Telegram channel administrators: rights, adding and contacting
How to add an admin to a Telegram channel and which rights to give, how to hand a channel to a new owner, how to message a channel's admin, and why a bot needs admin rights.
A channel admin is a person the owner has allowed to run the channel: publish posts, delete messages, change the description. In a Telegram channel only admins can post, and whoever appoints an admin chooses that person's rights. Readers who want to reach an admin: see the section on messaging a channel. Owners: read on to add an admin and choose their rights.
How to add an admin to a Telegram channel
- Open the channel and go to its settings: tap the channel name and choose "Edit" (on Android, the pencil icon; on desktop, the channel management menu).
- Open "Administrators" and pick the person.
- Switch on the rights they need and save.
Menu names depend on the app and its version. Telegram's official FAQ describes the same route for groups: "Edit" → "Administrators" (telegram.org/faq). Rights are set separately for each admin, and the owner can remove an admin later.
Which admin rights exist
Telegram's developer documentation (admin rights) lists the rights below. In the app they may be worded a little differently.
| Right | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Post messages | Publish posts in the channel |
| Edit messages | Edit other admins' messages |
| Delete messages | Delete other admins' messages |
| Ban users | Ban users from the channel |
| Invite users | Invite people to the channel |
| Pin messages | Pin messages |
| Add admins | Appoint other admins, with the same rights or fewer |
| Video chats and live streams | Create and run them |
| Stories | Post, edit and delete stories as the channel — three separate rights |
| Direct messages | Manage the direct messages sent to the channel and decline suggested posts |
| Change info | Change the channel description |
Give each admin only what the job needs: an assistant who only publishes posts needs the posting right alone.
The list of subscribers is visible only to the channel owner and admins (Telegram's channel tour). Grant the admin role only to people you trust.
Admin signatures
The owner can switch on signatures: new posts then carry the chosen name of the admin who posted, but no link to that admin's profile (channels FAQ). For a reader, a signature is not a way to reach the author.
How to hand a channel to a new owner
Handing over a channel requires your Two-Step Verification password — the cloud password on your account (see how to set a password on Telegram). According to the method's description in Telegram's documentation (channels.editCreator), the transfer is refused if the password was changed less than 24 hours ago, or if the session you transfer from was created less than 24 hours ago. Set the password and sign in on the device ahead of time, not on the day of the transfer.
How to message a channel's admin
A subscriber cannot open the list of admins, but Telegram gives you other ways to reach a channel:
- Direct messages to the channel. If the owner has turned them on under "Channel Settings → Direct Messages" (Telegram blog), you can write to the channel directly. The messages go to the owner and admins in a separate inbox, and nobody's personal contact details are revealed. The owner can also set a fee per message — see paid messages on Telegram.
- Comments. If a discussion group is linked to the channel, each post has a comments button: how comments work.
- The channel description and the pinned post. Many channels leave a contact there.
Never share your Telegram login code or password, even if someone writes "on behalf of the channel's administration". Admins do not need them. For common schemes see Telegram scams.
A bot as a channel administrator
For a bot to publish posts in a channel, it is added as an administrator with the right to post messages; the Bot API has a separate administrator right for posting messages in a channel (Bot API).
The Shiba Bank bot @barboskich_stars_bot works the same way. In "🎉 Giveaways" it publishes the giveaway post in your channel, so it needs the "Post messages" right. Your own channel can be added to a giveaway at once; someone else's channel only with the consent of its owner or of an admin who has that right. For a subscription condition in a cheque ("🧾 Create a cheque"), the bot also has to be an administrator of that channel. More: Stars giveaways in a channel, Stars drops in chats and cheques with Stars.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add an admin to a Telegram channel?
Open the channel settings ("Edit"), choose "Administrators", pick the person and switch on the rights they need. Rights are set for each admin separately.
How do I see the admins of a Telegram channel?
Admins open their own list in the channel settings, under "Administrators". Telegram does not promise such a list to a subscriber: at most you see the signature under posts — a name without a link to the profile, if the owner turned signatures on.
How do I message a channel's admin?
Through direct messages to the channel, if the owner turned them on, or through comments under the posts. A contact is often given in the channel description or in the pinned post.
Can I hand a channel over to someone else?
Yes, but you need a cloud password that has not been changed in the last 24 hours, and a session older than 24 hours.
Can a bot be a channel admin?
Yes. For a bot to publish posts, it is added as an administrator with the right to post messages. Give a bot only the rights its work needs.
