How to Send WhatsApp Messages with n8n
A step-by-step guide to sending WhatsApp messages from an n8n workflow using the built-in WhatsApp Business Cloud node, credentials, templates, and the 24-hour window.
To send a WhatsApp message with n8n, add the built-in WhatsApp Business Cloud node to a workflow, connect it with a WhatsApp API credential holding your Meta access token and Business Account ID, choose the Send operation, and pass a phone number ID plus an approved template. The node calls Meta's Cloud API under the hood, so the same rules apply as anywhere else: you start a conversation with an approved template, and you can only send free-form text inside the 24-hour window after the person messages you first.
n8n is a good fit when you want a WhatsApp message to fire from an event in another system and you want to keep the logic on infrastructure you control. It is not a bulk campaign tool. If your goal is to push one approved template to a whole contact list and see delivery and read rates per send, use a WhatsApp bulk sender instead. This guide covers the single-message workflow, which is what n8n does well.
What you need before you start
Sending a WhatsApp message from any tool, n8n included, requires a WhatsApp Business Account on Meta's Cloud API. The consumer WhatsApp app and the WhatsApp Business app have no public API you can automate. So the first job is a Cloud API setup, not an n8n setup.
- A Meta Business Portfolio with a verified WhatsApp Business Account.
- A phone number registered to the WhatsApp Business Platform. Registering it removes the number from the consumer WhatsApp apps permanently, so use a dedicated number.
- An access token, your Business Account ID, and the phone number ID from Meta's app dashboard.
- At least one approved message template if you plan to start conversations rather than only reply.
The WhatsApp Cloud API page explains the platform, pricing model, and limits in full if you are setting this up for the first time.
Step 1: Add the WhatsApp API credential in n8n
In n8n, open Credentials and create a new WhatsApp API credential. Paste in your access token and your Business Account ID. This single credential is reused by both the WhatsApp Business Cloud node, which sends messages, and the WhatsApp Trigger node, which reacts to incoming ones. Because n8n can be self-hosted, that token stays on your own server rather than a third-party cloud, which is the main reason technical teams choose it.
Step 2: Choose what starts the workflow
Every n8n workflow begins with a trigger. For a WhatsApp send, the trigger is usually something happening elsewhere: a webhook from your store when an order ships, a schedule node that runs each morning, a new row in a database, or a form submission. Pick the node that matches your event and connect it as the first step. If you want the workflow to react to an incoming WhatsApp message instead, start with the WhatsApp Trigger node, which fires on message, account, and phone number events.
Step 3: Add the WhatsApp Business Cloud node and send
Add the WhatsApp Business Cloud node after your trigger. Set the resource to Message and the operation to Send. Then fill in three things: the phone number ID you are sending from, the recipient's number in international format, and the message itself. To open a new conversation you must send a template, so select your approved template and map its variables to fields from earlier in the workflow. For example, an order number and a customer name can flow straight from the webhook payload into the template's placeholders.
If you are replying to someone who just messaged you, you can send free-form text instead of a template, but only for 24 hours after their last message. There is also a Send and Wait for Response operation that sends a message and pauses the workflow until the person replies, which is handy for approval prompts and simple two-way flows.
Step 4: Handle replies and media
To act on what customers send back, add a second workflow that starts with the WhatsApp Trigger node. It fires when a new message arrives, and you can branch on the content: log it to a CRM, alert your team, or run it through an AI node to draft a reply. When a customer sends a photo or document, the node's media operations let you download the file. A common pattern is to pass an incoming invoice or receipt image to a service that can extract data from scanned documents, then write the structured result to your database, all inside one workflow.
The one rule that trips people up: the US marketing block
Since April 1, 2025, Meta has not delivered marketing-category templates to US phone numbers, and they fail with error 131049 in n8n exactly as they do everywhere else. This is a Meta policy, not an n8n limitation, and no tool can work around it. Utility templates, authentication templates, and replies inside the 24-hour window still reach US numbers, so order updates, reminders, and one-time codes all work fine. Just keep US promotional blasts off WhatsApp for now.
When n8n is the wrong tool
n8n sends one message per workflow run. You can loop over a list of items to message many people, but you get no audience management, no template editor, and no delivery reporting. For a real campaign, where you upload a list, send one approved template to everyone, and watch delivery, read, and reply rates, a purpose-built sender is far less work. Many teams run both on the same number: n8n for the triggered, transactional messages, and a dedicated sender for campaigns. See the full n8n WhatsApp integration overview for how the two fit together.
Frequently asked questions
Can n8n send WhatsApp messages for free?
The n8n WhatsApp node itself is free to use, since n8n is open source and self-hostable, or included on paid n8n Cloud plans. But Meta still charges you per delivered template message on your own WhatsApp Business account, by category and country. So n8n adds no per-message fee, while Meta's message charges still apply.
Do I need an approved template to send from n8n?
To start a new conversation, yes. Only an approved template can open the messaging window with someone who has not written to you. Once a customer replies, you can send free-form text for 24 hours without a template.
Can n8n receive WhatsApp messages too?
Yes. The WhatsApp Trigger node fires your workflow when a message comes in or a status changes, so you can build two-way flows: catch the reply, process it, and respond.