What’s the issue?
Your OG image file size exceeds 500 KB, which means WhatsApp will not display it in link previews. Users sharing your link on WhatsApp will see a preview without an image, significantly reducing engagement.
How it looks on WhatsApp
❌ Image too large (1.93 MB)
✅ Optimized (280 KB)
Why does file size matter?
Different platforms have different limits for OG image file size:
| Platform | Max file size | Behavior when exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| ~500 KB | Image not shown at all | |
| ~8 MB | Image may load slowly | |
| Twitter/X | ~5 MB | Image may not display |
| ~5 MB | Image may load slowly | |
| Discord | ~8 MB | Image may not display |
| Telegram | ~5 MB | Image may load slowly |
WhatsApp is the strictest platform — even slightly exceeding the limit means your image won’t appear.
How to fix it
1. Compress your image
Use tools like:
- Squoosh — Google’s free image compression tool
- TinyPNG — Excellent for PNG and JPEG
- Sharp — Node.js library for automated compression
2. Choose the right format
- JPEG — Best for photographs and complex images. Use quality 75-85% for a good balance
- WebP — 25-35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality. Widely supported
- PNG — Only use for images requiring transparency. Much larger file sizes
3. Resize to recommended dimensions
The recommended OG image size is 1200x630px. Larger images waste bandwidth:
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yoursite.com/og-image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" />
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630" />4. Automate image optimization
Sharp (Node.js):
import sharp from 'sharp'
await sharp('input.png')
.resize(1200, 630, { fit: 'cover' })
.jpeg({ quality: 80 })
.toFile('og-image.jpg')Next.js:
// next.config.js — images are automatically optimized
// For OG images, generate them at build time with @vercel/og
import { ImageResponse } from '@vercel/og'Target file size
Aim for 200-400 KB for your OG image. This ensures:
- Fast loading on mobile connections
- Compatibility with all social platforms including WhatsApp
- Good visual quality at 1200x630px
Quick checklist
- Format: Use JPEG or WebP (avoid PNG for photos)
- Dimensions: 1200x630px (no larger)
- Quality: 75-85% for JPEG
- File size: Under 300 KB ideally, always under 500 KB
- Test: Share your link on WhatsApp to verify the preview appears