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Free tools · WhatsApp and DLT template checker

What is the WhatsApp template character limit?

A WhatsApp message template body can be up to 1,024 characters. A text header can be up to 60 characters with one variable, a footer up to 60 characters, and each button label up to 25 characters. These limits come from Meta’s template components documentation.

For SMS in India, a DLT template’s {#var#} placeholder holds up to 30 characters in Airtel’s guideline, and a single SMS is 160 GSM-7 characters or 70 Unicode characters. The checker below tests a WhatsApp or DLT template against these rules in your browser.

By Vocora team · Published 18 October 2026

WhatsApp and DLT template checker

Free, no sign-up. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us.

WhatsApp and DLT SMS template checker

Starts with a sample template so you can see the checks. Paste your own text over it. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored. A pass here does not guarantee approval: Meta and the DLT operator decide.

20 / 60
110 / 1024
21 / 60
  • OK: Template name format is valid (lowercase, numbers, underscores).
  • OK: Header: 20 / 60 characters.
  • OK: Body: 110 / 1024 characters.
  • OK: Footer: 21 / 60 characters.
  • OK: 2 button label(s) within 25 characters.
  • OK: 3 positional variable(s), numbered in order.

Likely category: Utility

  • No promotional or one-time-code wording found. It reads like a Utility message, which must relate to a specific transaction or request the customer started.

The category hint is a keyword check we wrote, not Meta’s classifier. Meta can recategorise a template on review.

How to use it

  1. Choose WhatsApp or DLT. Pick the template type you want to check.
  2. Paste the template. For WhatsApp, paste header, body, footer and button labels; for DLT, paste the template with {#var#} placeholders.
  3. Fix failures first. Red items break a published rule; amber items are common rejection risks.
  4. Check SMS length. For DLT, fill sample values to see the encoding and how many SMS parts the message uses.

Method

  • WhatsApp: header 60, body 1,024, footer 60, button label 25 characters; up to 10 buttons; variables {{1}}, {{2}}… in order, or named lowercase variables.
  • Meta’s review guidance: a body should not start or end with a variable, and variables should not contain #, $ or %.
  • DLT: {#var#} up to 30 characters (Airtel guideline); no double spaces or < > characters (Jio guideline).
  • SMS parts: GSM-7 is 160 characters for one SMS and 153 per part after that; Unicode is 70 and 67.

Limits

  • Meta does not publish a ratio for “too many variables for the length”, so the checker only warns.
  • Operators update DLT rules; check your operator’s portal before submitting.
  • The category hint is a keyword guess, not Meta’s decision.
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FAQ

What is the WhatsApp character limit?

For a template body it is 1,024 characters. Free-form session messages can be longer, but templates, which you need to start a conversation, have the limits above.

What is a template message in WhatsApp?

A pre-approved message format that businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform must use to message someone outside the 24-hour customer service window. Meta reviews each template before use.

What are the guidelines for WhatsApp template category messages?

Templates are Marketing, Utility or Authentication. Utility is for a specific transaction the user started; promotional content belongs in Marketing. Meta may recategorise a template.

Why does DLT say the variable exceeded max length?

A value sent in {#var#} is longer than the operator allows (30 characters in Airtel’s guideline). Shorten the value, split it across two variables, or register a template with more fixed text.

What is the SMS character limit in India?

One SMS is 160 characters in GSM-7 or 70 in Unicode (for Hindi and other Indian scripts). Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters.

Sources

  1. Meta — WhatsApp template components (header 60, body 1,024, footer 60, button label 25 characters; up to 10 buttons)
  2. Meta — Template review: parameter formatting and rejection reasons
  3. Meta — Templates overview: names, named and positional parameters
  4. Meta — Template categorization (Marketing, Utility, Authentication)
  5. Airtel — Guidelines for validation and verification of content templates (v4): {#var#} up to 30 characters, 2,000 per template
  6. Jio TrueConnect — Content template registration user guide (tag validation standards)

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