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A missing WhatsApp picture can have several causes, including metadata, an inaccessible image or cached preview information. Do not assume a particular cause from the appearance of the chat alone. Inspect what the public page and image actually return.
Check the initial HTML
Look for an Open Graph title, description, URL, type and image in the server response. Use an absolute HTTPS image address and a coherent title and description. Metadata added only after client-side code runs may not be available to every preview fetcher.
The Open Graph protocol defines the metadata vocabulary. It does not mean every messaging app displays every field in the same way or refreshes cached information immediately.
Test the image separately
Open the exact image URL without authentication. Check that it returns an image, with the expected content type, rather than an error page or a login screen. Keep the file reasonably sized and give it useful dimensions and descriptive alternative text where supported.
On my homepage, the tags already existed in static HTML. The review therefore checked their values and the image response rather than claiming JavaScript hydration was the confirmed fault. The current preview artwork is a 1200 by 630 JPEG.
Distinguish the server fix from app behaviour
After correcting the response, try a fresh share and allow for caching. A successful image response is evidence about the website. It is not proof that every existing WhatsApp conversation has refreshed its preview.
Explore website design, selected projects or send the exact affected page. Read How do I add good website photos without making pages slow? for image preparation and Should my website use clean URLs or links ending in .html? for URL consistency.
Record the page URL, image URL and observed result while testing. That makes it possible to investigate a continuing preview issue without repeatedly changing correct metadata or promising that one tag will solve every sharing problem.