How to Backup Telegram Chats: 2026 Guide

Losing your chat history or media in Telegram can be disastrous – especially for admins of channels, groups, or business communities. While Telegram syncs messages across devices via the cloud, this is not the same as having a backup that you control.

If Telegram restricts your account or you accidentally delete chats, you could permanently lose access to important conversations and files. In this guide, we’ll explain how to backup Telegram chats properly, secure your data, and prevent accidents.

Why You Need a Telegram Chat Backup

Telegram’s cloud stores your regular (non-secret) chats, but this is not a true backup you can download or restore on your own. If a conversation is deleted or your account is blocked, you may lose access to the chat history.

Relying solely on Telegram’s servers means you’re trusting that your account remains safe. For example, if your account gets suspended or deleted by Telegram, all your cloud chats could become inaccessible (there’s no customer support to recover them).

In contrast, maintaining an independent backup ensures you have full control over your community records and personal data. A solid backup should:

• Include your messages, photos, and files
• Be stored securely offline
• Remain accessible even if Telegram is unavailable

In short: Setting up a regular backup procedure now will preserve the history of your community or chats for the future. You’ll thank yourself later for having a safe copy of your data in case of any unexpected issues.

What Backup Options Does Telegram Offer?

Telegram doesn’t have a one-tap “Backup” button like some messaging apps, but there are several ways to save your chats and media. Here are the main options:

1. Telegram’s Built-in Cloud Sync

By default, Telegram stores all Cloud Chats on its servers so you can access the same messages from any device when you log in. This cloud synchronization is convenient – your chats, groups, and channels appear on all devices automatically without manual backups.

Limitations:

• Cloud sync is not a personal backup you can control.
• You cannot download the entire chat database or roll back your account to a previous state.
• If Telegram’s cloud data is lost or your account is banned, there’s no offline copy to restore.
• Secret Chats are excluded from cloud sync — they’re stored only on devices, not on Telegram’s servers.
• Secret Chats won’t sync to new devices and cannot be backed up through the cloud.

2. Export Using Telegram Desktop

The Telegram Desktop application (for PC, Mac, Linux) includes an official Export Chat Data feature. This tool lets you save an offline copy of your messages, media, and other data.

You can choose to export all chats or only specific chats:

• Full Account Export (Telegram Desktop)Follow these steps to back up your entire Telegram account:
  1. Open Telegram Desktop
  2. Go to Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram Data.
  3. Choose What to Export
  4. Select the data types you want — e.g. private chats, groups, channels, contacts, media, bots, etc.
  5. Select a Format
     • HTML: Easy to view in any web browser.
     • JSON: Best for developers or data analysis.
  6. Save Your Data
  7. Telegram will create an export folder on your computer containing all selected chats and files.
  Tip: HTML exports are ideal for personal browsing; JSON exports are suited for technical use.
• Single Chat Export (Telegram Desktop)To back up one specific chat or channel:
  1. Open the Chat
  2. In Telegram Desktop, open the conversation you want to back up.
  3. Access Export Option
  4. Click the ⋯ (three dots) in the top-right corner and choose “Export chat history.”
  5. Set Export Preferences
  6. Choose the date range and content types you want — e.g. messages, photos, videos, files, etc.
  7. Save the Export
  8. Telegram will create a folder containing only that chat’s selected content.
  Tip: Ideal for saving important conversations without exporting your whole account.

3. Manual Media Backup on Phone

If you don’t have immediate access to a computer, you can at least back up your media files from the Telegram app:

• Media Backup (Android)To back up Telegram media files on Android:
  1. Open File Manager
  2. Use any file manager app on your device.
  3. Navigate to the Telegram Folder
  4. Go to Internal Storage → Telegram → Media.
  5. Locate Subfolders
  6. Inside Media, you’ll find folders like Images, Video, Documents, Voice, etc.
  7. Copy the Folder
  8. Copy the entire Telegram folder to a safe place — e.g. your computer, SD card, or cloud storage.
  Tip: This method preserves all downloaded photos, videos, and files stored locally on your device.
• Media Backup (iOS)If you want to backup your Telegram media in your iPhone, first you have to consider that due to Apple’s sandbox security, you can’t access Telegram’s app files directly or copy its media folder.What you can do is:
  • Manually Save Media
  • Open a photo or video in Telegram, tap it, and choose “Save Image” or “Save to Files.”
  • Automatic Backup
  • Saved items are included in your regular iCloud or iTunes phone backups.
  You can’t export chat text on iOS — only the media you manually save.
  ‍Tip: For a complete chat history backup, use Telegram Desktop on your computer.

Note: Starting from Android 11, apps have more restrictions on file storage. If you don’t see a Telegram folder in your main storage, look under Android/Data/org.telegram.messenger/cache or use the in-app “Save to Downloads” option for individual files. Always double-check that your media files are successfully copied and accessible in the backup location.

