How to send a gift on Telegram
How to send a gift on Telegram: where the gift button is, how to add a message, send a gift with your name hidden, pay the upgrade for the recipient, gift yourself or a channel, and why a gift won't send.
A gift on Telegram is bought with Stars from your balance and sent to a person or a channel. A person receives it as a message in your chat with them, together with your message, and can show it on their profile. What gifts are and which kinds exist: what are Telegram gifts.
Where the gift button is
It is in several places; how they look depends on the app (iPhone, Android, desktop) and its version.
- On the person's profile. Tap ⋯ (⋮ on Android) and choose "Send a Gift".
- In settings. Settings > Send a Gift — then pick the recipient from the list.
- In the message field. A gift icon appears in a private chat when both people have turned on "Show Gift Icon in Chats" in Settings > Privacy and Security > Gifts.
- In a channel. The gift icon in the bottom corner of the channel — if the channel accepts gifts.
How to send a gift: step by step
- Open the person's profile and tap ⋯ / ⋮ > "Send a Gift".
- Choose a gift: each one shows its price in Stars. All prices are on the Telegram gifts page.
- Write a message if you like.
- If you want, hide your name or pay for the gift's upgrade — see below.
- Pay with Stars from your balance. The gift arrives as a message in your chat with the recipient.
If you're short of Stars, buy them in the Shiba Bank bot for your own account, then send the gift. The bot doesn't sell gifts: it sells Stars, and the gift is bought with them in Telegram. Details: how to buy Telegram Stars.
How to add a message, and what to write
You can add text and emoji to a gift. The message has a length limit, so keep it short: the occasion and a few warm words. For example:
- "Happy birthday! Hope all your plans come true"
- "Thank you for always being there"
- "Just because — to make you smile"
- "Congrats on the new job!"
The recipient sees the message. If they show the gift on their profile, others see your name and message too — unless you hid your name.
Writing something personal? Turn on "Hide My Name": then only the recipient sees your message.
If the recipient charges for incoming messages, you can't add a message to the gift.
Anonymous gifts: hiding your name
When sending, turn on "Hide My Name". Your name and message are then seen only by the recipient: for everyone who opens the gift on their profile, the sender is hidden. To the recipient the gift doesn't become anonymous: they see who sent it.
Paying for the upgrade in advance
A gift becomes unique (collectible) after an upgrade paid in Stars. The sender can pay for it right away — on iPhone it's the "Make Unique for …" switch on the sending screen. The recipient then upgrades the gift without spending their own Stars. If you didn't pay at once, you can still cover the upgrade later for a gift that's already on the person's profile. How upgrades work: how to upgrade a gift.
How to send a unique gift
- From the marketplace. The gift screen also offers collectible gifts that other users sell on Telegram's marketplace. You can buy one and send it — with your own signature and comment.
- One you already own. A unique gift you have can be passed on: open it in My Profile > Gifts and choose to transfer it. Telegram shows the terms and the cost of the transfer on the gift's card.
A gift for yourself
That works too. Open Settings > Send a Gift: your own account is in the list of recipients, marked "buy yourself a gift" (that's how it looks on Android and desktop; on iPhone the screen may differ). A gift for yourself can be added to your profile or kept for later, and a limited one can be upgraded to a collectible and given to someone else later.
How to send a gift to a channel
Channels accept gifts too — people send them to celebrate holidays and achievements. Open the channel and tap the gift icon in its bottom corner: the gift will show on the channel's profile. Only a channel that accepts gifts can receive one.
Why a gift won't send
- Not enough Stars on your balance — top it up.
- The recipient doesn't accept this kind of gift. Telegram Premium subscribers can choose which gifts others may send them: regular, limited, unique, or a Premium subscription. Such a gift can't be sent, and no Stars are taken.
- A limited gift is sold out, or you've reached its limit: some gifts can be bought only a set number of times per person.
- The gift is for Telegram Premium subscribers only.
- The app is out of date — update Telegram.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a gift without Telegram Premium?
Yes. Anyone with Stars can send regular gifts. Only some gifts are sold to Premium subscribers alone.
Does the recipient know who sent an anonymous gift?
If the sender turned on "Hide My Name", yes: that option hides the name and message only from people who view the recipient's profile, and the recipient sees who sent it.
How do I find out who sent me a gift?
If the gift came to you, the sender is shown in the chat it arrived in — even if they hid their name. On someone else's profile, the sender of a hidden-name gift can't be seen.
How do I stop people from sending me gifts?
Telegram Premium subscribers choose which gifts they accept in Settings > Privacy and Security > Gifts. The same screen sets whose gifts appear on your profile automatically.
Can I gift Telegram Premium?
Yes: the same "Send a Gift" screen lets you gift Premium for Stars. In the Shiba Bank bot you can also get Premium for 3, 6 or 12 months for a friend by their @username — how to buy Telegram Premium.
