Learn what Telegram is, how it works, and how to use its most useful features — chats, groups, channels, bots, privacy settings and more. This page explains everything without asking you to install anything.
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging service that works across phones, tablets and computers. Your conversations are synced to the cloud, so you can start a chat on your phone and continue it on your laptop instantly.
Messages, photos and files are stored on Telegram's servers, not only on one device. Switch devices at any time without losing history.
Telegram uses a distributed network of data centres, which is why messages are delivered quickly even on weak mobile connections.
Anyone can build bots and mini apps that run inside Telegram, from reminders and translators to file converters and games.
Groups can host up to hundreds of thousands of members, while channels broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers.
Themes, animated stickers, custom emoji, folders, chat wallpapers and reaction settings let you shape the app to your taste — premium options go further.
Mobile apps, desktop apps and a browser version all share the same account and the same synced message history.
Setting up an account takes about a minute. Here is the process from beginning to a ready-to-use profile.
The layout is similar on every platform. Once you know these four areas, you can navigate the whole app.
The home screen. Every conversation appears here, sorted by most recent activity. Pin important chats to the top, archive the noisy ones, and use folders to separate work, family and hobby chats.
A single search bar finds people, groups, channels, bots and even text inside your messages. You can also search by date from within a chat.
Tap a chat to open it. The top bar shows the name and online status; the bottom bar holds the message box, attachment controls and voice recorder.
Everything from notification sounds and data usage to language, theme, privacy and blocked users lives here. On mobile it is a tab; on desktop it is a menu.
Group chats into custom tabs such as "Work" or "Unread". Folders sync across all your devices.
Hide a chat from the main list without deleting it. Archived chats stay searchable and re-appear when a new message arrives.
A private chat with yourself. Use it as a cloud notebook for links, notes, drafts and files you want on every device.
Telegram messages do much more than carry text. Here is what you can do inside a normal conversation.
Sent something wrong? Edit a message shortly after sending, or delete it for both sides. Deleted messages leave no trace in the chat.
Quote a specific message to keep context, or forward it to another chat. Forwarding can hide the original sender's name if you prefer.
Thousands of free animated and video sticker packs are available in-app. You can also react to any message with an emoji instead of sending a new reply.
Hold the microphone icon for a voice message, or switch to video mode for a short circular video clip. Both can be played back at 1.5x or 2x speed.
Write a message now and choose the exact time it should be delivered. You can also send a message without a notification sound.
Pin an important message to the top of a chat or group so everyone can find rules, links or announcements quickly.
| Result | How to type it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Wrap with two asterisks | **Important** |
| Italic | Wrap with underscores | _emphasis_ |
| Monospace | Wrap with backticks | `code` |
| Strikethrough | Wrap with two tildes | |
| Spoiler | Wrap with double vertical bars | ||hidden surprise|| |
A group is a conversation where many people can write. It is the right choice for teams, families, classes and hobby communities.
Open the new-message menu, choose "New Group", add at least one member, give it a name and optionally a photo. You can share an invite link afterwards.
A public group has a username and appears in search results. A private group is only reachable through an invite link, which you can revoke at any time.
Admins can delete messages, ban or restrict members, pin messages, change group info and set slow mode to limit how often each person can post.
Large groups can enable topics to split discussion into separate threads — perfect for support desks, study groups or project teams.
Decide whether members may send media, stickers, polls, links or voice messages. Useful for announcement-style groups.
Create anonymous or public polls, or run a quiz with one correct answer — a fun way to collect opinions or test knowledge.
A channel is a one‑to‑many broadcast tool. The owner and admins post; subscribers read, react and (optionally) comment.
There is no subscriber limit. Channels are used by newsrooms, creators, developers and communities to push updates to a large audience.
Link a discussion group to a channel so subscribers can comment on each post without cluttering the channel itself.
Channel admins can view growth, views per post, subscriber activity by hour and the sources of new followers.
Show which admin wrote a post, and schedule posts to go out at a time when your audience is most active.
Enable emoji reactions and pick which ones are allowed — a lightweight way to collect feedback without a comment section.
