Answers to common Telegram questions

Yes. Every link in our download center points to Telegram's official installers or to the App Store / Google Play listings. Telegram itself is free of charge on all platforms, and there is no paid tier required to send messages, join channels or make calls.

Telegram Desktop is a native application you install on Windows or macOS. It works offline, integrates with system notifications and Focus modes, and offers keyboard shortcuts. Telegram Web runs inside a browser tab, needs no install, and is ideal for shared or temporary computers.

Absolutely. Telegram is cloud-first: sign in to your account on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and the web at the same time, and every chat, media file and channel stays synchronized in real time.

Most of the time the issue is aggressive battery optimization. Go to Settings → Apps → Telegram → Battery and choose Unrestricted. Disable any manufacturer 'cleaner' or 'phone manager' that force-stops background apps. If you installed via APK, allow background data on both Wi-Fi and mobile networks.

Open Telegram → Settings → Privacy and Security → Two-Step Verification. Create a password (not the SMS code), add a recovery email and an optional hint. Telegram will ask for this password whenever you sign in on a new device, so nobody can hijack the account with only an SMS.

Cloud chats are encrypted between your device and Telegram's servers, and can be decrypted only through your active sessions. Secret Chats use end-to-end encryption and never touch the cloud — those messages exist only on the two devices involved. Enable Secret Chats when you need the highest privacy.

Install the Telegram app, tap Start Messaging, enter your phone number, and confirm the code you receive by SMS or another Telegram session. Set a display name and profile photo, and you are ready to send messages, join channels and add friends.

Inside WhatsApp, open the chat you want to migrate → More → Export chat, and share the export to Telegram. Telegram will parse the file and place the messages, images and videos into the matching Telegram chat with the correct timestamps.

Because Telegram stores cloud chats on its servers, they are already backed up: sign in on a new device and everything is downloaded again. For Secret Chats and self-destructing media, keep them on the original device — they are intentionally never uploaded to the cloud.