Questions and answers
Twelve answers covering the whole path from clicking a download button to signing in on a second device. If your case is not here, the setup guides go deeper per platform.
A transfer that never starts is almost always blocked before it reaches the file. Pause any VPN or proxy, allow the download in your browser's security prompt, then click the button again. Our buttons resolve a mirror link first, so if you clicked and nothing happened, wait two seconds for the spinner to finish before retrying.
If the browser reports the file as unsafe simply because it is an executable, choose Keep and continue.
The Windows installer is about 48.6 MB, the macOS package roughly 62 MB and the Android package around 74 MB. On a 20 Mbit connection that is well under a minute for desktop. If the download is far slower than that, the bottleneck is usually the network rather than the mirror.
Yes. When the installer asks for a destination, pick a folder inside your own user profile such as Documents or Downloads instead of Program Files. Windows does not require elevation to write there, so the setup completes without an administrator password.
Shortcuts still work, and updates install into the same user folder afterwards.
An APK is only as trustworthy as its source. Download it from a single place you trust, check that the file size roughly matches what is listed, and let Android's built-in scanner inspect it when it offers. You will also need to allow installs from your browser once in Android settings before the package can open.
Current desktop builds target Windows 10 and Windows 11. On older systems the installer may run but the client can fail to connect or refuse to update. If you are stuck on Windows 7, the browser version is the more reliable route because it only depends on an up-to-date browser.
macOS 11 Big Sur and newer are supported, and the package is universal, so it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. There is no separate download to pick between the two chip families.
Open the desktop client and choose Log in by QR code. On your phone, go to Settings, then Devices, then Link Desktop Device, and point the camera at the code on screen. The desktop session authorises without you typing a phone number, which is handy on shared computers.
You do not have to move anything. Cloud chats live on Telegram's servers, so installing the client on the new machine and signing in brings the full history back automatically. The exceptions are secret chats, which exist only on the two devices that created them, and local drafts.
Open Settings, then Advanced on desktop or Data and Storage on mobile, and switch automatic media download off for the network types you want to protect. You can allow it on Wi-Fi while blocking it on mobile data, and set a maximum file size so only small images arrive automatically.
In Settings, open Privacy and Security, then Two-Step Verification, and set an additional password. From then on a new login needs both the SMS or in-app code and that password. Add a recovery email while you are there so you are not locked out if you forget it.
Messaging, groups, channels, calls and file transfers are free. There is no licence to buy for normal use and no charge for installing any of the builds listed on the download page.
The desktop client checks for updates on its own and applies them in the background. To force it, open Settings, then Advanced, then Check for updates. If your copy is older than 6.2.3 and refuses to update, download the current installer and run it over the existing installation — your chats stay in place.
Every build, size and requirement is listed on one page, with the Windows installer at the top.
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