> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs-next.gallabox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Carousel Templates

> Send one message followed by up to 10 horizontally scrollable cards, each with its own image or video, body text, and buttons.

> **Who can use this?**
>
> * Requires a **Cloud API** WhatsApp channel. Carousel is unavailable on On-Premise channels.
> * Needs permission to create WhatsApp templates.

<Info>
  A carousel template sends a single text message followed by up to **10 cards** the customer swipes through horizontally. Each card carries its own media, its own body text, and its own buttons — so one message can present ten products, ten properties, or ten packages, each separately actionable.
</Info>

Carousels render on mobile WhatsApp and on WhatsApp Web.

## When a carousel is the right choice

Reach for a carousel when you have several comparable things and want the customer to pick one. A product range, a set of appointment slots, several plan tiers.

Don't reach for one when you have a single message to send, or when the options aren't comparable — a carousel where each card says something unrelated reads as clutter. Ten cards is a ceiling, not a target; three well-chosen cards usually outperform ten.

## Constraints

Meta enforces these, and a template that breaks them is rejected rather than trimmed:

|                    |                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cards per template | Up to 10                                                            |
| Card structure     | Every card needs a media header, body text, and at least one button |
| Buttons per card   | Up to 2                                                             |
| Card uniformity    | Every card must have the same media type and the same button layout |
| Image files        | `.jpeg`, `.jpg`, `.png` — up to 5 MB                                |
| Video files        | `.mp4`, `.3gpp` — up to 10 MB                                       |

<Warning>
  Cards must be structurally identical. If card 1 has an image header and two buttons — one Quick Reply, one URL — every other card needs an image header and the same two button types in the same order. You can change the text, the destination, and the media; you cannot change the shape.
</Warning>

## Creating a carousel template

### Step 1: Choose the Carousel category

Open **Create New Template** and select **Carousel** as the category. Carousel is a Marketing-category template, so it's billed as Marketing on every send — see [How WhatsApp Message Pricing Works](/pricing-and-billing/whatsapp-message-pricing).

If Carousel is greyed out, your channel isn't on Cloud API.

### Step 2: Write the opening message

The body text you enter here is the single message that appears *above* the cards. Treat it as the framing line — what the set of cards is, and what you want the customer to do with them.

### Step 3: Set the carousel format

This is where you fix the shape every card will follow:

* **Carousel type** — **Image Carousel** or **Video Carousel**. All cards use the type you pick here.
* **Button types** — up to two per card. Button 1 defaults to **Quick Reply**; you can change it. Each button can be **Quick Reply**, **URL**, or **Phone Number**.

### Step 4: Add the cards

Click **+ Add Carousel Card** for each card. For every one, provide:

* **Card header** — the image or video, within the size limits above.
* **Card body** — the text for this card.
* **Button text** — the label for each button you defined in Step 3, plus the URL or phone number where applicable.

Repeat up to 10 times.

<Note>
  Every card needs body text. Submitting with an empty card body is the most common validation error — Gallabox flags the specific card rather than failing the whole form, so check for an inline error on each card if submission is blocked.
</Note>

### Step 5: Submit for approval

Submit the template to Meta. Approval follows the same process and timelines as any other template — see [Create and Manage Templates](/whatsapp/templates/create-template#step-9-submit-for-review).

## Sending a carousel

Once approved, a carousel template sends like any other: from a broadcast, a sequence, a bot flow's Send WhatsApp Template node, the Inbox, or the API.

Variables work per card, so a single carousel template can be personalised per recipient — each card's body text and button URL can carry its own placeholders. When you send it, you'll fill in card-level variables alongside the message-level ones.

## FAQs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Carousel isn't available when I create a template.">
    Carousel templates require a Cloud API channel. If your WhatsApp channel is On-Premise, the category is disabled. Contact support about migrating to Cloud API.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I mix images and videos across cards?">
    No. You choose Image Carousel or Video Carousel for the whole template, and every card follows it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can different cards have different button types?">
    The button *types* and their order must be identical across cards. The button *text* and destination can differ — so card 1's URL button can point somewhere different from card 2's.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My carousel template was rejected. Why?">
    Check card uniformity first — mismatched media types or button layouts across cards are the usual cause. After that, apply the normal Marketing-template rules: no misleading claims, no prohibited content, and media that matches what the text promises. See [Why Templates Get Rejected](/whatsapp/templates/overview#why-templates-get-rejected).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is a carousel billed?">
    As a single Marketing template message, not as ten. The cards are part of one message.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do carousels work on WhatsApp Web?">
    Yes. Customers see and scroll carousel messages on the WhatsApp Web client as well as on mobile.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related Articles

* [Create and Manage Templates](/whatsapp/templates/create-template) — the full template editor, variables, and approval flow
* [Templates](/whatsapp/templates/overview) — categories, approval criteria, and rejection reasons
* [Catalog, Orders and Payments](/whatsapp/shop) — for sending an actual browsable product catalog rather than a fixed set of cards