Install Reach: Get the browser extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Open the template library
The library opens from the home screen:
Open Reach on any contact who has a WhatsApp channel available.
Scroll to the MESSAGE tools section.
Click Templates.
Reach navigates to the Templates screen, headed by the back button and the title Templates. If your workspace has no WhatsApp channel, Reach returns you to the home screen — contact an admin to set up a WhatsApp channel first.
Search by name
A search input sits at the top of the screen with the placeholder Search templates…. Start typing a template name — Reach debounces the search briefly to avoid a fetch on every keystroke, then shows matches.
A result summary appears below the chips — for example 7 results for “welcome” — so you know how many templates the current query is returning. If a category filter is also active, the line reads 7 results for “welcome” in Marketing.
Filter by category
Three category chips below the search input let you narrow the library:
All — Every template in the workspace.
Marketing — Templates for promotions, product announcements, or other outreach.
Utility — Templates for transactional content like confirmations, reminders, or updates.
The active chip is filled; the others show as outlines. Click a chip to switch. Both the search query and the category filter combine — Marketing + “onboarding” shows only marketing templates matching “onboarding”.
Read the template list
Templates are grouped into two sections:
Recently used — Templates you or another teammate has used lately. Appears only when there are recent picks to show.
All templates — The rest of the templates in the selected filter, in alphabetical order.
Each template card shows:
The template’s display name.
A Marketing or Utility category badge next to the name.
A short preview of the body text.
A summary line beneath the body listing the variable count, header type, button type, and language code (for example 2 vars · image · CTA: url · en_US).
Paused templates appear dimmed in the list. You can still click a paused card to open the detail screen and review the preview and properties — but you can’t use it for a send until it’s re-approved.
Click any card to open the template’s detail screen.
Empty states
If no templates match, Reach shows a centered empty state:
No templates found — The heading.
No templates match “{query}”. Try a different search term or clear your filters. — Shown when a search returned no results.
No templates available for the selected category. — Shown when a category filter returned no results and no search query is active.
When a filter is active, a Clear search button appears below the message to reset both the query and the category to All.
Template detail screen
Clicking a template opens its detail screen. The header shows the template’s display name and a back button.
Status bar. Directly below the header:
A category badge — Marketing, Utility, or Authentication.
The approval state — Approved or Paused.
The language — for example English (US).
The active state on the right — Active or Inactive.
Paused warning. If the template’s state is Paused, a red warning banner with the heading Template paused by Meta appears, explaining that messages using this template will not be delivered until the quality improves. If Meta included a review note, it’s shown in the same banner under a Meta review note label.
Preview. Under the PREVIEW heading, Reach renders the template exactly as the recipient will see it, with header media (if configured), body text with placeholder tokens, footer, and buttons.
Properties table. Under the PROPERTIES heading, a compact table lists:
Template name — The technical name, shown in monospace.
Category — Marketing, Utility, or Authentication.
Language — The code with the localized name in parentheses (for example en_US (English (US))).
Header — None, Text, Image, Video, or Document.
Variables — The number of body variables, or None.
Buttons — The number and type, for example 2 × CTA (url).
Quality — High for healthy templates, Low for paused ones.
Actions. Two buttons sit at the bottom:
Use template — Starts the WhatsApp send flow with this template pre-selected. If the current contact has a phone number, Reach opens the configure screen directly; otherwise you’ll be asked to pick a channel or recipient first.
Full preview — Opens a full-screen preview modal so you can see the rendered template at full size.
Paused templates. On a paused template, the Use template button is disabled and a note reads This template is paused and cannot be used to send messages. You can still view the preview and properties for reference.
How templates connect to sending
The template library is the research step — it’s where you pick the right template without starting a send. When you click Use template, Reach hands off to the composer:
The selected template is pre-filled in the configure screen.
If the contact is already detected and has a phone number, the flow skips ahead to variable and media configuration.
If not, Reach asks you to select a channel or enter a recipient first.
For the full send workflow — filling variables, uploading media, previewing, and confirming — see Sending a WhatsApp Message.
Good habits when browsing
Filter before you search — Picking Marketing or Utility first narrows the list and makes searches faster.
Open the full preview — If a template has header media or buttons, the full preview shows them rendered exactly as recipients see them.
Check the status bar — A Paused label means the template won’t send even if you pick it. Look for an Approved state before you commit to a send.
Verify the language — If your workspace runs in multiple languages, the language code on the card helps you pick the right localized copy.
What’s next