Create multiple invite links, each with its own name, expiry date and member limit, so you can see where subscribers came from.
| Feature | Group | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Who can post | All members (unless restricted) | Admins only |
| Maximum audience | Very large, but finite | Unlimited subscribers |
| Discussion | Built‑in conversation | Optional linked comment group |
| Best for | Teamwork, communities | Announcements, newsletters |
Bots are automated accounts powered by Telegram's Bot API. They can answer questions, manage groups, convert files, translate text, or run entire applications inside the chat window.
Search for a bot's @username, or open a link that starts with a bot mention. Tap "Start" to activate it — bots cannot message you first until you do.
Most bots respond to slash commands such as /start or /help, and
many show inline keyboards so you rarely need to type.
Some bots open full web applications inside Telegram — shops, games, booking tools and productivity dashboards — with no separate account needed.
Type a bot's @username in any chat's message box to search its content and send results directly, for example GIFs, articles or translations.
Telegram gives you detailed control over who can see what, and how your account is protected. Spend five minutes here — it is worth it.
Choose "Nobody" or "My Contacts" so strangers cannot see or call your number, even if they have your username.
Hide your last‑seen timestamp entirely, or show an approximate time. You can also add exceptions for specific people.
A cloud password that is required on every new device. Add a recovery email so you can regain access if you forget it.
See every device logged into your account, with its approximate location and last activity. Terminate anything you do not recognise instantly.
Device‑to‑device encrypted chats with self‑destruct timers and no forwarding. They are not stored in the cloud and exist only on the two participating devices.
Block any user to stop messages and hide your status from them. Report spam or abuse so it can be reviewed.
Telegram doubles as personal cloud storage. Everything you send to yourself or others stays available on all your devices.
Send files of considerable size per upload — far beyond typical email limits — and stream them without waiting for a full transfer.
Choose whether images are compressed or sent uncompressed. Video can play while it is still being received.
Upload documents to your own Saved Messages chat and access them from anywhere, with no file‑size cap for your personal use.
Set separate rules for mobile data, Wi‑Fi and roaming so large media do not eat your data plan.
See exactly how much space Telegram uses and clear cached photos, videos or documents without deleting the messages themselves.
Open a chat's profile and jump directly to the shared photos, links, voice messages or files tab.
Small habits that make Telegram much faster to use every day.
Type @ in a group to jump to a specific member — great for busy chats.
Tag messages with #topic so you can find them later with a single search.
Links such as t.me/username open a chat, channel or bot directly in the app.
A few unwritten rules that keep Telegram pleasant for everyone.
Most groups pin their rules. Check it before posting to avoid repeating a question that has already been answered.
In busy groups, reply to the specific message instead of sending a standalone line, so the conversation stays readable.
Send without notification when the recipient is probably asleep, or schedule the message for the morning.
Forwarding the same message to many chats can trigger spam limits. Summarise instead of mass‑forwarding.
Adding someone to a group exposes their account to all members. A quick message first is more respectful.
International groups often use English by default. Keep messages clear, and be patient with non‑native speakers.
Short answers to the questions new users ask most often.
Yes. A phone number is required to register an account and acts as your identity. You can hide it from other users afterwards and let people contact you through your username.
Yes. Your account can be active on phones, tablets, desktops and browsers at the same time, and all of them stay synchronised in real time.
In a group everyone can talk. In a channel only admins post and everyone else reads, reacts or comments through a linked discussion group.
Cloud chats are encrypted while travelling between your device and Telegram's servers, and stored encrypted on those servers. For end‑to‑end encryption — where only the two devices hold the keys — use a Secret Chat.
Go to Settings → Privacy and Security and restrict who can send you messages, add you to groups, or see your phone number. You can also block individual users directly.
Deleted cloud messages cannot be restored. However, if you only archived or muted a chat, it still exists and can be found through search.
Log in on another device using your number and terminate the lost session from Settings → Devices. This is why two‑step verification and a recovery email are recommended.
Yes, the core service is free. There is also an optional paid subscription that unlocks extras such as larger uploads, advanced customisation and additional chat management tools.