To create a Telegram group, open the new-message menu, choose New Group, select the first members, enter a group name, and confirm. The official path is pencil → New Group on Android, new-message icon → New Group on iPhone, and top-left menu → New Group on Telegram Desktop. After creation, configure the group type, history, invite links, permissions, and admins before sharing it widely.
Create a Telegram group on Android
- Open Telegram and go to the chat list.
- Tap the circular pencil button.
- Choose New Group.
- Select the people Telegram asks you to add, then continue.
- Enter a clear group name and optionally add a photo.
- Tap the check mark or creation button shown by your app.
You become the owner. Menu wording and the order of the name/member screens can change slightly between app releases, but the official entry point remains pencil → New Group.
Create a Telegram group on iPhone or iPad
- Open the Chats tab.
- Tap the new-message icon in the top-right corner.
- Select New Group.
- Choose the initial members and tap Next.
- Add the group name and optional image, then tap Create.
If you cannot see New Group, make sure you opened the compose menu from the Chats screen rather than Telegram Settings.
Create a group in Telegram Desktop
- Open Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS, or Linux.
- Click the menu button in the top-left corner.
- Select New Group.
- Follow the prompts to name the group and choose initial members.
- Confirm to create it.
The group synchronizes with your other Telegram devices because it is a cloud chat. This also means a standard Telegram group is not a Secret Chat and is not end-to-end encrypted. Review our Telegram privacy settings guide before using a group for sensitive coordination.
Add the name, photo, description, and rules
Choose a name that tells people what the group is for: “Northside Running Club” is clearer than “Our Chat.” Open Group Info by tapping or clicking the header, then use Edit or Manage Group to add a description and photo.
A useful description answers three questions: who the group is for, what members discuss, and where the rules are. Post a short welcome message with acceptable behavior, advertising policy, and contact details for moderators, then pin it. Do not publish private phone numbers, home addresses, customer records, or access credentials in the description or pinned message.
Make the group private or public
Open Group Info → Edit (the pencil on Android/iOS) or Manage Group on Desktop, then find Group Type.
- Private group: people join when an admin adds them or when they open an invite link. The group is not discoverable as a public community.
- Public group: assign an available username to create a link such as
t.me/yourgroup. Anyone can find the group, view its full chat history, and join to post, subject to your permissions.
A public username uses Latin letters, numbers, and underscores and must be unique. If the name is taken, try a meaningful qualifier instead of impersonating another community. Start private while you prepare rules and moderation; make the group public only when open discovery is intentional.
For a deeper format decision, compare Telegram channels and groups.
Decide whether new members can see earlier history
Telegram’s FAQ calls this persistent history. Public groups expose the entire history. For a private group, check the group settings for Chat History or Chat History for New Members and choose whether messages sent before a person joined should be visible or hidden. Labels can vary by client version.
Use visible history for communities where previous answers, files, and decisions are useful. Hide it when older discussion contains personal context that should not be disclosed to future members. Decide before inviting a large audience, and audit old messages before turning a private group public.
Create and manage invite links
Open the group profile and look for Edit → Invite Links. Telegram lets owners and authorized admins create more than one link. Additional links can have an expiration time, a usage limit, a descriptive internal name, or Request Admin Approval enabled. A link can also be shared as a QR code.
Use separate links for a website, event, partner, or support team so you can see which route brought in a member. Set approval for links posted publicly. If a link leaks or attracts spam, revoke that link; Telegram says a revoked link stops working immediately. Avoid replacing every link when only one campaign is compromised.
Add admins and set permissions safely
The official menu paths are:
- iOS: Group Info → Edit → Administrators.
- Android: Group Info → pencil → Administrators.
- Desktop: group menu … → Manage group → Administrators.
Grant the minimum rights needed. A moderator may need to delete messages and ban users but not add administrators or change group information. Keep ownership on a secured account, use a second trusted admin for continuity, and periodically remove inactive admins.
Then open Permissions and set the default rights for ordinary members. Depending on your needs, control sending messages, media, links, polls, and invitations. Restricting everyone is useful for temporary announcements, but a group meant for discussion needs enough freedom to function. Telegram also offers granular restrictions for individual members.
Enable topics when one chat becomes noisy
Topics turn one group into a forum-like space. Each topic has its own history, shared media, and notification settings. Telegram says topics are available to groups of any size.
Open Group Settings → Topics to enable them. Under Permissions, decide who may create or manage topics. Begin with a small set such as Announcements, Help, Introductions, and Off-topic. Too many empty topics make navigation harder, while one general thread defeats the purpose.
Moderation and privacy checklist before launch
- Keep the group private until the name, description, rules, and welcome message are ready.
- Choose deliberately whether old history is visible to newcomers.
- Give admins only the rights required for their role.
- Configure member permissions and pin concise rules.
- Use separate limited invite links and approval for public campaigns.
- Revoke leaked links and review recent administrative actions after incidents.
- Enable Telegram’s anti-spam tools when they appear for your group; add bots only after reviewing their permissions and operator.
- Consider Restrict Saving Content in Group Type for members-only material, while remembering that no setting can stop someone photographing a screen.
- Ask admins to enable two-step verification and review active devices.
- Test joining from a non-admin account before publishing the link.
Telegram group vs channel
A group is a conversation: members can post by default, while admins shape permissions and moderation. A channel is primarily a broadcast feed where posts are published under the channel identity. A channel can also link a group for comments. If you need controlled announcements rather than member-to-member discussion, follow the guide to creating a Telegram channel.
Troubleshooting common setup problems
New Group is missing: update the official Telegram app and use the platform-specific compose/menu path at the top of this guide.
A public username is unavailable: it may already belong to a user, bot, channel, or group. Use only letters, numbers, and underscores and try a distinct name.
An invite link does not work: it may be revoked, expired, or out of uses. Create a new link in Invite Links rather than changing the group itself.
Someone can post despite default restrictions: check whether that account is an administrator or has an individual exception.
Newcomers can see unexpected old messages: review Group Type and Chat History. Remember that public groups expose their full history.
Topics are missing: update Telegram, confirm you have admin rights, and check Group Settings for Topics.