Where the numbers come from
Telegram publishes most of its limits in the API documentation: these are the values the app falls back to when the server doesn't send its own. Live values come from the server and can change without notice, so the tables below are a reference as of October 2026, not a contract.
Anything marked unofficial below is known only from user observations and third-party references. Those figures differ between sources — rely on them with care.
Groups and channels
| Limit | Regular account | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Members in a supergroup | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Members in a basic group | 200 | 200 |
| Subscribers in a channel | unlimited | unlimited |
| Channels and supergroups you can be in | 500 | 1,000 |
| Public links for your own channels and groups | 10 | 20 |
When an account hits the channel and supergroup cap, the server returns CHANNELS_TOO_MUCH. Leaving inactive chats is the only way to join new ones.
Messages and files
| Limit | Regular account | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Message length | 4,096 characters | 4,096 characters |
| Photo or video caption | 1,024 characters | 4,096 characters |
| Size of a single file | 2 GB | 4 GB |
File transfer speed is limited for non-Premium accounts: when you hit it, the server responds with FLOOD_PREMIUM_WAIT. What to do about it — see the guide on FLOOD_WAIT.
Folders and pinned chats
| Limit | Regular account | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Folders | 10 | 30 |
| Chats in one folder | 100 | 200 |
| Pinned chats in the main list | 5 | 10 |
| Pinned chats in a folder | 100 | 200 |
| Folders you can share by link | 2 | 20 |
Profile and username
| Limit | Regular account | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Profile bio length | 70 characters | 140 characters |
| Bots you own | 20 | 40 |
| Username length | 5–32 characters | 5–32 characters |
A username can contain Latin letters, digits and underscores.
How many strangers you can message
There's no official number. Telegram limits messaging strangers through reports, not a counter: if recipients tap "Report spam", the account gets a spam block and can only message people who have its number in their contacts. How to check that and how long it lasts — see the guide on spam blocks.
On top of that, recipients can close themselves off from strangers: allow messages only from contacts, only from Premium accounts, or only for Stars. Then the server returns PRIVACY_PREMIUM_REQUIRED or asks for payment — that's the recipient's setting, not a limit on your account.
Bots do have guidelines: about 30 messages per second when notifying their own subscribers, and no more than one message per second to a single chat.
Limits on joining chats and adding contacts
There's one official cap — 500 channels and supergroups per account (1,000 with Premium). Telegram doesn't publish a daily joining limit: join too often and the server simply replies with FLOOD_WAIT and a wait time.
Contacts work the same way: Telegram acknowledges that some contacts may fail to import "due to system limitation" but gives no number.
Unofficial figures
These values appear in references and match observations, but Telegram doesn't publish them:
| Limit | Value | How reliable |
|---|---|---|
| Admins in a group or channel | 50 | widely cited |
| Bots in one group | 20 | widely cited |
| Manual invites to a channel | 200 | widely cited |
| New groups and channels per day | about 50 | observation |
| Username lookups per day | about 200 | observation |
| New contacts per day | 5 to 15 | sources disagree |
The key takeaway: limits are counted per account, not per app or task. If one account comments, messages and joins chats at the same time, the server sees the sum of all its actions — and FLOOD_WAIT or reports follow from that sum.