4. Automation or Bot-Based Backups

For more tech-savvy users, Telegram provides an API that developers can use to script data exports.

For example, using Telegram’s Bot API or user API via libraries (like Telethon for Python), one could write a script to periodically fetch messages and save them. This approach can automate backups on a schedule (say, daily or weekly), potentially even uploading the archive to cloud storage.

Important! If you use bots or third-party scripts to back up chats, proceed with caution.

• Never share your account password or login code with untrusted tools.
• Keep your API key secure when using the official API (which requires your phone number and API key).
• Comply with Telegram’s Terms of Service, avoid excessive or inappropriate automated scraping.
• Use only trusted or open-source tools that you can review or audit.

Be aware that third-party tools may expose your data, so always prioritize security and privacy.

Tip: Telegram’s own export tool is the safest method. Use automation only if you are comfortable with programming and understanding the risks.

Step-by-Step: Export Telegram Chats via Desktop

The most reliable way to backup Telegram chats (including messages and media) is by using Telegram Desktop’s export feature. Below is a step-by-step guide:

1. Install and Sign In: Download Telegram Desktop from the official site and log in with your main admin or owner account.
2. Open the Export Tool: Go to Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram Data. (You might need to open the ☰ menu first to find Settings.)
3. Select What to Back Up: Choose the data you want: private chats, group chats, channels, contacts, bot chats, and specific media types (photos, videos, files, voice notes). Tip: Limiting to key chats or media types keeps the export smaller.
4. Choose Chats or Channels (Optional): By default, Telegram exports everything. To back up only certain chats, check their boxes in the export dialog.
5. Pick Format and Save Location: Select HTML (easy to browse) or JSON (for technical use). Then choose a folder on your computer to save the backup.
6. Start the Export: Click Export and wait. Depending on your data size, this may take a few minutes to several hours. Once complete, click “Show My Data” to open the export folder.
7. Verify the Files: Open .html files in your browser or .json files in a text editor to confirm your messages and media exported correctly.
8. Store the Backup Securely: Keep at least two copies — for example, one on your PC and another on an external drive or encrypted cloud storage.

💡 Tip: If you used HTML format, navigating your chats is easy – open the messages.html file inside the export folder for a given chat to view the conversation in a browser, complete with media thumbnails. Be aware that each chat is in a separate folder/file. If you used JSON format, you can use scripts or a JSON viewer to interpret the data.

Limitations to Know Before Exporting

Before you rely on Telegram’s export or other backup methods, keep in mind these limitations and warnings:

• Secret Chats are excluded. Telegram’s export will not include Secret Chats or their media, since those chats are end-to-end encrypted and stored only on your device. There is no way to export or recover secret chat messages through the cloud or desktop app.
• Mobile apps can’t do full exports. The Android and iOS Telegram apps do not support any export feature. You cannot directly create a full chat backup on your phone. Use Telegram Desktop for any full account backup.
• You cannot re-import a Telegram export. Telegram’s exported data is read-only – it’s meant for you to view or archive outside of Telegram, not to restore chats back into the app. You can only read your backup chats from your exported copy.
• Use of third-party backup tools is at your own risk. If you try using bots, unofficial apps, or scripts to save your chats, be very careful. Such methods can violate privacy (if they require your login info) and may risk account bans or data leaks. Telegram’s terms disallow automating accounts in ways that abuse the service.

Account bans or deletion: As noted, if Telegram bans your account or you delete it, you will lose access to all cloud chats permanently. It’s crucial to have backups beforehand. Once an account is gone, you cannot log in to export anything. (If you suspect your account might be at risk, do an export as soon as possible.)

FAQ

Q: How to backup Telegram chat on phone (Android or iPhone)?

A: You can’t fully back up chats on the mobile app. Telegram’s export feature is only available on Telegram Desktop. On your phone, you can only manually save media or forward messages to “Saved Messages.” For a complete backup, use a computer (PC or Mac).

Q: Can I restore the exported chats back into Telegram?

A: No. Telegram doesn’t allow re-importing exported chats. The export is for viewing only — like an archive or snapshot, not a restorable backup. You can open the HTML files to read messages, but they can’t be merged back into the app.

Q: Does the backup include Secret Chats?

A: No. Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and stored only on your devices, not on Telegram’s servers. The export tool can’t access them. If needed, you can manually save content (e.g., screenshots or copied text), but once you log out or uninstall the app, Secret Chat history is permanently lost.

Q: Where should I store my Telegram backup files once I have them?

A: Treat your Telegram backup files as you would any sensitive valuable data. Ideally, store them in at least two places.

Q: Will Telegram’s cloud backup my chats forever?

A: Telegram stores your regular chats in the cloud indefinitely. There is no automatic deletion after a time limit. However, this is not a substitute for your own backup – if you or someone with access deletes a chat, or if your account is lost, that history could disappear.

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