How to Export Telegram Chat History With Photos and Videos
You can export Telegram chat history—including photos, videos, voice messages and files—from the official Telegram Desktop app. For one conversation, open that chat, select the three-dot menu and choose Export chat history. For a broader account archive, go to Settings > Advanced > Export Telegram data. Choose HTML if you want an archive you can browse easily, or JSON if you need structured data for analysis or a custom migration workflow.
The export is an offline copy, not a live backup and not a one-click Telegram restore file. Cloud chats will continue to sync through Telegram itself, while Secret Chats are device-specific and are not included in a cloud-data export.
What you need before you start
Telegram’s built-in export tool is available in Telegram Desktop, so use a Windows, macOS or Linux computer rather than the mobile app or Telegram Web. Install the current desktop release, sign in to the correct account and make sure the computer has enough free storage for the messages and media you plan to save.
If you expect a large archive, connect the computer to power, use a stable internet connection and prevent it from sleeping during the export. Video-heavy groups and channels can require far more space than their message count suggests. If storage is tight, review our guide to freeing space in Windows 11 without deleting personal files before starting.
How to export one Telegram chat with its media
- Open Telegram Desktop and select the private chat, group or channel you want to archive.
- Click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the conversation.
- Select Export chat history.
- Choose the content to include, such as photos, videos, voice messages, video messages, stickers, GIFs and files.
- Set a media size limit and, when offered, the date range you want to export.
- Choose Human-readable HTML or Machine-readable JSON.
- Select a destination folder, click Export and leave Telegram Desktop open until it finishes.
Telegram documents the individual-chat command in its official export instructions. The available checkboxes can vary slightly with the current desktop build and the type of conversation, but the basic process is the same.
How to include full-size photos and videos
Check Photos and Videos in the export dialog, then inspect the maximum file-size control. A low limit can make the finished archive look incomplete because larger media files are skipped. Raise the limit if you want bigger clips, but balance that against available disk space and the time required.
For a very large channel, a single “everything” export is not always the most practical choice. You can divide the job by date range or export messages first and media in a second pass. Name the destination folders clearly—for example, with the chat name and date range—so separate archives do not get mixed together.
How to export all Telegram account data
To create a wider account archive:
- Open Telegram Desktop.
- Go to Settings > Advanced.
- Select Export Telegram data.
- Choose the account information, chats and media categories you need.
- Choose HTML or JSON, select the destination and start the export.
Telegram’s official data-export schema describes the output folders and data types. Depending on your choices, the archive can include contacts, personal chats, bot chats, groups, channels, photos, video files, voice messages, stickers and other documents.
If Telegram asks you to confirm the export from another signed-in device or shows a security delay, follow the in-app notice rather than switching to an unofficial exporter. Account archives contain unusually sensitive information, so additional verification is expected security behavior.
HTML vs. JSON: which export format should you choose?
Choose HTML for a readable personal archive
HTML is the best option for most people. In a full export, open export_results.html; in a single-chat export, look for messages.html. The browser-based pages organize messages and link to the downloaded media folders, so you can navigate the archive without special software or an internet connection.
Choose HTML if your goal is to preserve memories, search a conversation manually, keep records for a project or review attachments later.
Choose JSON for structured processing
JSON preserves the information in a machine-readable structure. It is useful for developers, researchers and people who want to parse message dates, senders and content with their own scripts. It is less pleasant to read directly, and you should not upload it to a random “Telegram viewer” website: the file can reveal names, messages, identifiers and metadata.
If you are unsure, export HTML first. You can also run a smaller second export in JSON rather than creating two enormous copies of every media file.
What a Telegram export does not include
A desktop export is comprehensive, but it is not a forensic recovery tool. Keep these limits in mind:
- Secret Chats: Telegram says Secret Chats are device-specific and not part of the Telegram cloud, so they are not included in the normal cloud-data export. The Telegram FAQ explains that they are accessible only on their devices of origin.
- Already deleted or self-destructed content: Telegram cannot export a message or media item that is no longer available to the account.
- Future messages: the archive is a snapshot. New messages will not appear in it unless you export again later.
