An image or video says "unavailable"
What each media message means, which cases are recoverable, and what to do.
Where a photo, video, voice note or document should be, you may see a placeholder instead. It tells you which problem it is, because the answers are different.
"Expired on WhatsApp"
WhatsApp no longer has the file. Media doesn't live on WhatsApp's servers forever — once it's been collected by the recipients, it ages off.
This is common on older conversations, especially ones imported when you first linked your number: the messages come across, but the files behind them are long gone.
This is not recoverable. Nobody can retrieve it, including WhatsApp. Ask the sender to send it again.
"Couldn't be downloaded"
Tenashi failed to fetch the file. The media probably still exists — this is our side, not WhatsApp's.
Ask the sender to resend, and if it keeps happening across many messages, email support and say roughly when it started. That detail is genuinely useful.
"Too large to store"
The file was over the size limit and wasn't downloaded. Very large videos are the usual cause. Ask for a smaller file, or get it another way.
"Loading media…"
Still downloading. Large files on a busy connection take a moment. If it doesn't resolve, reopen the conversation.
Why the distinction matters
These three used to be reported as one thing, and "expired" is a convincing explanation — it sounds like WhatsApp's fault and nothing to be done. That meant a genuine fault could sit unnoticed for a long time behind a plausible message.
So the placeholder now tells you which case it is. If you see "couldn't be downloaded" on recent messages, that's worth reporting; "expired on WhatsApp" on old ones is normal and expected.
Still stuck? Email support and tell us what you were trying to do.