How to Create a Telegram Channel, Step by Step

A Telegram channel is one of the simplest ways to reach an audience: only admins post, there's no cap on subscribers, and every post lands right in your readers' chat list. Creating one is a matter of minutes, yet some of those minutes' decisions — the name, the link, public or private — later shape how easily people find you and whether they trust you. Below we walk through creating the channel and the settings worth checking before the first post goes out.

Decide three things first

• Topic and audience: what is the channel about, and for whom? A channel whose purpose fits in one sentence keeps subscribers more easily.
• Name: short, descriptive and searchable. You can rename later, but frequent renames confuse subscribers.
• Type: public (with a username, findable in search) or private (invite link only). Our public vs private channel guide covers the difference in depth.

If it's for a business and you're torn between a channel and a group, read our group vs channel comparison first: a channel is for one-way publishing, a group is for members talking to each other. The account that creates a channel becomes its owner, so if you'd rather not tie a work channel to your personal account and number, create it from a separate account. How to set one up and keep it secure is covered in our Telegram virtual number guide.

Creating a channel on your phone

1. On Android, tap the pencil button at the bottom of the chat list. On iPhone, open Chats and tap the new message icon at the top.
2. Choose New Channel.
3. Enter the channel name. You can add a short description and a photo on the same screen, or come back to them later.
4. Pick the channel type: public or private. A public channel needs a username, which becomes its link.
5. Telegram then offers to add subscribers from your contacts. This step is optional — you can skip it.

Creating a channel on desktop and web

In Telegram Desktop, open the main menu (the three lines above the chat list) and choose New Channel. The rest is the same as on mobile: name, description and photo, then the type and link. Desktop is handier for writing a longer description and preparing your first posts, and a channel created on one device is available on every device signed in to that account.

Name, username and channel link

The name is what shows in the chat list and can be in any language. A username exists only for public channels: Latin letters, digits and underscores, at least five characters. The channel link, t.me/username, is built from it.

• Keep the username short and readable so it's easy to remember and hard to mistype.
• Avoid usernames that imitate a well-known brand or channel — it costs trust and can get reported.
• If you change the username later, links shared with the old one stop leading to your channel. Choose carefully from the start.
• Private channels use invite links, and you can create several — one per ad placement, for example — to see where subscribers come from. Our channel ad tracking guide shows how.

Photo and description

Someone opening your link for the first time sees the photo, name and description before any post. The photo has to read well at a small size, so a simple symbol or logo beats a busy picture. In the description, say in a sentence or two what the channel covers, how often you post and what a subscriber gets. If there's a way to reach the admin or support, put it there too.

Settings to check before your first post

Tap the channel name and choose Edit. A few settings are worth a look straight away:

• Reactions: choose which reactions subscribers can use, or turn them off. For the special kinds, see our premium and Stars reactions guide.
• Discussion: link a group if you want comments under posts. Without one, subscribers can only read and react.
• Sign messages: turn it on if several admins post and you want the author's name under each post.
• Restrict saving content: stops subscribers from forwarding or saving posts. Useful for exclusive content, but forwards are a key way channels get discovered, so a channel that wants to grow usually leaves it off.
• Admins: give helpers only the rights they need. Every right is explained in our channel admin guide. The same goes for a bot you add later for buttons under posts or auto-posting — see our channel bots guide.

Some appearance options, such as a custom channel colour and background, unlock with boost levels — see our channel boost guide.

First posts: don't share an empty channel

1. An introduction post: what the channel is about, when you post and how to reach the admin. Pin it so it stays at the top.
2. A few posts that show your main content at the quality you plan to keep.
3. A simple schedule — one post a day at a fixed time, say. Scheduling, formatting and silent posts are covered in our channel posting guide.

After launch: the first subscribers

Early subscribers usually come from people you know, your other social profiles, and channels or groups on the same topic. As the channel grows, statistics become available so you can see which posts did best. For a full plan, read how to grow a Telegram channel from zero.

Some owners order members or views alongside their content so a new channel doesn't look empty. That only makes sense once the channel has real posts and a schedule — members don't replace content. And for any such order, never share your password or login code; the channel link is all that's needed.

Summary

To create a Telegram channel, tap New Channel on mobile or desktop, add the name, photo and description, choose the type and link, then review reactions, discussion and admins. Publish a few real posts and pin an introduction before sharing the link. All our Telegram and Instagram services are listed on the services page.