How to find and join Telegram groups

Telegram is a popular social app, and like most messaging apps, it has groups you can join. A Telegram group is basically like a big chat room. Users worldwide might be a part of a Telegram group, and you can either chat in real-time or reply to messages after the fact as you see fit.

Some channels function more like newsletters. In these, you cannot reply or chat with anyone. Instead, you’ll see a long chain of messages. That’s good if you want a big list of links and resources relevant to your interests that gets updated frequently.

Finding and joining public Telegram groups yourself

The Telegram app lets you search for and join public groups and channels. Groups will be marked with their number of “members,” while channels will list their “subscribers.” The process is pretty straightforward for either one.

• Tap the magnifying glass icon and type in the name of a topic or interest — adding “chat” to your search can help narrow it down to groups if desired.
• Tap Show more to see the full list of available groups and channels.
• Once inside a group or channel, you can tap Join.

Joining private Telegram groups using an invite link

If the group or channel you want to join is private, it won’t appear in search results. Plus, a friend might also want you to join their Telegram group. In these cases, you will have to use an invite link. However, someone already in the group must send you a link to join private groups or channels. You can also use links to join public groups or channels, and anyone can find and share those links.

Telegram invite links start with https://t.me/. Clicking on one will open your Telegram app, and then you can click Join to join everyone else in the group or channel. Your messages and interactions in these groups won’t show up anywhere else if it’s a private link unless people take screenshots. We won’t reveal private information or links like that, so the example you see above is for joining a public channel, but the process works the same if you’re joining a private group.

Keep in mind that spam and irrelevant posts are possible in both groups and channels unless the moderators are actively ferreting these types of posts out. Look at a group or channel carefully before joining, and be careful not to click on anything suspicious. But with some due diligence, you’ll be able to find plenty of fun Telegram groups and channels relevant to all of your interests.

Read more: Is Telegram not working for you? Try these fixes

FAQs

Can public Telegram groups be changed over to private?

Yes, if the admins of a particular Telegram group change the group’s settings, it can then go from public to private.

How can I send my friend a link to a private Telegram group that I am currently in?

You can do so in two ways. You can tap on the name of the group at the top of the app, then tap on Add Member and search for one of your contacts within Telegram to add to the group. The other option is to use the invite link method explained above and send that link via text, an email, or another messaging platform. If you don’t have the invite link you used to join available anymore, you will have to ask one of the group’s admins or someone else in the chat to give it to you.