Connecting WhatsApp
Copy five values from Meta into the setup wizard and verify your number.
This is the last step on the Meta side. If you have already created your Business Manager, your WhatsApp Business Account and a system-user token, you are ready. If not, work through Getting your Meta account ready first — this page assumes those exist.
1. Before you begin
You need three things in place:
- A Meta Business account — Business Manager
- A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) with a phone number — WhatsApp accounts
- A system-user access token with WhatsApp permissions — System users
Do it in one sitting
The system-user token is shown exactly once. Have this page open next to Meta's so you can paste it straight into the wizard.
2. Gather your credentials
Five values, three of them required. Each card below tells you exactly where the value lives in Meta's tools.
WhatsApp Business Account ID (WABA ID)
The ID of the WhatsApp Business Account that owns your phone number.
Where to find it
- Open Meta Business Settings → Accounts → WhatsApp accounts.
- Select your WhatsApp Business Account.
- Copy the ID shown at the top (also visible in the API Setup page of your app).
e.g. 102290129340398
Phone Number ID
Meta's identifier for the specific phone number that sends and receives.
Where to find it
- Open your app at developers.facebook.com → WhatsApp → API Setup.
- Under "Send and receive messages", find your phone number.
- Copy the "Phone number ID" (not the display phone number itself).
e.g. 109534567891234
System-User Access Token
A permanent System-User token authorizing API calls for your account.
Where to find it
- Open Meta Business Settings → Users → System users.
- Create (or select) a System User and click "Generate new token".
- Select your app and grant whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management (add catalog_management for products).
- Copy the token — it is shown only once.
Meta system-user token
Meta Business ID
(optional)Your Business Manager ID. Optional, used for some account-level calls.
Where to find it
- Open Meta Business Settings → Business info.
- Copy the "Business ID" shown on that page.
Meta Business Manager ID (optional)
Commerce Catalog ID
(optional)The product catalog to sync. Required only if you use Products & Orders.
Where to find it
- Open Meta Commerce Manager → your catalog.
- Go to Catalog → Settings and copy the Catalog ID.
Catalog ID (required for Products & Orders)
Phone Number ID is not your phone number
The Phone Number ID is a long numeric identifier Meta assigns to the number —
not the number itself. Pasting +260 97… here is the single most common setup
mistake.
3. Enter them in the app
Open Settings → Connections
In the app sidebar, go to Settings, then Connections.
Click Add connection
That opens the guided setup wizard.
Paste each value where prompted
Every field has a ? icon with a "where to find it" hint, so you can check each value without leaving the wizard.
Verify
The final step checks your token and confirms the number can send and receive. A green result means you are connected.
4. Webhooks
You do not need to configure a webhook. Inbound messages are delivered automatically once your number is connected — incoming chats appear in your inbox in real time.
The webhook is configured once, at the platform level, by the platform operator. It is not a per-customer task.
If you run the platform yourself
A platform admin will find the Callback URL and Verify Token under Settings → Connections → Webhook setup.
What to do next
Send a test message to prove the whole path works end to end — see Verify and send your first message.
If verification failed, Connection troubleshooting covers every error the wizard can show.