Message recovery and chat-saving guides
Choose the problem you need to solve: find a chat, check a saved copy, understand deletion or save future messages.
Find messages and copies
Recover messages
Recovery depends on the app and whether a usable copy still exists. First identify where you lost the conversation: Telegram, your phone’s Messages app or another messenger.
Read the guideGuideRead deleted messages
A deleted message can be read only if its content remains in a copy you can access. Notifications, screenshots and exports preserve different amounts of information.
Read the guideGuideMissing conversations
A conversation missing from the list may not be deleted. Check the account, search, archive and filters before reinstalling the app or paying for recovery.
Read the guideGuideFind old messages
For an existing history, search by person, words and date. For a deleted history, look for saved copies; the age of a conversation does not create a recovery method.
Read the guideUnderstand Telegram
Deleted Telegram chats
Once deletion is complete, check copies that already exist. Connecting a bot afterwards will not retrieve messages it never received.
Read the guideGuideRead a deleted Telegram message
To read a message after the sender deletes it, you need a surviving copy. Check forwards, exports, notifications or a service connected before deletion.
Read the guideGuideDeleted for me or everyone
If you deleted only your copy, the other participant may still have theirs. After deletion for both sides, check content saved separately beforehand.
Read the guideGuideTelegram chat disappeared
Check All Chats, the archive, search and the selected account. If only older messages are missing, check auto-delete and group history settings.
Read the guideGuideArchived chats
Archiving hides a chat from the main list without deleting its messages. Open Archived Chats, select the conversation and use the option to return it.
Read the guideGuideNew phone or reinstall
Sign in to the same account: ordinary undeleted chats sync from the cloud. Secret Chats are tied to devices and sessions and do not transfer this way.
Read the guideGuideDeleted account
Telegram account deletion is irreversible. Registering again with the same number creates a new user and does not bring the old history back.
Read the guideGuideSecret Chats
Secret Chats are not stored in Telegram’s cloud and depend on particular devices and sessions. Signing in on a new phone does not restore them.
Read the guideSave what matters
Export chat history
Telegram Desktop can export available history as HTML or JSON. Save it before deletion: a new export does not retrieve messages that are already gone.
Read the guideGuidePhotos and files
Check saved files, your gallery, downloads and earlier exports. An attachment may survive outside the chat even when the original message is gone.
Read the guideGuideNotification history
If notification history was enabled, it may retain text from an earlier notification. It is not a complete Telegram backup and cannot create old entries retroactively.
Read the guideGuideAuto-delete
Auto-delete may be enabled in the conversation. Unlike archiving, it removes messages; turning it off does not restore content that has already disappeared.
Read the guideGuideGroup history
History visibility can depend on group settings and when you joined. Rejoining a group does not guarantee access to all earlier messages.
Read the guideGuideClearing cache
Clearing cache frees local storage. It is different from clearing chat history or deleting an account; undeleted cloud messages remain in the account.
Read the guideGuideMessage edit history
An earlier version is available only if it was saved before the change. An edited label by itself does not provide a complete text revision history.
Read the guideGet started with Proof X
About Proof X
Proof X saves received messages in connected Telegram chats and reports available edit and deletion events. Start by checking the connection and permissions.
Read the guideSetup guideSet up Proof X
Open @proofed_bot and follow its current setup instructions. Verify the permitted chats and receipt of new messages before relying on saved copies.
Read the guideFrequently asked questions
Where should I start if I do not know the cause?
Start with the missing-conversation guide: check the account, search and archive before treating history as deleted.