How to create a Telegram channel

How to create a channel on a phone

1. Open Telegram and tap the compose button: on iPhone it is the icon in the top-right corner of the chat list, on Android the round button with a pencil.
2. Choose "New Channel".
3. Enter the channel name and add a description and a photo. You can change them later.
4. Pick the channel type: public or private (the difference is below).
5. For a public channel, choose its link; a private channel gets an invite link.
6. Optionally add your first subscribers from your contacts, then confirm. As the owner you can invite only the first 200 subscribers yourself; after that the audience comes on its own, through the link and search.

Button labels differ slightly between app versions, but the order stays the same: New Channel, name and description, type and link, subscribers.

How to create a channel on a computer

In Telegram Desktop, click the menu button (three lines, top-left corner) and choose "New Channel". The rest is the same as on a phone: name and description, then type and link.

Public or private channel

Telegram's own channels FAQ puts it this way: a public channel has a username, anyone can find it in Telegram search and join. A private channel is a closed community: you join only if the owner adds you or you have an invite link.

• Public suits a channel you want people to find through search. An address like t.me/your_channel is easy to give out.
• Private suits a narrow audience: clients, a team, friends. Entry is by invitation only.

You can change the type later in the channel settings: open the channel, go to its info, tap Edit (the pencil icon) and look for the channel type item. Its exact name depends on the app version.

Choosing the link name

A public channel link is a username, and the same rules apply as for an account username:

• 5 to 32 characters;
• Latin letters, digits and underscores;
• capitalization does not matter.

Telegram tells you at once whether a name is taken. More on the rules and on short names sold at auction on Fragment: usernames on Telegram.

What to set up after you create it

• Admins. The owner can appoint helpers and give each one their own set of rights, for example posting only.
• Author signatures. In the channel settings you can turn on signatures: posts show the admin's name, without a link to their profile.
• Comments. To show a comment button under each post, link a discussion group: in the channel settings look for the discussion item.
• Description and link. Say in a line or two what the channel is about, and put its link in your profile and your other pages.

What comes next: an audience and Stars

A channel can have an unlimited number of subscribers, which is what sets it apart from a group (up to 200,000 members). Only admins post in a channel; subscribers read, react and comment.

Once a channel has an audience, you can turn on Stars features: paid subscriptions, paid photos and videos, Star reactions. See Stars in a Telegram channel and paid channel subscriptions. To bring in subscribers you can run a contest: giveaways in a channel. Channel boosts are covered in Telegram boosts.

You can buy Stars for reactions, subscriptions and giveaway prizes in the Shiba Bank bot.

Frequently asked questions