sending-messages.md

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Sending Messages

One of the core features of any messaging experience is sending messages. This page contains all the examples you need to start sending messages with Baileys.

Overview

Send all types of messages with a single function using sock.sendMessage():

const jid: string // WhatsApp ID
const content: AnyMessageContent // Message content
const options: MiscMessageGenerationOptions // Optional settings

await sock.sendMessage(jid, content, options)

Text Messages

Basic Text Message

await sock.sendMessage(jid, { text: 'hello word' })

Quote Message (works with all types)

await sock.sendMessage(jid, { text: 'hello word' }, { quoted: message })

Mention User (works with most types)

The @number format in text is optional for displaying mentions:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        text: '@12345678901',
        mentions: ['12345678901@s.whatsapp.net']
    }
)

Media Messages

Supported Upload Formats

You can pass media in three ways:

• { stream: Stream } - Readable stream (recommended for memory efficiency)
• { url: Url } - Direct URL path
• Buffer - Direct buffer data

When specifying a media URL, Baileys never loads the entire buffer into memory and encrypts media as a readable stream.

Image Message

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        image: {
            url: './Media/ma_img.png'
        },
        caption: 'hello word'
    }
)

Video Message

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        video: {
            url: './Media/ma_gif.mp4'
        },
        caption: 'hello word',
        ptv: false // if set to true, will send as a video note
    }
)

Gif Message

WhatsApp doesn't support .gif files. Send gifs as .mp4 video with gifPlayback flag:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        video: fs.readFileSync('Media/ma_gif.mp4'),
        caption: 'hello word',
        gifPlayback: true
    }
)

Audio Message

To ensure audio messages work on all devices, convert with ffmpeg using these flags:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -avoid_negative_ts make_zero -ac 1 output.ogg

Required flags:

• codec: libopus (ogg file)
• ac: 1 (one channel)
• avoid_negative_ts make_zero

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        audio: {
            url: './Media/audio.mp3'
        },
        mimetype: 'audio/mp4'
    }
)

View Once Message

Send any media type as view-once by adding viewOnce: true:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        image: {
            url: './Media/ma_img.png'
        },
        viewOnce: true, // works with video, audio too
        caption: 'hello word'
    }
)

Thumbnail in Media Messages

Thumbnails are generated automatically when you add these dependencies:

• For images & stickers: yarn add jimp or yarn add sharp
• For videos: Install ffmpeg on your system

contextInfo, linkPreview, other formats

Sending Messages with Link Previews

1. By default, WhatsApp Web doesn't generate link previews
2. Baileys can generate link preview content automatically
3. Add link-preview-js as a dependency: yarn add link-preview-js
4. Send a link:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        text: 'Hi, this was sent using https://github.com/whiskeysockets/baileys'
    }
)

Location Message

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        location: {
            degreesLatitude: 24.121231,
            degreesLongitude: 55.1121221
        }
    }
)

Contact Message

const vcard = 'BEGIN:VCARD\n'
            + 'VERSION:3.0\n'
            + 'FN:Jeff Singh\n' // full name
            + 'ORG:Ashoka Uni;\n' // organization
            + 'TEL;type=CELL;type=VOICE;waid=911234567890:+91 12345 67890\n'
            + 'END:VCARD'

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        contacts: {
            displayName: 'Jeff',
            contacts: [{ vcard }]
        }
    }
)

Poll Message

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        poll: {
            name: 'My Poll',
            values: ['Option 1', 'Option 2'],
            selectableCount: 1,
            toAnnouncementGroup: false // or true
        }
    }
)

Forwarding Messages

You need a message object from your store or a WAMessage object:

const msg = getMessageFromStore() // implement this on your end
await sock.sendMessage(jid, { forward: msg })

Deleting messages

Delete for Everyone

const msg = await sock.sendMessage(jid, { text: 'hello word' })
await sock.sendMessage(jid, { delete: msg.key })

Note: Deleting for yourself is done via chatModify - see the Modifying Chats section.

Editing Messages

You can edit previously sent messages:

await sock.sendMessage(jid, {
    text: 'updated text goes here',
    edit: response.key,
})

Reaction Messages

Send reactions using the message key:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        react: {
            text: '💖', // use an empty string to remove the reaction
            key: message.key
        }
    }
)

Pin Message

Pin messages for specific durations:

Available durations:

Time	Seconds
24h	86,400
7d	604,800
30d	2,592,000

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        pin: {
            type: 1, // 0 to remove
            time: 86400,
            key: message.key
        }
    }
)

note about disappearing mode (ephemeralExpiration)

Disappearing Messages

Set messages to auto-delete after a specified time:

Available durations:

Time	Seconds
Remove	0
24h	86,400
7d	604,800
90d	7,776,000

// Enable disappearing messages for chat
await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    { disappearingMessagesInChat: WA_DEFAULT_EPHEMERAL }
)

// Send individual disappearing message
await sock.sendMessage(
    jid, 
    { text: 'hello' }, 
    { ephemeralExpiration: WA_DEFAULT_EPHEMERAL }
)

// Disable disappearing messages
await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    { disappearingMessagesInChat: false }
)

Broadcast & Stories

Send messages to broadcasts and stories by adding special options:

await sock.sendMessage(
    jid,
    {
        image: {
            url: url
        },
        caption: caption
    },
    {
        backgroundColor: backgroundColor,
        font: font,
        statusJidList: statusJidList,
        broadcast: true
    }
)

Parameters:

• broadcast: true - Enables broadcast mode
• statusJidList - Array of recipient JIDs who will receive the status
• backgroundColor, font - Optional styling for status messages

WhatsApp IDs Explained

Understanding JID (WhatsApp ID) formats:

• Individual users: [country code][phone number]@s.whatsapp.net
  • Example: +19999999999@s.whatsapp.net
• Groups: [timestamp]-[random]@g.us
  • Example: 123456789-123345@g.us
• Broadcast lists: [timestamp]@broadcast
• Stories: status@broadcast