Template and Media Upload Problems

Cause: templates belong to your WhatsApp Business Account at Meta, so there is nothing to list or create until a number is connected. Submitting without one gives "Connect your WhatsApp Business Account before creating templates."

Fix: select "Connect WhatsApp" and complete Meta's Embedded Signup. Your templates, including any you made in WhatsApp Manager, can then be brought in with Refresh.

For the full walkthrough, see How to Connect WhatsApp to SmartEngage.

Cause: SmartEngage checks the template against Meta's rules before sending it. If anything would be rejected, it stops, sends nothing to Meta and marks each problem on its field. Nothing has been used up.

Fix: work through the red messages under each field. The most common ones are:

• "Variables must run in order from {{1}}." Renumber the variables, or click out of the Message box and SmartEngage closes the gaps for you.
• "Meta does not allow the message to start with a placeholder." Put a word first, such as "Hi {{1}},".
• "Meta does not allow the message to end with a placeholder." Add something after it, even a full stop.
• "Two placeholders cannot sit next to each other." Put some words between them.
• "Named placeholders such as {{name}} are not supported." Use numbered ones.
• "Add an example — Meta rejects templates without one." Fill in the Example Values panel for every variable.
• "A sample must be a single line" or "A sample cannot contain two spaces in a row." Tidy the example value.
• "Use at most 10 variables." Remove some personal details.

What you see: "Give the header's placeholder a sample value, or remove it."

Cause: a text header may contain one variable, but Meta needs an example for it, and the composer does not have a field for a header example.

Fix: remove the {{1}} from the header and keep it as fixed text, such as "Spring Sale". Put the personal detail in the message instead, where each variable has its own example field.

What you see: a notice titled "That name is taken", saying you already have a template with this name in this language.

Cause: Meta requires a unique name per language. This often happens when you edit a rejected template and submit it again under its old name, because the rejected template still holds that name.

Fix: change the Template Name, for example by adding "v2" to the end, and submit again. Avoid reusing the name of a template you deleted in the last 30 days, because Meta keeps deleted names locked for that long.

What you see: "Upload a sample image — Meta needs one to review a media header." The same message appears for a video or document header.

Cause: you chose Image, Video or Document as the header but have not uploaded a file, or you reopened a draft or rejected template with a media header. The upload is not carried over when a template is reopened, and switching the header type also clears it.

Fix: choose the file again in the Header field and wait for "sample sent to Meta" before submitting. A draft with a media header can only be saved once its sample has been uploaded.

What you see: a notice titled "Meta Rejected This Template". Sometimes it quotes Meta's explanation; sometimes it says Meta's answer was only "Invalid parameter" and gives a checklist.

Fix: if Meta explained, change what it names. If not, work through the checklist, which covers the causes SmartEngage cannot check for you: a name already used at Meta, a category that does not match the content, a link button pointing at an address Meta cannot reach or a domain not verified on your business, and a sample file in a format Meta does not accept.

Other notices point to the connection rather than the template. "WhatsApp Connection Expired" means you need to reconnect from the Connect page. "Too Many Requests to Meta" and "Meta Is Not Responding" mean waiting a few minutes; save the template as a draft so you do not lose it.

What you see: in a template header, a message such as "That is a GIF file. WhatsApp accepts JPG or PNG here." In the inbox, "That kind of file cannot be sent from here."

Cause: each place accepts a fixed list. Header images must be JPG or PNG, header videos MP4 or 3GP, and header documents PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or plain text. Inbox attachments accept JPG, PNG, MP4, 3GP, PDF, Word, Excel and plain text, but not PowerPoint or audio.

Fix: export or save the file in an accepted format. A GIF or WebP image, for instance, can be saved as PNG.

What you see: in a template header, a message such as "Images must be 5 MB or smaller" followed by your file's size. In the inbox, "Files here can be up to 5 MB."

Cause: header limits are Meta's, 5 MB for an image, 16 MB for a video and 100 MB for a document. Inbox attachments are limited to 5 MB whatever their type.

Fix: compress the image or shorten the video. For the inbox, a larger file can be sent from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone if you use it on the same number.

SmartEngage checks what a file really contains. These messages mean the contents failed that check:

• "That file is not what its type says it is. Export it again and retry." The file's contents do not match its name, often after renaming. Export it again from the original program.
• "Documents with macros cannot be uploaded." Save it without macros as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx.
• "PDFs that run scripts or open programs cannot be uploaded." Print it to a new PDF.
• "Programs and scripts cannot be uploaded." Only media and documents are accepted.
• "That file is empty." Choose the file again; it may not have saved properly.

If you see "This file was flagged as unsafe by our virus scanner", do not send it. Messages saying files cannot be checked for viruses right now mean the check itself is unavailable; try again shortly.

Cause: the 24-hour reply window has closed. WhatsApp only allows free-form messages, including files, within 24 hours of the customer's last message.

Fix: select "Send a Template" to send an approved template. When the customer replies, the window reopens and the attach button returns.

What you see: a warning that the template has a media header "but we have no file for it", or that "We have no stored definition for this template".

Cause: SmartEngage's copy of the template is missing the approved file or its details, usually because it has not been synced since Meta approved it.

Fix: press Refresh on the Templates page or in the campaign's Message Template section, then choose the template again. If the warning stays, create the template again with its media and submit it for review.

For what a sync changes, see How to Sync Your Templates from Meta.

When a notice has "Technical details", copy the reference there. It helps our team and Meta trace exactly what happened.

Send it to us through our contact page.

For the file types and limits in one place, see How to Send Images, Documents and Other Media.