- A one-click restore: Telegram presents the feature as an offline export. Do not assume the resulting HTML or JSON can recreate every chat, membership and setting in a new account.
If you are simply moving to a new phone, regular Telegram cloud chats should appear after you sign in to the same account. Exporting is still valuable if you want an independent local record, but it is not required for ordinary cloud-chat synchronization.
How to verify that the export is complete
Do not treat the “finished” message as the only check. Open the archive before deleting anything from Telegram or wiping a device.
- Open the main HTML file and confirm the correct account or conversation appears.
- Jump to an early message and a recent message to check the exported date range.
- Open several photos, one large video, a voice message and a document from different periods.
- Check the media folders for skipped files or unexpectedly small counts.
- Compare the final folder size with the space you expected to use.
- Copy the verified archive to a second protected location before removing the original data.
This is the same principle we recommend when you export and back up a Notion workspace before canceling: an archive is useful only after you have opened it and tested a representative sample.
How to protect the exported Telegram archive
Telegram protects cloud access with your account and device sessions, but an exported HTML or JSON archive is made of ordinary files. Anyone who can open the folder may be able to read messages and view media.
- Save the export on a computer with full-disk encryption and a strong login password.
- If you move it to external storage or cloud storage, place it in a reputable encrypted container or encrypted archive.
- Do not send the full export through email or a shared public link.
- Delete temporary copies from Downloads, desktop folders and unencrypted USB drives.
- Review sharing permissions after uploading a protected copy.
- Avoid browser extensions and third-party “Telegram export” utilities when the official desktop feature can do the job.
Before installing any helper that claims to improve the export, use our checklist for checking whether a browser extension is safe. Giving an unknown tool access to a chat archive can expose far more than a normal browsing history.
Troubleshooting a missing or incomplete export
The Export option is missing
Confirm that you are using the installed Telegram Desktop application rather than Telegram Web or a phone app. Update from the official desktop site, restart the app and check the three-dot chat menu again. For an account-wide export, look under Settings > Advanced.
Photos or videos are absent
Repeat the export and verify that the relevant media boxes are selected. Increase the file-size limit if the missing items are large. Also check whether the media still exists in the chat and can be opened normally; unavailable or deleted content cannot be recovered by exporting.
The export is too large or takes too long
Use a shorter date range, exclude stickers and GIFs if you do not need them, or split messages and large media into separate passes. Export directly to a local drive with sufficient free space, then copy the verified result to its protected long-term location.
The HTML page opens but media links fail
Keep the HTML file and its accompanying folders together. Moving only messages.html or export_results.html breaks the relative links to photos, videos and documents. Move or compress the entire export folder as one unit.
Before deleting your Telegram account
If the export is preparation for leaving Telegram, finish and verify the archive first. Telegram says account deletion permanently removes cloud data and cannot be undone. Also remember that logging out removes access to device-specific Secret Chats on that device, according to the official FAQ.
A sensible sequence is: export, test several messages and media files, make an encrypted second copy, then decide whether to log out or delete the account. That small verification step is what separates a usable archive from a folder you only discover is incomplete after recovery is no longer possible.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export Telegram chats from an iPhone or Android phone?
Not with Telegram’s built-in full export workflow. Use Telegram Desktop on a computer. Mobile apps can save individual media items, but that is not equivalent to exporting a complete conversation with its message history and structure.
Can I export a Telegram group or channel?
Yes, if the conversation is accessible to your account and Telegram Desktop offers Export chat history in its menu. Your archive only reflects content available to your account at export time.
Does the other person get notified?
Telegram’s documented export process creates a local archive for your account and does not describe sending a notification to the other participant. Handle the archive responsibly, especially when it contains other people’s personal information.
Should I choose HTML or JSON?
Choose HTML to read and browse the archive. Choose JSON when software or a script will process the data. For a normal personal backup, HTML is the simplest starting point.
Will the export restore my chats later?
Do not rely on it as a one-click restore package. Telegram documents it as an offline HTML or JSON export. Cloud chats are restored through the Telegram account’s synchronization, while the exported folder is best treated as an independent reference copy.
