Normal Telegram chats are stored in the Telegram cloud, not only on your phone. That is why they appear again when you log in on a new device, without any backup.
Quick answer
Normal chats are already in the Telegram cloud. For a copy you keep yourself, install Telegram Desktop and open Settings, Advanced, Export Telegram data. Secret chats are not in the cloud and are not exported.
1. What the Telegram cloud keeps
- Private chats, groups and channels you are in, with their photos, videos and files.
- Saved Messages, contacts and settings.
- All of it appears on any device where you log in.
2. What it does not keep
- Secret chats live only on the device where you started them. They are lost when you log out or change phones.
- Messages and chats deleted for both sides are gone for good.
- If your account is deleted, for example after a long period of inactivity, its cloud data is deleted too.
3. Export your chats to your computer
- Install Telegram Desktop from telegram.org and log in.
- Open Settings, Advanced and choose Export Telegram data.
- Pick what to export: personal chats, groups, channels, photos, videos and files, and a size limit for files.
- Choose HTML to read it in a browser, or JSON for other tools, and start the export.
- To save one chat only, open that chat's menu and choose Export chat history.
Telegram may ask you to confirm the export from another device and can make you wait before a large export starts. That protects your data if someone else is logged in.
4. Open the export
An HTML export opens in any browser. You can also load the export folder into our free Telegram export viewer to search it.
5. Moving to a new phone
Install Telegram on the new phone and log in with the same number; your cloud chats come back by themselves. If you are changing your number as well, change it in Telegram before you lose the old SIM.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the backup setting in Telegram?
There is none, because normal chats are kept in the Telegram cloud. For your own copy use Export Telegram data in Telegram Desktop.
Are Telegram chats lost when I change phones?
No. Log in on the new phone with the same number and the cloud chats come back. Only secret chats are lost.
Can I back up Telegram on my phone?
The full export is in Telegram Desktop. On a phone, the cloud copy is your backup.
Are secret chats included in the export?
No. Secret chats are stored only on the device where they were started.
Can I restore an export back into Telegram?
No. An export is a copy you can read and search, not a file Telegram can load back.
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