More and more people are choosing Telegram as their main communication tool. For some, it’s essential for work-related communication, while others use it to stay connected with family and friends. In any case, many Telegram chats contain important information that would be undesirable to lose. While all user data is securely stored in the cloud, no one is immune from accidentally deleting a chat or having their account blocked. That’s why it’s useful for everyone to know how to back up valuable conversations. In this article, I will go over 5 ways to save a chat in Telegram and provide recommendations on when each method is most suitable.
Method 1: Take Screenshots or Record the Screen
The simplest way to save a Telegram chat is by taking screenshots or recording the screen of important chat sections. On both Android and iPhone, these features are available via the control panel. Here’s how to activate them on a PC:
- Screenshot on iOS: Shift + Command + 4
- Screen recording on iOS: Shift + Command + 5
- Screenshot on Windows: Win + PrntScn
- Screen recording on Windows: Win + Alt + R
Pros:
- Available on any platform
- Retains the original chat format, which is sometimes important
- Can capture photos, videos, and voice messages
Cons:
- If the chat is long, it will take a lot of time to capture everything
- Reading from a screenshot or video recording can be inconvenient, and the text is not copyable
- You can’t save files
- If the chat is protected from copying, this method won’t work on smartphones
Method 2: Forward to “Saved Messages”
“Saved Messages” is your personal message storage. To copy a chat to it, do the following:
- Switch to selection mode. On mobile, press and hold a message; on PC, right-click.
- Select the necessary messages, up to 100 at a time.
- Press “Forward” and choose “Saved Messages” as the destination.
Pros:
- You can see a list of all saved sources in your profile. Click on any to view messages from that chat.
Cons:
- Not suitable for copying long conversations.
- If you lose access to your account, you lose the saved information.
- If forwarding and copying are blocked in the chat, you won’t be able to forward messages to “Saved Messages.”
Method 3: Export the Chat
In Telegram Desktop for Windows, there’s a “Chat Export” feature. For iOS users, it’s missing, so they’ll need to use Telegram Lite, a cross-platform client version. This feature allows you to export all the contents of a chat—text, photos, videos, voice messages, stickers, GIFs, and more—as separate files. To do this:
- Open the desired chat, click on the three dots in the upper right corner, and find “Export Chat History” in the menu.
- Set the time frame, select which attachments to save and their size limits, and choose a destination folder. Keep the format as HTML.
- Click “Export” and wait for the process to complete.
Pros:
- Everything is done quickly, in just a few clicks.
Cons:
- You can’t restore the chat to its original form.
Method 4: Export All Data
Telegram allows you to back up all chats at once. Besides personal conversations, you can also export:
- Profile information
- Contacts list
- List of connected devices
- Published stories
- Chats with bots
- Frequent groups and channels
- Public groups and channels
To do this:
- Open the side menu and go to “Settings.”
- Select “Advanced Settings.”
- At the bottom, find “Export Telegram Data.”
- Choose which chats and media attachments to save, and set a file size limit.
- Click “Export.”
The pros and cons are similar to the previous method.
Method 5: Use Junction Bot
Sometimes, you need to copy a large volume of messages while keeping them in Telegram. Or maybe you only need messages from specific users. It becomes even more challenging when forwarding is blocked in the chat.
All these tasks can easily be handled by the Junction Bot, an automatic message-copying service. It helps you not only copy the entire chat history but also continuously update it with new messages. This is useful if you want to have a real-time backup of an active chat. You can also set filters, like copying only messages with specific keywords or blocking messages from certain users. The bot can save information not only from personal chats but also from bots, channels, and groups, including private ones. The best part is that the copy will appear in the same format as the original. Here’s how to use the bot:
- Start a chat with the bot
- Select your language.
- The bot will prompt you to activate a subscription.
- After activation, click “Copy History” to save old messages or “Create Redirect” to copy new ones.
- Choose the source and destination for the copy.
- The process starts, and the bot handles everything automatically.
Pros:
- You can save both old and new messages and set up automatic forwarding of new ones.
- Copy from any source, including private channels.
- All operations happen in the cloud, so you can start the process and turn off your device.
- It has message filtering functions to save only what’s needed.
Cons:
- Learning advanced features takes time.
- The bot requires a subscription.
