How to Back Up Telegram: Step-by-Step Guide

Telegram stores all your messages in the cloud, but backing up  your Telegram data  is still essential to protect your conversations, media files, and personal data.

Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram does not offer automatic backups to Google Drive or iCloud, so you must manually create your backups using Telegram Desktop.

Why do you need a Telegram backup?

Although Telegram uses cloud servers to sync your messages across devices, there are several important reasons to create your own  Telegram backup :

• Data loss protection : If your account is deleted or deactivated due to inactivity, you will lose your entire chat history.

• Device migration : Facilitates the transfer of complete data when you change phones

• Personal archive : Preserves important conversations with sentimental or professional value

• Security against blocks : Protect your data in case the application is blocked or inaccessible in your region.

Methods to Back Up Telegram

Export Data from Telegram Desktop

The official and most comprehensive method for backing up  Telegram  requires using the desktop application:

1. Download and install Telegram Desktop from the official website (not from app stores)

2. Log in with your account

3. Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner

4. Select  Settings  or  Configuration

5. Access the  Advanced section

6. Click on  Export Telegram

What Data Can You Export

Telegram's export function allows you to specifically select what information you want to include in your  Telegram backup :

• Account information : name, ID, profile picture, and phone number

• Contact list : all your contacts with their numbers and names

• Personal chats : complete one-on-one conversations

• Bot chats : messages exchanged with bots

• Private groups : group conversations in which you participate

• Multimedia files : photos, videos, voice messages, animated GIFs, stickers, and documents

• Active sessions : information about connected devices

Advanced Configuration Options

When  backing up your Telegram account , you can customize various parameters to optimize the size of the resulting file:

• Export format : HTML (recommended for viewing) or JSON (for technical processing)

• Date range : limits export to specific periods

• File size limit : controls which media files are included based on their size.

• Download location : Choose where to save the exported files on your computer

Alternative Methods for Saving Conversations

Export Individual Chats

If you only need to back up specific conversations, you can export individual chats directly from Telegram Desktop:

1. Open the chat you want to export

2. Click on the three vertical dots (⋮) in the upper right corner.

3. Select  Export chat

4. Configure the items to export (photos, videos, voice messages, files)

5. Choose the format and download path.

6. Click on  Export.

Messages Saved as Basic Backup

Telegram offers the Saved Messages feature  , which works like a personal chat with yourself where you can store important content:

• Press and hold any message

• Select  Forward

• Choose  Saved Messages  as the destination

This method is useful for specific content, but it does not replace a  full Telegram backup  .

Automatic Multimedia Download

To automatically save photos and videos to your mobile device:

1. Go to  Settings  >  Data and storage

2. Locates  automatic media

3. Activate the options for  Using mobile data  and  Using Wi-Fi

4. In  Save to Photos , enable  Photos  and  Videos.

Advanced Backup Methods

Automation with Python Scripts

For technical users, it is possible to automate  Telegram backups  using Python scripts:

1. Install Python on your system

2. Use or create a script that interacts with the Telegram API

3. Define export parameters (data types, frequency)

4. Schedule the script for periodic executions

5. Store the exported data in secure locations.

This method requires technical knowledge but allows for fully automated backups.

Custom Bots for Continuous Backup

Advanced users can create custom bots using the Telegram API to monitor and back up conversations in real time:

• Create a bot using the Telegram Bot API

• Configure storage on cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox)

• Activate the bot to automatically save new messages.

• Periodically monitor that the copies are being made correctly.

Encrypted Backup in the Cloud

For maximum security when  backing up your Telegram account :

1. Export your data using the official method

2. Encrypt the files with encryption tools

3. Upload encrypted files to cloud services

4. Keep your encryption password in a secure password manager.

Telegram vs WhatsApp: Differences in Backups

Security and Privacy Considerations

Telegram cipher

It's important to understand the security limitations when  backing up your Telegram account :

• Regular chats use server-client encryption (not end-to-end)

• Only  Secret Chats  have true end-to-end encryption.

• Telegram uses the proprietary MTProto protocol, which has shown vulnerabilities.

• Telegram server administrators can theoretically access unencrypted end-to-end conversations

Privacy in 2026

According to updated information, Telegram has strengthened its account identification and protection measures in 2025-2026. Privacy is no longer automatic and requires active configuration by the user.

Restore Telegram Data

From iCloud Backup (iOS)

To recover Telegram messages using system backups:

1. Restore your iPhone from  Settings  >  General  >  Reset

2. Select  Delete all content and settings

3. During initial setup, choose  Restore from iCloud backup

4. Select the backup that contains your Telegram data.

Note : This method restores the entire device, not just Telegram.

From Android Cache

In some cases, you can recover media files from the Android cache:

1. Open your file manager

2. Navigate to  Android  >  Data  >  org.telegram.messenger  >  cache

3. Search for temporarily stored content

This method only recovers photos and videos, not text messages.

Size and Export Time

When creating your  Telegram backup , consider these factors:

• The process may take several hours depending on the volume of data

• It may require tens or hundreds of gigabytes of free space

• Do not close the application or disconnect the computer during the export process.

• Maintain a stable internet connection throughout the entire process.

Limitations and Important Considerations

Deleting Messages

Even if you delete conversations on Telegram, the messages may remain in server backups. Complete deletion of the chat by both parties is more effective, but database backups may retain copies.

Required Versions

To perform a  complete Telegram backup  , you must use Telegram Desktop downloaded from the official website. Mobile versions from app stores (Google Play, App Store) do not include this functionality.

Telegram Desktop Update

The latest version of Telegram Desktop (v6.2.3, October 2025) includes stability improvements and new features such as notes for contacts, reactions in group calls, and better tag management.

Best Practices for Backups

1. Perform regular backups : Set a monthly or quarterly schedule to export your data.

2. Redundant storage : Saves copies in multiple locations (local disk, encrypted cloud, external disk)

3. Verify integrity : Check that the exported files can be opened correctly.

4. Space management : Limit the size of multimedia files if you have storage restrictions.

5. Document your backups : Keep a record of when you made each backup and what it contains.

6. Access security : Protect backup files with passwords and restrictive permissions.

Third-Party Tools

There are third-party tools that promise to facilitate a  complete Telegram backup  , but it's important to:

• Verify the reputation and security of the tool

• Understand what permissions it requests from your account.

• Consider the privacy risks when sharing credentials

• Always prefer the official method when possible.

Using the Telegram Takeout API

For developers, Telegram offers the Takeout API, which allows for programmatic data export:

• It allows you to extract contacts, messages, sessions, and personal data.

• All requests must be wrapped in builders invokeWithTakeout

• It includes specific methods for different types of data

• Requires advanced knowledge of programming and APIs.