The attachment is usually the point of the message: the catalogue, the invoice, the ticket, the report card. Sending it to thousands of people, each with their own file, is exactly what the official API was built for and exactly what app-based tools cannot do cleanly. Here is how it works.
What “attachment” means on the official platform
A template header. An approved marketing or utility template can open with an image, a video or a document, followed by the personalised body, a footer and buttons. The header is a field like any other, so it can be fixed for the campaign or filled per recipient from a column in your list.
Same file for everyone
A catalogue, a price list, a brochure, an event poster. Upload once, reference in the campaign.
Different file per person
An invoice, a statement, a report card, a ticket, a certificate, the one property they asked about. A column of file links or ids; the platform attaches the right one per row.
Attachment types and Meta’s limits
- Images: JPEG or PNG, about 5 MB max. Under 1 MB loads instantly on mobile data.
- Video: MP4, about 16 MB max. Put the point in the first three seconds.
- Documents: PDF most common; also common office formats; about 100 MB max. Name the file what the customer will search for later: “Invoice_48213_Aug2026.pdf”, not “scan.pdf”.
- One header per template. For several files, use a combined PDF, a catalogue link, or a button that lets them request the next one.
- Cost: the same per message as text. Meta bills by category, not by attachment.
What gets sent as an attachment
- Catalogues and price lists to opted-in retailers, daily in the textile trade, weekly in most others.
- Invoices, receipts and statements as utility templates, per customer, from the billing system.
- Tickets and passes with a per-person QR code in the image.
- Report cards and certificates to parents and students, per recipient.
- Property brochures and floor plans, the specific one each lead enquired about.
- Event posters and menus, the same image to a segment.
How to send, step by step
For per-recipient images generated from data, such as tickets with names and QR codes, see personalised WhatsApp images at scale.
Example templates
Invoice (utility, per-recipient PDF)
Hi {{2}}, your invoice {{1}} for ₹{{3}} is attached. Due {{4}}.
[Button: Pay now → URL] [Button: Query this invoice]
Catalogue (marketing, shared PDF)
{{1}}, the {{2}} collection is in. Prices and MOQ inside.
[Button: Ask about a product] [Button: STOP]
Why not attach from the app
You can attach a file to a WhatsApp broadcast from the Business app, to up to 256 saved contacts, with no personalisation, no per-person files, no buttons and no delivery report. Tools that automate that past the cap are the blasters that get numbers banned. The API route has no cap, per-recipient files, buttons and a report, and the number is protected.
What it costs
- Platform: ₹7,999 a year in India, $200 elsewhere; attachments, per-recipient media and file hosting included.
- Meta’s per-message charge: per message by country and category, the same with or without attachment, passed through at cost. Utility is cheaper than marketing, so invoices and statements should go as utility. Service replies inside the 24-hour window are free today and become billable from 1 October 2026 (details).
Next step
Bring a catalogue or a folder of invoices to the free trial. The Bulk WhatsApp Sender Software page covers the platform, and images and buttons in bulk templates goes deeper on what converts.