How to Create a Telegram Group: Step by Step on Phone and PC

To create a Telegram group, tap the new message icon → "New Group", pick members (or skip this step), enter a name and confirm. A group can hold up to 200,000 members; afterwards you can make it public, enable topics and link it to a channel for comments.

How to create a Telegram group on phone and PC

• Android: pencil button at the bottom right → "New Group".
• iPhone: Chats tab → new message icon at the top right → "New Group".
• Desktop: in Telegram Desktop open the menu (three lines) → "New Group".
• Select the contacts you want to add. In current versions you can skip this step and invite people later with a link.
• Enter a name (up to 255 characters), add a photo and tap the check mark or "Create".

All further settings live in the group profile: tap the group name → Edit. Add a description and pin your rules as a separate message so newcomers instantly see what the chat is about.

Strangers are reluctant to join a group of ten people. You can add a starting audience on our Telegram subscribers page — the service also works for groups, Ukraine-targeted from $0.40 per 1,000, only a link is needed, no password. Telegram's rules prohibit artificial activity, so order moderately and give people a reason to talk. We explain how to do it safely in how to get members for a Telegram group.

How to add someone to a Telegram group

• Open the group profile → "Add Members" → choose contacts.
• If the person has blocked being added to groups in their privacy settings, Telegram offers to send them an invite link instead.
• Under "Invite Links" you can create several links limited by time or number of joins, or requiring admin approval.
• Admins with this right can add people, and regular members can too if it is allowed in Permissions.

Public or private group: which to choose

Change the type in Edit → Group Type.

• Public — gets a t.me/name address, appears in search, and new members see the full history. Good for communities and promotion.
• Private — join by invitation only; you can hide chat history from newcomers. Good for teams, clients and paid access.

How to enable topics (forum) in a group

Topics split a chat into separate threads such as Questions, Off-topic and News.

• Group profile → Edit → "Topics" toggle.
• The group owner turns it on. At launch in 2022 topics required 200 members, later 100; according to 2026 guides, there is no minimum any more.
• Create new threads with "Create Topic"; up to 5 topics can be pinned.
• According to guides, a group linked to a channel as its discussion group cannot become a forum — check in your app version.

Admin rights and spam protection

• Admins: Edit → Administrators, up to 50 people. Each can get separate rights: delete messages, ban users, invite, pin, manage topics, add new admins. Give the last one only to people you trust.
• Permissions: block links or media for members and turn on slow mode — one message every N seconds or minutes.
• Anti-spam: in groups with 200+ members, admins can switch the built-in spam filter to aggressive mode. Smaller chats can use join requests and moderation bots (up to 20 bots per group).
• Paid messages: since 2025, Permissions let you charge Stars per message, which makes spam unprofitable.

How a group differs from a channel and how to link them

• Group — every member can write, limit of 200,000 people.
• Channel — only admins post, subscribers are unlimited, and each post shows a view count.
• Linking: in the channel open Edit → Discussion and choose the group — comments appear under posts. Details in how to enable comments in a Telegram channel.

Once the group exists, it needs people. Proven methods are collected in how to promote a Telegram group and chat, and all services for groups and channels are in our Telegram promotion section.