Find a Telegram Chat ID

Find a group, channel, or user ID with the ForwardMsg Get Bot, and get a Topic ID from a private message link.

A Chat ID is the number that identifies a Telegram group, channel, or person. A Topic ID identifies one topic inside a group. The easiest way to get a Chat ID is to choose the chat using the buttons in the ForwardMsg Get Bot.

Method 1: Choose the chat in ForwardMsg Get Bot

Open @ForwardMsgGetBot in Telegram.
Select Start, or send /start.
Select Get ID to open the ID options. You can also send /get_id.
Choose the button for the kind of chat you need:

What you want to identify	Button to choose
👥 A group	Group ID
📢 A channel	Channel ID
👤 Another person	User ID
🙋 Your own account	My User ID

For a group, channel, or another person, Telegram opens a selection window. Search for the chat or person, select it, and confirm sharing the selection with the helper. My User ID returns your own ID directly, without this selection step.
The bot replies with the selected name and its numeric ID. Copy the complete number.

For example, if it returns -1001234567890, copy -1001234567890, including the minus sign. You do not need to invite the ID helper to the group or channel just to use these selection buttons.

Copy the ID exactly as the bot gives it to you

Keep the leading - for groups and channels. A person's user ID is positive. Do not add -100 to an ID returned by the bot—it already gives you the complete number.

If the buttons do not appear or respond

If the menu is hidden, open the bot keyboard beside Telegram's message field or send /get_id again. If the selection buttons do not open in Telegram Web, try Telegram's mobile or desktop app.

Another way: Forward a message to the bot

You can also forward a message from the chat to @ForwardMsgGetBot. It will try to return an ID from the original message information.

The selection buttons are the better option: some forwarded messages hide where they came from or identify the author instead of the group. If Telegram does not let you forward the message, use the buttons above.

Other ID helper bots

If you prefer another helper, these are alternatives:

@userinfobot — another option for looking up user information and IDs.
@getidsbot — a helper for inspecting Telegram message information and IDs.

Their menus may differ from ForwardMsg Get Bot. Use a harmless message if you try a forwarding-based method, and never send a helper your Telegram login code, session, or bot token.

Method 2: Read the numbers in a private message link

This is useful when you already have a message link, or when you need the Topic ID as well as the group's Chat ID. The examples below use links beginning with https://t.me/c/.

In Telegram, open the group or channel, then right-click a message on desktop—or press and hold it on mobile—and choose Copy Link. For a topic, copy a message inside that topic.

A message in a group or channel

https://t.me/c/1234567890/42

Part of the link	What it means	What to copy
`1234567890` after `/c/`	The group or channel number in the link	For this ten-digit number, add `-100` at the beginning: `-1001234567890` is the Chat ID
Final `42`	The ID of this example message	Do not put it in the Chat ID field

This -100 shortcut is for ten-digit chat numbers in /c/ links. If your number has a different length, use the bot above to get the complete Chat ID. Do not apply this shortcut to an ID already returned by a helper or to a person's user ID.

A message inside a topic

https://t.me/c/1234567890/12/987

Part of the link	What it means	ForwardMsg field
`1234567890`	The parent group's number	Chat ID: `-1001234567890`
Middle `12`	The topic containing the message	Topic ID: `12`
Final `987`	The message you copied the link from	Not needed for the destination

All topics in this group share the same Chat ID. Their Topic IDs tell ForwardMsg which topic should receive the copies. Do not add -100 or a minus sign to the Topic ID.

Telegram can also put the topic number in ?thread=12 at the end of a message link. In that case, 12 is the Topic ID; enter it manually rather than relying on automatic topic detection.

A link to the topic itself can have only two numbers after /c/, just like the first example. Its last number identifies the message that created the topic, so it is also the Topic ID. To avoid mixing up a topic link and an ordinary message link, use a link to a message inside the topic with the three-number format above. Telegram documents these formats in its message and topic link guide.

For the full topic setup, see Forward to Telegram Topics. For delivery to a person's private chat, see Create a Telegram Bot → Private chat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Group ID also give me a Topic ID?

No. It gives you the parent group's Chat ID. Copy a link to a message inside the topic to find its Topic ID, as shown above.

Should I keep the minus sign?

Yes. Copy the full ID returned by the helper, including its minus sign. Do not add another prefix or change a positive user ID into a negative one.

My messages aren't arriving. What should I check?

Check that your automation is Running, the intended source chat is selected, and your connected Telegram bot is selected as the destination in Routing. Make sure the bot has been added to the destination chat and can send messages there. For a channel, the bot must be an administrator with Post Messages permission. For a private chat, open the bot and press Start or send it a message first so it can reply to you. See Messages are not forwarding and Telegram bot delivery permissions for more checks.

Which ID should I use to receive messages privately?

Use your own user ID, available through Get ID → My User ID. For another recipient, use that person's user ID. The recipient must first start a conversation with your delivery bot; the private chat instructions explain how.

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