About this release
Telegram Desktop is a proper native client rather than a web page in a window, and the difference shows in how it handles scale. Message history lives in the cloud and synchronises across every device you sign in on, so a conversation started on one machine continues on another with nothing missing. Search runs across the entire history rather than the last few weeks, and it stays fast on accounts carrying years of messages and tens of thousands of files.
File handling is the feature that keeps a lot of people on it. Transfers go up to two gigabytes per file, sent uncompressed if you ask for it, and everything you have ever sent or received stays retrievable from the cloud without expiring. That turns the client into a usable transfer route between machines for anything too large for mail and too awkward to set up a share for. Media in a chat is browsable as a gallery, and documents are listed separately with their own search.
The rest is what you would expect from a messenger that has been developed for a long time. Groups scale to enormous sizes with proper administration tools, channels broadcast to unlimited subscribers, folders organise a crowded sidebar, and message editing, scheduling, silent sending, pinning and threaded replies all work. There is a full bot platform, custom themes, per chat notification control, and end to end encrypted conversations for anything that needs them.
What it does
- Native desktop client with cloud synchronised history across all devices
- Search across the entire message history rather than a recent window
- File transfers up to two gigabytes per file with optional uncompressed sending
- Permanent cloud storage of sent and received files with no expiry
- Groups with full administration tools and very large member limits
- Channels for broadcasting to an unlimited subscriber count
- Folders and filters for organising a crowded chat list
- Message editing, scheduling, silent sending, pinning and threaded replies
- End to end encrypted conversations for anything that needs them
- Custom themes, per chat notification rules and a full bot platform
Changes in this version
- Faster startup on accounts with very large local caches
- Improved media gallery scrolling in chats with thousands of items
- Reworked folder editor with drag ordering
- Better memory behaviour during long uninterrupted sessions
- Fixed a notification duplication issue when several windows were open
What the package contains
- Telegram Desktop installer and portable build
- All interface languages
- Default theme set
- Notes on running the portable build from external storage
- Readme with the install order written out step by step
Installation notes
Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.
- Choose either the installer or the portable build, you do not need both.
- Extract the archive to a folder you control.
- Run the installer as administrator, or run the portable executable directly.
- Sign in on first launch using your existing account.
- Set the local cache size and location in advanced settings.
- Adjust notification rules per chat once your history has synchronised.
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer, 32-bit or 64-bit |
| Processor | Any 1 GHz or faster processor |
| Memory | 1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended |
| Graphics | No specific requirement |
| Storage | 300 MB plus whatever local cache you allow |
| Display | 1024 by 768 minimum |
Things worth knowing
- Cap the local cache size in advanced settings or it will grow to fill a surprising amount of disk over time.
- The portable build keeps its data beside the executable, which makes it usable from external storage.
- End to end encrypted conversations are per device by design and do not synchronise across machines.
Questions about this title
Does it need the phone application running?
How large can a file be?
Where is my history stored?
Is there a portable version?
What people are saying
Sending two gigabyte files between my own machines without setting up anything. That is why it stays installed.
Search found a message from three years back instantly. Nothing else I use manages that.
Cap the cache. Mine had quietly reached forty gigabytes before I looked.
Listing information
This entry is catalogued under Internet & Downloaders and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, 20 interface languages, and the supported platform list is Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11. Version 7.0.9 is the current catalogued build, last checked 2 days ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 4 years ago.