How-To Guidebeginner2 minutes

How to Set Welcome Messages in WhatsApp Group

Configure automatic welcome messages for new group members. Custom text with name variables.

Welcoming new members manually scales for the first few people and breaks down at the tenth. BotWave's welcome bot fires a customised greeting the instant a new member joins, with placeholders for {name}, {group}, and {memberCount}, plus a button to read pinned rules.

Prerequisites

  • BotWave bot added to the group as a member (admin recommended for full features).
  • Your welcome text drafted, keep it under 3 short paragraphs for readability.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1

    Open Dashboard → Groups → click your group → Welcome

    Find the Welcome tab. The default text is a generic "Hi {name}, welcome to {group}".

  2. 2

    Paste your custom welcome text

    Supported placeholders: {name}, {group}, {memberCount}, {rulesLink}. You can also include emojis and basic Markdown bold/italic.

  3. 3

    Add a media attachment (optional)

    Upload an image (logo, banner) that will be attached to every welcome message.

  4. 4

    Toggle "send to new member in DM"

    For sensitive groups, you can have the welcome message DM'd to the new member instead of posted publicly.

  5. 5

    Test by inviting a friend

    Or use !testwelcome to see the rendered welcome message yourself.

    !testwelcome

Expected result

Every new member receives a personalised welcome within ~1 second of joining, including any image and rules link you configured.

Power-user tips

  • Include a !rules placeholder so the welcome text becomes the rules entry-point.
  • Localise: configure different welcome text per group, e.g. English for one and Yoruba/Hausa/Pidgin for another.
  • Set the cooldown to 60s so a burst of joiners does not blow up the chat with 50 welcome messages.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have different welcome messages for different groups?

Yes. Each group has its own welcome configuration in Dashboard → Groups → click the group → Welcome.

Does it work if the bot is not admin?

Yes, welcome messages need only member status, not admin. Admin is required for moderation actions like kicking.

Can the welcome trigger include the user's WhatsApp display name?

Yes via {name}. If the user has not set a public name, it falls back to their phone number.

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