How to export Telegram messages
Telegram stores your messages on its servers, which means you can access them from any device - but it also means you don't have a local copy unless you make one. If you need your Telegram conversations as files you can save, search, or analyze independently of the app, Telegram provides a built-in desktop export tool. Here's how it works and what to expect.
The Telegram Desktop export tool
Telegram's export feature is available only through the desktop application - not the mobile app, not the web client. You'll need to download Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS, or Linux if you haven't already.
To start an export, open Telegram Desktop, go to Settings, then Advanced, then "Export Telegram data." The tool gives you several options before it begins.
Selecting what to export. You can choose entire account data or specific chats. The account-wide export includes all personal chats, group conversations, channels you've joined, and your contacts list. If you only need specific conversations, you can select individual chats from a list. This is useful when your concern is a particular exchange or relationship rather than your full message history.
Choosing a format. Telegram offers two export formats: HTML and JSON. HTML produces readable files you can open in any browser - they look similar to the chat as it appears in the app, with timestamps, sender names, and message content formatted visually. JSON produces structured data that's machine-readable and easier to process with scripts or analysis tools, but isn't something you'd read casually. For most documentation purposes, HTML is the practical choice. For analysis or importing into other tools, JSON gives you more flexibility.
Media options. You can include or exclude photos, videos, voice messages, stickers, GIFs, and files. Including media produces larger exports but preserves visual context. The tool lets you set a size limit for media files, so you can skip large videos while still capturing images.
What metadata is preserved
Telegram's export captures more than just message text. Each message includes a timestamp (date and time, to the second), the sender's name and user ID, and whether the message was forwarded from another source. Replies retain their connection to the original message, so you can see which message someone was responding to.
Edit history is partially preserved. If you exported after a message was edited, the exported version reflects the edited text, but Telegram marks it as edited. The original pre-edit version is not included in the export. This is worth noting if message edits are relevant to what you're documenting.
Read receipts are not included in exports. Telegram shows read status in the app (single check for sent, double check for read in private chats), but this information doesn't carry over to exported files.
For forwarded messages, the export includes the original sender's name and the forwarding chain, though this depends on the original sender's privacy settings. If someone has restricted forwarding of their messages, the source attribution may be anonymized.
Mobile limitations
Telegram's mobile apps - both iOS and Android - do not have a full export feature. What you can do from mobile is limited.
Individual message forwarding. You can forward specific messages to a "Saved Messages" chat or to another contact. This preserves the message content and original timestamp but creates a new forwarded copy rather than a structured export.
Chat-level sharing. Some versions allow you to share a chat link, but this only works for public channels and groups, not private conversations.
Screenshots. Always available, but with the same limitations as any screenshot-based approach - you get images, not searchable text, and long conversations require many captures.
If you need a proper export, plan to use a computer. The mobile-to-desktop sync is seamless since Telegram is cloud-based, so any conversation visible on your phone will also be visible on the desktop app.
Exporting specific chats vs. full account data
For most documentation needs, exporting specific chats is more practical than a full account dump. A full export of an active Telegram account with years of group chats and media can produce gigabytes of files and take hours. Selecting individual conversations keeps the output manageable and focused.
When exporting for a specific purpose - a dispute, a legal matter, record-keeping for a project - export the relevant conversations and label the folders clearly. Include the contact name and date range in the folder name. "Export - Alex K - Jan to June 2025" is more useful six months later than "Telegram Export 3."
Timing and storage considerations
Telegram messages persist on their servers indefinitely for standard chats, but Secret Chats are device-specific and are not included in desktop exports. If important conversations happened in Secret Chats, those messages exist only on the device where they were created and cannot be exported through the standard tool.
Telegram also allows users to set auto-delete timers on conversations. If a timer is active, messages will disappear from both devices after the set period. Export before the timer runs out if you need to preserve the content.
Store your exports somewhere separate from Telegram itself - cloud storage, an external drive, or both. The point of exporting is to create an independent record. If that record lives only on the same device where Telegram runs, you haven't reduced your risk of losing it.
Receipts accepts Telegram exports in both HTML and JSON format and analyzes conversation patterns across time - turning exported chat data into structured, searchable records.