How to Get Your WhatsApp API Credentials

This guide walks you through obtaining the WhatsApp Cloud API credentials required to send WhatsApp messages from your WordPress site. You will need three key values: Access Token, Phone Number ID, and WhatsApp Business Account ID.

1. Go to developers.facebook.com. Log in or register as a developer (free).

2. Click My Apps in the top right.

3. Click Create app.

4. Enter an App name (e.g. "MyApp") and click Next.

5. Under Use Cases, select Other and click Next.

6. Choose Business as the app type and click Next.

7. Fill in the required fields. You can leave the Business Account field empty for now. Click Create app.

1. On the Add products to your app screen, find WhatsApp and click Set up.

2. Create a new Meta Business Account or select an existing one. You will see a Getting started screen with your app's technical details.

1. On the Quickstart screen, click Start using the API.

2. Under API Setup, use the test number provided or click Add phone number to register your own.

3. Create a WhatsApp Business profile (display name, timezone, category) and click Next.

4. Enter a phone number that is not already associated with a WhatsApp account. Verify it via text or phone call.

Note: If you want to use a number already linked to WhatsApp, you will need to migrate it to your business account first.

From the API Setup / Getting started screen, locate and copy these three values:

• Access Token – Click Generate access token and follow the prompts. Note: this temporary token expires after 24 hours.
• Phone Number ID – Found in the API Setup section.
• WhatsApp Business Account ID – Also found in the API Setup section.

The temporary access token is only valid for 24 hours. For production use, generate a permanent token via a Meta System User:

1. Go to Meta Business Settings.

2. Under Users, click System Users → Add.

3. Give the system user a name, assign the role Admin, and click Create System User.

4. Click Assign assets. In the modal, select Apps → [Your App Name] → Full control.

5. Click Generate token next to the system user.

6. Select your app, set the expiration to Never, and enable the following permissions:

• whatsapp_business_management
• whatsapp_business_messaging

7. Click Generate token and copy the token.

• Access Token – Temporary (24 h) or permanent via System User (recommended)
• Phone Number ID – From the Meta API Setup screen
• WhatsApp Business Account ID – From the Meta API Setup screen

Once you have these three values, paste them into your integration settings to connect WhatsApp messaging to your site.

For more details, refer to the Meta WhatsApp Cloud API documentation.