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Open a chat and type in the box at the bottom. Press Enter to send. Press Shift+Enter for a new line. Replying in a chat nobody has picked up makes it yours. See Assigning and organising.

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When you cannot type a reply

The box where you would type tells you which of these applies.
WhatsApp lets a business reply freely for 24 hours after a customer’s last message. A reply from you does not extend it. After that, only a template that Meta has approved will send, until the customer writes again.The reply box is replaced by a line saying the customer has not written for over 24 hours, with a Send a template button. In the last hour before the window shuts, a line above the box says how long you have left.A customer who has never written to you is in the same position: the first message must be a template.
An owner or admin can switch off typed replies for the whole workspace, to keep Meta’s charges down. The box then says typed replies are switched off.You can still send templates, payment links, products, locations, documents and voice notes from here, and you can reply from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Website chat is not affected.The switch is Typed replies on WhatsApp, under Settings, General, in the Messaging section. See Meta’s charges.
The box says This visitor continued on WhatsApp. Carry on in their WhatsApp conversation.

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Send a template from a chat

1

Open the template list

Choose More actions (the plus button beside the reply box), then Send template. When the window is shut, choose Send a template in the locked box.
2

Pick a template

Only approved templates are listed. If the template has variables, such as a name or an order number, fill them in.
3

Send it

Choose Send template.
Templates cannot be sent in a website chat. To write a new template, see Create a template.

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Photos and documents

Choose More actions, then Send photo or Send document. You can add a caption to either. You can also paste a file into the reply box or drag it onto the box: a dialog opens with the file already chosen, and nothing is sent until you choose Send. A website chat carries text and photos only.

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Voice notes

While the reply box is empty, the send button is a microphone. Choose it to record, then send or cancel. A voice note can run for up to 5 minutes, and sends itself when it reaches the limit. Voice notes are not available in a website chat.

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Reply to one message, or react to it

Hover over a message to see two buttons.
  • Reply to message quotes that message above your reply.
  • React to message puts an emoji on it. Choose the same emoji again to take it off.
Neither is available in a website chat, and you cannot react once the 24-hour window has shut.

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Message status

Your latest sent message shows its time and a tick. If a message fails, the reason shows under it in place of the tick. For a text message that can be sent again, choose Try again.

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Replies from the WhatsApp Business app

If you reply from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, the reply appears in the conversation here too. The record is complete whichever you use.

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Earlier messages

A long chat opens on its newest messages. Choose Load earlier messages at the top to see more.