What a Telegram backup actually contains

Two different things called "backup"

The first is "will my chats survive losing this phone?" Yes, with nothing to do. Telegram's FAQ says it switches off normal phone backups and uses cloud chats as its backup instead. Chats, groups, channels and Saved Messages reload when you sign in elsewhere (see moving Telegram to a new phone).

The second is "do I have a copy that doesn't depend on Telegram, or on my account still existing?" Not unless you make one. Cloud chats stay until they're deleted, and they can be: a sender can delete messages for both sides, a channel can disappear, and Telegram deletes accounts that don't come online for 18 months by default (you can change this in Privacy and Security). An export is the only copy you control.

How to export your Telegram data

You need Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS or Linux, from telegram.org. On a Mac, use Telegram Desktop (or Telegram Lite from the Mac App Store), not the separate native "Telegram" app.

1. Open Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data.
2. Tick what to include. Account information, contacts, your story archive, personal chats and private groups are ticked by default. Bot chats, private channels, public groups and public channels are not.
3. Under media, tick what you want. Only Photos is ticked by default, so tick Videos, Voice messages, Video messages, Files, Stickers and GIFs as needed.
4. Move the size limit slider. It starts at 8 MB, so anything bigger is skipped; the maximum is 4000 MB.
5. Choose the download folder and a format: Human-readable HTML, Machine-readable JSON, or Both.
6. Click Export and keep Telegram Desktop open until it finishes. A large account with videos can take a long time, and Skip this file gets past a download that's stuck.

Saved Messages is included as one of your personal chats. In groups and channels, a sub-option called Only my messages controls whose messages you get. For public groups and channels it's always on, so a full export only ever contains your own messages from those.

Why it says to wait 24 hours

If you've only just signed in to Telegram Desktop, Telegram may hold the export for up to 24 hours. It notifies your other devices, so if someone else got into your account they can't quietly download everything. You have two choices: approve the request from another device where you're already signed in and start straight away, or come back after the time shown and repeat the request on the same computer. Signing in to Desktop a day before you need the export avoids the wait.

Exporting a single chat or channel

For one conversation you don't need the whole account. In Telegram Desktop, open the chat, click the ⋮ menu at the top right and choose Export chat history. You get the same choices for media, size limit and format, plus something the full export lacks: a From / To date range. In a group with topics, Export topic history does the same for a single topic.

The option doesn't appear in chats and channels that restrict saving content. That's the owner's choice, and the export respects it.

Step-by-step screenshots are in our guide to exporting Telegram chat history.

What the export doesn't include

• Secret Chats. They exist only on the device that started them and aren't part of your account's data, so nothing can export them. Once that device logs out, they're gone.
• Media you didn't tick, or above the size limit. This is the usual reason an export finishes quickly and has no videos. The message is kept and shows the file name, but the file itself isn't downloaded.
• Other people's messages in public groups and channels. "Only my messages" is locked on for those.
• Anything already deleted. The export copies what exists now. If something has already been deleted, see recovering deleted Telegram media.

Can you restore an export back into Telegram?

No. An export is a read-only archive you open in a browser or process as JSON. Telegram's import feature, added in January 2021, only accepts chats exported from WhatsApp, LINE and KakaoTalk. If you want the archive in Google Drive or iCloud, upload the export folder yourself. It contains personal data such as your contacts and phone number, so keep it somewhere private.

If you only need the media

Sometimes "backup" just means a few videos or photos from one chat that you don't want to lose. The per-chat export handles that. Remember to tick Videos and raise the size limit, or it will only save photos up to 8 MB.

If you'd rather pick individual files, Telegram Web lets you download them one at a time. Our free extension adds a one-click save button there for chats where saving is allowed, with batch download on the paid plan. It saves media files only, not message text, so it's a quick way to keep specific files rather than a backup. For a whole channel's media, see downloading all media from a channel.

Does Telegram back up my chats?

Yes, automatically, for ordinary chats: they're stored in Telegram's cloud and reappear on any device you sign in to. Secret Chats aren't. For a copy you keep yourself, use Export Telegram data in Telegram Desktop.

How do I make a Telegram backup on iPhone or Android?

You can't export from the phone apps. Your cloud chats are already saved on Telegram's servers. To get a copy on your own storage, install Telegram Desktop on a computer and use Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data.

Why do I have to wait 24 hours to export my Telegram data?

It's a security delay for newly signed-in Desktop sessions, so a thief can't quietly download your history. Approve the request from another device you're signed in on to start immediately, or wait and repeat the request on the same computer.

Why are videos missing from my Telegram export?

By default the export only includes photos, up to 8 MB. Tick Videos (and Files, Voice messages and so on) and raise the size limit, up to 4000 MB, before exporting.

Can I back up Telegram to Google Drive?

There's no built-in option, and phone backups don't include Telegram chats. Export your data with Telegram Desktop, then upload the export folder to Google Drive yourself.

Does a Telegram export include Secret Chats?

No. Secret Chats are stored only on the device that started them, not in your account, so nothing can export them.