How to Send Photos in Full Quality on WhatsApp

WhatsApp shrinks photos before sending them. You can raise the quality per photo, change the default, or bypass compression entirely by sending the file as a document.

Attach the photo

Open the chat and tap the attachment icon: the paperclip on Android or the plus button on iPhone. Choose Gallery (Android) or Photos (iPhone) and select the photo.

Tap HD at the top of the preview

In the photo preview, tap the HD icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen, next to the crop and edit tools.

Choose HD quality

A sheet shows Standard quality and HD quality with an estimated file size for each. Tap HD quality, then send. The photo carries a small HD label in the chat so the recipient knows it was sent at higher quality.

Set HD as the default

To skip the tap every time, open Settings, Storage and data, Media upload quality, and choose HD quality. On Android, Settings is under the three-dot menu; on iPhone it is the tab at the bottom right, and the labels are Storage and Data and Media Upload Quality. From then on every photo and video goes out in HD unless you switch it back per item.

Send the original as a document instead

Tap the attachment icon, choose Document, and browse to the photo file. On iPhone the picker opens the Files app, so a photo that lives only in Photos may need to be saved to Files first. The file is sent exactly as it is, and the recipient gets it as a downloadable file rather than an inline picture.

HD is not lossless. HD sends a larger, sharper version, but WhatsApp still compresses it and caps the resolution. Sending as a document keeps the original bytes, including any metadata in the file such as the camera model or location, so check that before sending to someone you do not know.

Data use. HD photos and documents are several times larger than standard sends. On a cellular plan with a small allowance, stick to standard quality or wait for Wi-Fi.