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Software · Internet & communication

Telegram Desktop

Telegram Desktop is a messaging program, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS: end-to-end encryption.

  • Completely free
  • Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS
  • Open source
  • No account

Overview

Telegram Desktop is a messaging program, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Features described in its Wikipedia article: end-to-end encryption.

File formats mentioned: DOCX, MP3, ZIP and GIF.

Overview written by LicitPro from the documentation published by the authors and the cited sources; we have not tried the resource ourselves.

Excerpts that establish this information
  • “A cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a focus on security and speed.” — Winget, 10 November 2026
  • “Telegram offers end-to-end encryption in voice and video calls, and optionally in private chats if both participants use a mobile device.” — Wikipédia (CC BY-SA 4.0), 10 November 2026
  • “Telegram es una plataforma de mensajería y VOIP desarrollada por los hermanos Nikolái y Pável Dúrov.​ La aplicación está enfocada en la mensajería instantánea, el envío de varios archivos y la comunicación en masa.” — Wikipédia (CC BY-SA 4.0), 10 November 2026

At a glance

Telegram Desktop is completely free: it is open source software, and every feature is available without paying or subscribing.

Its licence (GPL-3.0) is a copyleft open source licence: you may use, study, modify and redistribute it, including commercially; modified versions must keep the same licence.

Strengths

  • Open source code
  • No account needed
  • Commercial use allowed

About

Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices. One of the world's top 10 most downloaded apps with over 500 million active users. FAST: Telegram is the fastest messaging app on the market, connecting people via a unique, distributed network of data centers around the globe. SYNCED: You can access your messages from all your phones, tablets and computers at once. Telegram apps are standalone, so you don’t need to keep your phone connected. Start typing on one device and finish the message from another. Never lose your data again. UNLIMITED: You can send media and files, without any limits on their type and size. Your entire chat history will require no disk space on your device, and will be securely stored in the Telegram cloud for as long as you need it. SECURE: We made it our mission to provide the best security combined with ease of use. Everything on Telegram, including chats, groups, media, etc. is encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange. 100% FREE & OPEN: Telegram has a fully documented and free API for developers, open source apps and verifiable builds to prove the app you download is built from the exact same source code that is published. POWERFUL: You can create group chats with up to 200,000 members, share large videos, documents of any type (.DOCX, .MP3, .ZIP, etc.) up to 2 GB each, and even set up bots for specific tasks. Telegram is the perfect tool for hosting online communities and coordinating teamwork. RELIABLE: Built to deliver your messages using as little data as possible, Telegram is the most reliable messaging system ever made. It works even on the weakest mobile connections. FUN: Telegram has powerful photo and video editing tools, animated stickers and emoji, fully customizable themes to change the appearance of your app, and an open sticker/GIF platform to cater to all your expressive needs. SIMPLE: While providing an unprecedented array of features, we take great care to keep the interface clean. Telegram is so simple you already know how to use it. PRIVATE: We take your privacy seriously and will never give any third parties access to your data. You can delete any message you ever sent or received for both sides, at any time and without a trace. Telegram will never use your data to show you ads. We keep expanding the boundaries of what you can do with a messaging app. Don’t wait years for

Description from Flathub — AppStream (Flathub)

Sources and checks

  • Facts collected from Flathub (credit card, source code, publisher, licence, free status, platforms, commercial use, version) —
  • Facts collected from Homebrew (platforms) —
  • Facts collected from Winget (Windows Package Manager) (credit card, account, source code, publisher, licence, free status, platforms, commercial use, version) —
  • Facts collected from Official plan pages (pricing, licence, terms) (commercial use) —
  • Facts collected from Wikidata (licence, platforms) —
  • Last technical check: 6 November 2026
  • Description from Flathub — AppStream (Flathub)

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