WhatsApp error 131053: The image or file could not be uploaded
The ArabyBot teamOfficial Meta partner · written from our own platform dataOn this page 5
The short answer
Error 131053 means Meta could not upload the media you sent with the message: the type is unsupported, the size is over the limit, or the link does not return the file directly. Send a file of an accepted type and size from a link that opens the file itself, then send again.
Why error 131053 appears
- The file type is unsupported, such as a WEBP image where JPG or PNG is expected.
- The size is above Meta's limit: about 5 MB for an image, 16 MB for a video and 100 MB for a document.
- The link opens a web page or asks for a login instead of returning the file directly.
- The server hosting the file is slow or blocks Meta's requests.
How to fix it, step by step
- Convert to an accepted type
Images as JPG or PNG, video as MP4, audio as AAC, MP3 or OGG, documents as PDF or Office types.
- Reduce the size
Compress the image or video below the limit.
- Use a direct link to the file
Open the link in a private window; it must show the file itself, not a page around it.
What ArabyBot does about it
- The reason appears in plain words under the message itself in the inbox, on the web and in the phone app, with what to do — instead of Meta's raw English.
- A broadcast stops at the first customer this error hits instead of running through the whole audience, because the next customer would fail the same way; you resume it after the fix.
Related codes
- 131052Media the customer sent could not be downloaded
- 131051An unsupported message type
- 131042A payment-method problem stops sending
- 132012Variable values are not in the template's format
- 131026The message could not be delivered to this number
- 132000The number of values does not match the template's variables
Every WhatsApp error code, grouped by kind ←
Questions about error 131053
Is it enough that the image opens in my browser?
Not always; your browser may open it because you are logged in, while Meta reaches it logged out. Try the link in a private window.
Source: Meta's official error code reference, with what we see on our own platform.
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