Interactive list messages

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Interactive list messages allow you to present WhatsApp users with a list of options to choose from (options are defined as rows in the request payload):

When a user taps the button in the message, WhatsApp displays a modal that lists the available options:

Users can then choose one option, and WhatsApp sends their selection as a reply:

Selecting an option triggers a webhook, which identifies the user's selected option.

Interactive list messages support up to 10 sections, with up to 10 rows for all sections combined, and can include an optional header and footer.

Request syntax

Use the Messages API to send an interactive list message to a WhatsApp user.

curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages' \  
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \  
-H 'Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>' \  
-d '  
{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "recipient_type": "individual",  
  "to": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",  
  "type": "interactive",  
  "interactive": {  
    "type": "list",  
    "header": {  
      "type": "text",  
      "text": "<MESSAGE_HEADER_TEXT>"  
    },  
    "body": {  
      "text": "<MESSAGE_BODY_TEXT>"  
    },  
    "footer": {  
      "text": "<MESSAGE_FOOTER_TEXT>"  
    },  
    "action": {  
      "button": "<BUTTON_TEXT>",  
      "sections": [  
        {  
          "title": "<SECTION_TITLE_TEXT>",  
          "rows": [  
            {  
              "id": "<ROW_ID>",  
              "title": "<ROW_TITLE_TEXT>",  
              "description": "<ROW_DESCRIPTION_TEXT>"  
            }  
            <!-- Additional rows would go here -->  
          ]  
        }  
        <!-- Additional sections would go here -->  
      ]  
    }  
  }  
}'

Request parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<ACCESS_TOKEN> String	Required. System token or business token.	EAAA...
<API_VERSION> String	Optional. Graph API version.	v25.0
<BUTTON_TEXT> String	Required. Button label text. When tapped, reveals rows (options the WhatsApp user can tap). Supports a single button. Maximum 20 characters.	Shipping Options
<MESSAGE_BODY_TEXT> String	Required. Message body text. Supports URLs. Maximum 4096 characters.	Which shipping option do you prefer?
<MESSAGE_FOOTER_TEXT> String	Optional. Message footer text. Maximum 60 characters.	Lucky Shrub: Your gateway to succulents™
<MESSAGE_HEADER_TEXT> String	Optional. The header object is optional. Supports text header type only. Maximum 60 characters.	Choose Shipping Option
<ROW_DESCRIPTION_TEXT> String	Optional. Row description. Maximum 72 characters.	Next Day to 2 Days
<ROW_ID> String	Required. Arbitrary string identifying the row. This ID will be included in the webhook payload if the user submits the selection. At least one row is required. Supports up to 10 rows. Maximum 200 characters.	priority_express
<ROW_TITLE_TEXT> String	Required. Row title. At least 1 row is required. Supports up to 10 rows. Maximum 24 characters.	Priority Mail Express
<SECTION_TITLE_TEXT> String	Required. Section title text. At least 1 section is required. Supports up to 10 sections. Maximum 24 characters.	I want it ASAP!
<WHATSAPP_BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID> String	Required. WhatsApp business phone number ID.	106540352242922
<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER> String	Required. WhatsApp user phone number.	+16505551234

Example request

Example request to send an interactive list message with a header, body, footer, and two sections containing two rows each.

curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v25.0/106540352242922/messages' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer EAAJB...' \
-d '
{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "+16505551234",
  "type": "interactive",
  "interactive": {
    "type": "list",
    "header": {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "Choose Shipping Option"
    },
    "body": {
      "text": "Which shipping option do you prefer?"
    },
    "footer": {
      "text": "Lucky Shrub: Your gateway to succulents™"
    },
    "action": {
      "button": "Shipping Options",
      "sections": [
        {
          "title": "I want it ASAP!",
          "rows": [
            {
              "id": "priority_express",
              "title": "Priority Mail Express",
              "description": "Next Day to 2 Days"
            },
            {
              "id": "priority_mail",
              "title": "Priority Mail",
              "description": "1–3 Days"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "title": "I can wait a bit",
          "rows": [
            {
              "id": "usps_ground_advantage",
              "title": "USPS Ground Advantage",
              "description": "2–5 Days"
            },
            {
              "id": "media_mail",
              "title": "Media Mail",
              "description": "2–8 Days"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}'

Example response

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "contacts": [  
    {  
      "input": "+16505551234",  
      "wa_id": "16505551234"  
    }  
  ],  
  "messages": [  
    {  
      "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgARGBI1RjQyNUE3NEYxMzAzMzQ5MkEA"  
    }  
  ]  
}

Webhooks

When a WhatsApp user selects an option and sends their message, WhatsApp triggers a messages webhook identifying the ID (id) of the option they chose.

{  
  "object": "whatsapp_business_account",  
  "entry": [  
    {  
      "id": "102290129340398",  
      "changes": [  
        {  
          "value": {  
            "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
            "metadata": {  
              "display_phone_number": "15550783881",  
              "phone_number_id": "106540352242922"  
            },  
            "contacts": [  
              {  
                "profile": {  
                  "name": "Pablo Morales"  
                },  
                "wa_id": "16505551234"  
              }  
            ],  
            "messages": [  
              {  
                "context": {  
                  "from": "15550783881",  
                  "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgARGBIwMjg0RkMxOEMyMkNEQUFFRDgA"  
                },  
                "from": "16505551234",  
                "id": "wamid.HBgLMTY0NjcwNDM1OTUVAgASGBQzQTZDMzFGRUFBQjlDMzIzMzlEQwA=",  
                "timestamp": "1712595443",  
                "type": "interactive",  
                "interactive": {  
                  "type": "list_reply",  
                  "list_reply": {  
                    "id": "priority_express",  
                    "title": "Priority Mail Express",  
                    "description": "Next Day to 2 Days"  
                  }  
                }  
              }  
            ]  
          },  
          "field": "messages"  
        }  
      ]  
    }  
  ]  
}