How to Export and Save Telegram Chat History: The Ultimate Guide

In this article we want to explain How to Export and Save Telegram Chat History step by step through several ways.

For years, Telegram users faced a major hurdle: the lack of a native “Save Chat” button. Whether for legal reasons, personal memories, or professional archiving, saving chat logs seemed nearly impossible without tedious manual work.

However, since the introduction of the GDPR and major updates to the Telegram ecosystem, saving your data has become easier than ever. In this article, we cover the official method and several advanced workarounds for power users.

“Exporting your data is the best way to ensure your memories and important information are safe. Many users only realize the importance of a backup after they accidentally lose their data. If you have already lost a conversation and are looking for a way to get it back, you should check out our comprehensive guide on how to restore deleted Telegram chats. However, to avoid such stressful situations in the future, following the export steps mentioned in this guide is your most reliable insurance policy.”

1. The Official Way: Using Telegram Desktop (Recommended)

Since June 2018, Telegram has introduced a native Data Export Tool. This is the most reliable and “official” answer to the problem.

How to export chats using Telegram Desktop:

1. Install Telegram Desktop: This feature is currently only available on the Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop applications.
2. Open Settings: Click the three lines in the top left corner > Settings.
3. Advanced Settings: Go to Advanced.
4. Export Telegram Data: Scroll down and click Export Telegram Data.
5. Customize Your Export: You can choose to export:
   • Individual chats, private groups, or channels.
   • Media (Photos, Videos, Voice messages, GIFs).
   • File size limits.
   • Format (HTML for easy reading or JSON for data analysis).

Note: For security reasons, if this is your first time requesting an export, Telegram may make you wait 24 hours to ensure the request is legitimate and protect you from data theft.

2. Advanced Workarounds for Power Users

Before the official tool existed, the community developed several clever ways to “dump” chat logs. These are still useful if you need to automate backups or use scripts.

Method A: The Command Line (telegram-cli)

If you are comfortable with the terminal, you can use telegram-cli.

• Lua Scripts: Some users use Lua scripts to save messages directly into a SQLite database.
• Terminal Output: A quick “hack” is to open a chat in telegram-cli, scroll to load the history, and then use your terminal’s “Save Output as HTML” feature (available in terminals like Konsole or iTerm2).

Method B: Python & PHP Scripts

There are various GitHub repositories (like Telegram History Dump) that utilize Telegram’s API to fetch and save messages.

• Pros: You can automate backups of specific channels every week.
• Cons: Requires technical knowledge of API keys (App API ID and Hash).

3. The “Manual” Workaround (Not Recommended for Long Chats)

Some users suggest simply selecting all text in a chat, right-clicking, and choosing Copy.

• The Problem: This does not include media, timestamps are often messy, and selecting thousands of messages by hand is prone to crashing the app.

Summary: Which Method Should You Use?

FAQ: Can I export chats on Android or iPhone?

Currently, the mobile apps do not have a direct “Export to File” button like the Desktop version. To save a full log, you must log into your account on a computer and use the Telegram Desktop method mentioned above.

Conclusion

The days of being unable to save your Telegram conversations are over. For 99% of users, the Telegram Desktop Export Tool is the perfect solution. It’s secure, comprehensive, and offers beautifully formatted HTML logs that you can view in any browser.

Do you need help setting up an automated backup script for a specific Telegram channel? Let me know and I can provide a Python snippet for you!