Get your Meta Cloud credentials

Find the four credentials OmniDimension asks for when you import a WhatsApp Cloud number, and how to set up your Meta account from scratch.

To import a WhatsApp number with the Meta Cloud API, OmniDimension asks for four values from your Meta account. This page shows you exactly where each one lives, and how to set up the Meta account from scratch if you are starting fresh.

Set aside about 20 minutes the first time. You only do this once per number.

The four credentials

These are the four fields on the WhatsApp Cloud Business import form, and where each one comes from.

Credential	What it is	Where to find it
WhatsApp Business Account ID	A 15-16 digit number identifying your WhatsApp account	Business settings → WhatsApp accounts (or WhatsApp → API Setup)
Meta App ID	A 15-16 digit number identifying the app you created	App settings → Basic (also on API Setup)
Meta Business ID	A 15-16 digit number identifying your business portfolio	Business settings → Business portfolio info
Meta Access Token	A long string starting with `EAA…` that lets OmniDimension send on your behalf	Your system user (permanent token)

Three of the four are just ID numbers you copy. The only one that takes real setup is the access token, covered in step 5. If your Meta account already has an app with WhatsApp added, skip to Where each credential lives.

Set up Meta from scratch

If you have never used the WhatsApp Cloud API before, do these five steps in order. If you already have a Meta app with WhatsApp added, jump to step 4.

Create a Meta Business portfolio

A business portfolio (formerly "Business Manager") is the container that owns your app and WhatsApp account.

Go to business.facebook.com and sign in with your Facebook account.
If you do not have one yet, open Business settings and click Create account, then enter your business name, your name, and a work email.

This is also where your Meta Business ID comes from later. To raise your messaging limits later, you will also complete Meta Business verification, but you do not need it to get your credentials or send your first test message.

Meta reference: Business portfolios and Get started with the WhatsApp Cloud API.

Create an app with WhatsApp

Go to the Meta App Dashboard and click Create app.
For the use case, choose Other, then select the Business app type.
Give the app a name, pick the business portfolio you just created, and click Create app.
On the app's dashboard, find WhatsApp in the product list and click Set up.

Meta creates a free test number and a sandbox WhatsApp Business Account for you automatically. That is enough to get your credentials and test sending.

Meta reference: Create an app and the WhatsApp Cloud API get started guide.

Add your own phone number (for production)

The test number can only message a short list of recipients you add by hand. To message real customers you add your own number:

In the App Dashboard, open WhatsApp → API Setup.
Under Send and receive messages, click Add phone number.
Enter a number that is not already active on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app, choose how to receive the verification code (SMS or call), and verify it.

Meta walks through this in Add a phone number, and the full registration flow is in Register a business phone number.

A number already in use on the consumer WhatsApp app or the WhatsApp Business app cannot be added directly. You either use a fresh number, or migrate the existing one off the app first. If your import later fails with "account not registered" (error 133010), the number is still on the Business app, not the Cloud API.

Find your business portfolio ID

This is the value OmniDimension calls Meta Business ID.

Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite.
Select Business portfolio info from the left menu.
Below your business portfolio name, you'll find your business portfolio ID number. Copy it.

Older accounts may label this "Business Manager ID." It is the same number.

Create a system user and generate a permanent token

The temporary token in API Setup expires quickly and is not suitable for production. Create a system user and generate a permanent token instead.

Navigate to Business settings and click System users in the sidebar.
Click the Add button in the upper-right corner and follow the prompts to create a new system user.
Select the new system user and click Assign assets:
- Select your app and toggle Manage app under Full control.
- Select your WhatsApp account and toggle Manage WhatsApp Business accounts under Full control.
- Click Assign assets.
Click Generate token, then:
- Follow the prompts to generate your token.
- Add these permissions: business_management, whatsapp_business_messaging, and whatsapp_business_management.
- Copy the token and store it somewhere secure. Meta shows it only once.

The whatsapp_business_* permissions are required. Without them the token connects but cannot send, and the import will fail. The token is a password for your WhatsApp account, so treat it like one.

Meta documents this exact flow in step 5 of the WhatsApp get started guide, with more detail in Install apps, generate, refresh, and revoke tokens.

Where each credential lives

Once your app and WhatsApp account exist, here is the fastest path to each value.

WhatsApp Business Account ID

In Meta Business settings:

Open Settings from the menu on the left.
Under the Accounts dropdown, select WhatsApp accounts.
From the list on the right, click the WhatsApp Business Account you want.
The WABA name and the WhatsApp Business Account ID are shown at the top.

You can also read it in the App Dashboard under WhatsApp → API Setup. Twilio has a clear visual walkthrough of the Business settings path in Locating your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) ID.

Meta App ID

Open App settings → Basic in the App Dashboard. The App ID is at the top of the page (and is also shown on WhatsApp → API Setup). The App secret is on the same screen behind a Show button. You only need the App secret if you later let OmniDimension activate inbound replies for you, covered in Inbound replies.

WhatsApp Business Account ID (Business settings → WhatsApp accounts, or WhatsApp → API Setup)
Meta App ID (App settings → Basic)
Meta Business ID (Business settings → Business portfolio info)
A permanent Meta Access Token (from your system user)

Next, head to Import your WhatsApp Cloud number to paste them into OmniDimension.

Official Meta references

Every screen above lives in Meta's own tools. These are the authoritative pages from Meta: