How to save or backup Telegram chat history

January 13, 2017

Is there any way to save or backup Telegram chat history? As you already noticed, there is no option in Telegram app that lets you save your conversation with your friend and this is what makes Telegram the most secure messaging app out there.

Basically, Telegram is a cloud-based app and it saves all of your conversations history on the encrypted server, not on your phone memory like other messengers. Meaning, you can view and access all of your conversations from any device anytime.

However, if you want to save or backup your Telegram chat history to your local drive, the following two methods are available:

Telegram Web – A traditional method of copy and paste all the conversation into any text editor.
Telegram Desktop – Using latest feature to export all chat including photos and other media they contain.

How to save or backup Telegram chat history

Both methods are as follows. Using Telegram Desktop is the preferred choice as it is an official method shared by Telegram.

Method 1: Using Telegram Web

This is a traditional copy and pastes method. You will not be able to view the saved chat in Telegram app.

Open any internet browser.
Go to Telegram Web.
Sign-in into your account by selecting your Country and your phone number.
Select Next button located at the top right corner.
Click on the name of the peer you want to save or backup the chat history.
Once the chat history loaded, copy all the text by pressing Ctrl + A and followed by Ctrl + C.
Open any text editor software, Notepad or WordPad for example.
Click on the blank page and press Ctrl + V to paste all text into the text editor software.
Save the file as you like.

Method 2: Using Telegram Desktop

This is an official method to export all data including chat history and the media into your local drive (make sure you are using the latest version).

Install and run Telegram Desktop.
Click on the three horizontal lines at the top left corner.
Select Settings.
Select Export Telegram.
Check the data you wanted to export.
You can change the download path if you want.
Select Export.
Wait for the progress to complete.

If you want to export chat history individually, just open the menu in the private chat and select Export chat history.

By using Telegram Web, you’ll not be able to view any media in it. However, by using Telegram Desktop, your chat history will be displayed in a nice HTML format including any media in the chat.

Hope this helps. If you have any better suggestions, leave them in the comment below. I would really appreciate it.

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Comments

12 responses to “How to save or backup Telegram chat history”

April 9, 2020

Marcus

The above mentioned methods only work for “normal” telegram chats. It is NOT possible to back up “secure”, meaning end-to-end encrypted chats in telegram.

Reply
1. April 10, 2020
  
  Barzrul
  
  Are you referring to Secret chat?
  
  Reply
April 9, 2020

Marcus

In Telegram, your messages are not per se available on any device. If you use end-to-end encrypted chats, those are only available on one device. And they cannot be backed up either.

Reply
February 14, 2020

Saja_lutor

I think that the point that you can export a chat history it can be accessed by anyone. No matter Telegram tries to proof that it’s encrypted. I’ve heard of a new ecosystem Utopia that includes a totally protected messenger. Maybe it’s the only chance to stay anonymous on the web.

Reply
July 13, 2019

Billy64

The best way discribed here

https://telegram.org/blog/export-and-more

Reply
August 27, 2018

Colin Winberg

I think that this advice was very helpful. A lot better than anything else I found

Reply
1. September 3, 2018
  
  Barzrul
  
  Thank you for your feedback.
  
  Reply
May 19, 2017

a3a3eJIb

yeh, if anybody is about to waste their 2 minutes reading this “guide”, please don’t.
The definition of a “backup” is that you have a restore function. Steps listed here is just a plain copy

Reply
1. November 2, 2017
  
  Michael Milky
  
  so, how to backup dude?
  i rlly want to backup now , coz my memory internal in my smartphone going limits.
  
  thanks
  
  Reply
  1. November 10, 2017
    
    a3a3eJIb
    
    Well, as I found out, there’s no such thing as backup in telegram.
    Telegram operates much like your usual e-mail box, contrary to other messengers, like whatsapp.
    In telegram, your messages are accessible through any device, you don’t need to “bind” your phone, like with whatsapp.
    So if you reset your phone, your telegram messages will be there.
    And media is stored on the phone, but the link between pictures and their placeholders inside telegram will be broken
    
    Reply
    1. March 28, 2018
      
      soo_ah
      
      long story short: it’s cloud-based, c’est tout.
    2. April 9, 2018
      
      Mercurio2054
      
      it is not like this “email” i can backup an email account.
      
      its a mess because tow times i delete the wrong conversation.
      and the other day my friend delete 2 years of conversation in just a secon, how can we restore that? no way to do that, and the user should have that option.