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Template variables
Placeholders inside a WhatsApp template that get replaced with per-recipient values at send time. They can be numbered, as in {{1}}, or named for readability.
One term from the WhatsApp Business Platform glossary. Last updated 2026-07-25.
A variable is what turns one approved template into a personalised message for every recipient — a name, an order number, a delivery date. Each variable needs a sample value at submission, and the count and order are locked once the template is approved.
Named variables are easier to maintain than numbered ones at scale, because a campaign built against {{customer_name}} survives a template edit that reorders fields, while one built against {{1}} silently sends the wrong value into the wrong slot.
Related terms
- Template body
- The main text of a WhatsApp template and the only required section. It carries the message content and any variables that get filled in per recipient at send time.
- Template message
- A pre-approved message format required to contact a customer outside the 24-hour customer service window. Meta categorises templates as Marketing, Utility or Authentication, and charges a different rate for each.
- Template buttons
- Tappable actions attached to a WhatsApp template. They come in two families: quick replies that send a preset response, and call-to-action buttons that open a URL or dial a number.
See Template variables in a real workspace
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