rather than a string of characters.

• Reuse files you have already uploaded.
• Original filenames are preserved.
• There is no limit on how many Media Storage attachments you send.

What happens to files after WhatsApp expires them?

WhatsApp removes media from its servers after a period, which used to mean losing a customer's document. Every WhatsApp attachment now works with Add to Documents, so you can save anything important into the contact record and keep it permanently.

What else was fixed?

Several long-standing problems with WhatsApp media are resolved in this release. Day-to-day messaging is noticeably more reliable.

• Media no longer duplicates when you reply.
• Broken document thumbnails now display correctly.
• Text and attachments send as one clean message instead of two.
• Filenames no longer show as Untitled on the customer's side.
• The composer layout is improved when sending links and attachments together.

You will find this in Conversations, in the WhatsApp message composer, with the New Conversations UI enabled from Labs.

This update was originally released in January 2026. Menu locations may have changed since.