Telegram Desktop
Official open-source desktop client for the Telegram messaging platform, built on the MTProto secure protocol.
What is Telegram Desktop?
Telegram Desktop is the official open-source desktop client for the Telegram messaging platform, providing a native application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It enables secure messaging, file sharing, and voice/video calls using Telegram's MTProto protocol, with full synchronization across devices. The client is built on the Qt framework and offers a fast, customizable user experience.
Telegram users who prefer a dedicated desktop application for messaging, power users needing advanced features like large file transfers, and developers interested in the Telegram API or Qt-based desktop app development.
As the official client, it offers guaranteed compatibility with Telegram's features and updates, combined with the transparency of open-source code. Its performance and native integration make it preferable over web or unofficial clients for daily desktop use.
Overview
Telegram Desktop messaging app
Use Cases
Best For
- Secure desktop messaging with end-to-end encryption
- Synchronizing Telegram chats across desktop and mobile devices
- Sharing large files (up to 2GB) via desktop
- Making voice and video calls from a desktop computer
- Customizing Telegram with themes and advanced settings
- Developing or learning about Qt-based cross-platform applications
Not Ideal For
- Organizations needing on-premise or self-hosted messaging servers independent of Telegram's cloud
- Users seeking a lightweight, terminal-based or minimalist chat client without GUI features
- Developers building a messaging app with a custom or alternative backend protocol
- Projects requiring deep modification of core messaging features beyond Telegram's official API
Pros & Cons
Pros
Offers official builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including portable versions and static Linux builds, ensuring a consistent experience across desktop operating systems.
Uses Telegram's open MTProto protocol for end-to-end encrypted secret chats and cloud-based messaging, providing verified security through open-source code.
Supports sending files up to 2GB each, which exceeds limits of many competitors, making it ideal for large media and document transfers.
Maintains archived releases for older systems like Windows XP and macOS 10.12, showing dedicated support for users on legacy hardware.
Source code is licensed under GPLv3, allowing developers to audit, customize, and contribute, enhancing trust and community involvement.
Cons
Requires patched Qt versions and multiple third-party libraries (e.g., OpenSSL, WebRTC), making compilation from source challenging and time-consuming.
Latest versions no longer support older OS like Windows XP or macOS 10.12, forcing upgrades and potentially excluding users with outdated devices.
Tied strictly to Telegram's MTProto and cloud infrastructure, preventing customization for alternative servers or proprietary messaging needs.
Includes extensive features like voice/video calls and stickers, which can bloat the application for users preferring a simpler, faster client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
Signal DesktopA private messenger for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Electronic WeChat:speech_balloon: A better WeChat on macOS and Linux. Built with Electron by Zhongyi Tong.
ElementA glossy Matrix collaboration client for the web.
TelegramSource code of Telegram for macos on Swift 5.0
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.