WhatsApp Photos and Videos Not Downloading: How to Fix It
Photos, videos, voice messages, or documents in WhatsApp won't download, open, or send.
What exactly is happening?
Try these in order
- Check your connection. Media downloads need a working internet connection — try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data (WhatsApp Help).
- Free up phone storage. If your phone is nearly full, WhatsApp can't save new media. Delete old videos or clear large chats under Settings → Storage and data → Manage storage.
- Restart your phone. WhatsApp lists this as a first step (WhatsApp Help).
- Update WhatsApp and your phone's software. 'This file format is not supported' errors are often fixed by updating (WhatsApp Help).
- Check the file type. WhatsApp supports videos in 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV, and MP4. Other formats may not open (WhatsApp Help).
- Ask the sender to resend. Old media can expire from WhatsApp's servers, so the sender may need to send it again.
Still stuck? If only one file fails, the sender's copy may be corrupt. If everything fails, it's almost always storage or connection.
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