How to Export Your Telegram Chat — Complete Guide (2026)
Want to back up your Telegram conversations, search through old messages, or analyze your chat history? Telegram Desktop lets you export any chat as a JSON file in just a few clicks. Here's exactly how to do it.
Export Telegram Chat on Desktop
- 1Open Telegram Desktop on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
- 2Open the chat or group you want to export.
- 3Click the ⋮ menu at the top right of the chat → select "Export chat history".
- 4In the export dialog, select JSON format (not HTML) — JSON is required for ChatPeek.
- 5Choose what to include: messages, photos, files, voice messages, etc. (all optional).
- 6Click "Export" and choose a folder on your computer to save the files.
- 7Drag and drop the result.json file onto ChatPeek to view and analyze your chat.
What Format to Choose
Telegram Desktop offers two export formats. Only one works with ChatPeek:
JSON (Recommended)
A structured data file containing all messages, timestamps, sender names, reactions, and media metadata. This is the format ChatPeek reads. Always choose JSON when exporting for ChatPeek.
HTML
A human-readable web page format. While useful for browsing in a browser, HTML exports are not supported by ChatPeek. Stick with JSON.
Uploading Your Export to ChatPeek
Once you have your result.json file, head over to ChatPeek — a free, privacy-first chat viewer that runs entirely in your browser. Drag and drop result.json onto the viewer and your conversation loads instantly.
- 📖 Read your Telegram chats in a clean, beautiful interface
- 🔍 Search any message instantly
- 📊 Get analytics: message counts, active hours, top senders
- 📄 Export to PDF for printing or archiving
- 🔒 100% private — your data never leaves your device
Group Chats vs Private Chats
Both group chats and private (one-on-one) chats can be exported using the exact same steps above. Simply open the chat or group in Telegram Desktop and follow the same export process. Note that secret chats cannot be exported — see the FAQ below for details.
Private Chats
Regular (cloud) private chats between two people can be exported in full. Secret chats, however, are end-to-end encrypted and stored only on your devices — they cannot be exported.
Group Chats & Channels
Any Telegram group or channel you are a member of can be exported. The process is identical — open the chat, click the ⋮ menu, and select "Export chat history".
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I export Telegram on my phone?
No, Telegram's built-in export feature is only available on Telegram Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux). The mobile apps do not have an export option. You'll need to install Telegram Desktop on a computer to export your chat history.
What is the result.json file?
result.json is Telegram's full chat export in JSON format. It contains all messages, timestamps, sender names, and metadata. ChatPeek reads this file directly to give you a beautiful, searchable view of your conversation.
Can I export private/secret chats?
No, Telegram secret chats cannot be exported by design. Secret chats use end-to-end encryption and are stored only on the devices involved — Telegram has no server-side copy to export. Regular (cloud) chats and groups can be exported normally.
How much history can I export?
You can export your entire chat history with no message limit. Telegram Desktop will export all messages from the beginning of the conversation. For very large chats this may take a few minutes.