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Updated for the 2026 apps
How do you turn a Telegram group into a supergroup?
There is no Convert button any more. Telegram upgrades a basic group on its own the moment you use a feature that only supergroups have, such as a public link or visible chat history. It takes a few seconds, keeps every member and message, and it cannot be undone.
Open the group › Edit (Manage group on Desktop) › Chat history for new members › Visible › Save. You can switch it back to Hidden later; the group stays a supergroup.
- 200 → 200,000member ceiling
- One wayno downgrade
- New chat IDstarts with -100
- Public linkLOCKED
- New members see historyLAST 100
- Topics, slow modeLOCKED
- Chat ID-48213…
Press Evolve to switch history to Visible.
Demo of what changes. The chat ID shown is an example.
Is your group a basic group or a supergroup already?
Both look the same in the chat list. Five quick checks tell them apart. Tap a marker on the screen.
- Group TypePrivate
- Chat history for new membersHidden
- Permissions13/14
- Recent Actions?
- Members187
Open the group’s edit screen (Manage group on Desktop). Recent Actions, the admin log, only exists in supergroups. In the Android and Desktop code it is shown only when the group is a supergroup.
You see it: supergroup. It is missing: basic group.
Which actions upgrade a group to a supergroup?
We read the settings code of Telegram for Android, iPhone and Desktop. Each switch below either calls Telegram’s upgrade request first or works fine in a basic group. Pick an item.
Public link
Choosing Public in Group Type and saving a t.me username. A basic group cannot have a username, so the app upgrades it first and then sets the link.
- Seen in
- Android, iPhone
- Code
- ChatEditTypeActivity (Android), ChannelVisibilityController (iOS)
- Green gem the app upgrades the group first, then saves
- Amber gem depends on the app you use
- Grey gem works in a basic group, no upgrade
The most copied mistake. Many guides say “changing any permission” upgrades a group. Not quite: switching what all members can do works in a basic group. Only a rule for one member (an exception) needs a supergroup.
And when the group fills up? A basic group holds 200 members. Telegram Desktop’s own help text says groups are upgraded automatically when they reach 200 members. The Android app’s code, however, shows “Sorry, this group is full.” when adding someone fails. We could not confirm which wins on every app, so upgrade on purpose before you reach 200 if you plan to grow.
How do you upgrade a group on purpose, step by step?
The cleanest switch is chat history, because you can turn it back afterwards. In a basic group only the creator sees this setting.
- 1Open the group info
Open the group and tap its name at the top.
- 2Open the edit screen
Tap the pencil icon in the top right corner.
- 3Switch history to Visible
Tap Chat history for new members and choose Visible.
- Save and wait a few seconds
Tap the check mark. A short spinner runs while Telegram creates the supergroup.
Basic group. Hidden still shows the last 100 messages.
The chat shows “This group was upgraded to a supergroup”, and Recent Actions appears in the edit screen. Members do not have to do anything.
What changes after the upgrade, and what stays the same?
Members, messages, the name and the photo all move across. The group gets a new identity under the hood and a longer list of powers.
- Public t.me link
- Topics
- Slow mode
- Admin titles and rights
- Recent Actions log
- Join requests
- Channel comments
- Hidden member list
- New chat ID. Telegram creates a new supergroup and links the old group to it. Anything that stored the old ID, mostly bots, must switch.
- No replies to old messages on Desktop. Telegram Desktop says you can’t reply to messages from before the upgrade and offers to forward them with a comment instead.
- It counts toward your limit. A supergroup uses one of your 500 slots for channels and supergroups (1,000 with Premium).
Can you turn a supergroup back into a normal group?
No. The upgrade is one way on every app. Telegram’s old iPhone screen for this still carries the warning “this action can’t be undone”, and the API offers no downgrade.
You are already in 500 channels and supergroups (1,000 with Premium), and the new supergroup would push you over. Leave a few you no longer read, then try again. The iPhone app opens a list of inactive chats to help.
Create a new group, then share an invite link in the supergroup so people can move. Members are not moved for you.
Turn the setting back. Hidden history, a private link or no topics all work in a supergroup too.
What happens to bots and the chat ID after an upgrade?
This is the part bot owners trip over. The supergroup is a new chat with a new ID, and a bot that keeps writing to the old one gets an error.
Bot API chat_id: -1001987654321
Rule from Telegram’s documentation: add 1,000,000,000,000 and make it negative. That is why every supergroup and channel ID in the Bot API starts with -100. A basic group ID is just the negative number.
// last message the bot gets in the old group
{ "chat": { "id": -482130077, "type": "group" },
"migrate_to_chat_id": -1001987654321 }
// first message in the new supergroup
{ "chat": { "id": -1001987654321, "type": "supergroup" },
"migrate_from_chat_id": -482130077 }- Listen for migrate_to_chat_id and replace the stored ID in your database.
- Handle the error: a send to the old ID fails, and the response’s parameters carry migrate_to_chat_id. Retry with it.
- Store IDs as 64-bit numbers. Telegram says IDs can use up to 52 bits, which breaks 32-bit fields.
The IDs in the example are made up. Adding a bot to a group? Our guide on adding a bot to a group or channel covers admin rights.
Growing past 200 members?
Once your supergroup has a public link, people can find and join it. If you want a starting crowd while your content does the real work, we sell members for public groups and channels. Members can leave over time, so keep posting.
What else do people ask about supergroups?
Is there still a “Convert to supergroup” button in Telegram?
No. The current Android app has no such option, and on iPhone the old conversion screen is still in the code but we found nothing that opens it. Groups now upgrade by themselves when you use a supergroup-only setting, such as visible chat history or a public link.
Do members lose messages or get removed when a group becomes a supergroup?
No. Everyone stays in the group and the old messages stay visible. Members see a short note in the chat that the group was upgraded. On Telegram Desktop you cannot reply to messages sent before the upgrade, but you can forward them.
Can a supergroup be changed back into a basic group?
No. The upgrade is permanent. If you need a basic group again, create a new one and invite people with a link.
How many members can a Telegram supergroup have?
Up to 200,000, compared with 200 in a basic group. A supergroup at the limit can become a broadcast group with no member cap, where only admins can write. Our guide on Telegram group limits explains the other numbers.
Why did my group become a supergroup without asking?
Someone with the right permissions used a setting that only supergroups have, such as a public link, visible history, slow mode, Topics, an admin with custom rights or a title (on Android, any new admin), or a rule for one member. The apps upgrade first and then apply the setting.
Who can upgrade a basic group?
The creator can always do it, for example with the chat history switch. Other admins can trigger it only through settings their rights allow, such as restricting a member.
Why does my bot get an error after the group was upgraded?
The supergroup has a new chat ID that starts with -100. The bot still uses the old one. Telegram sends migrate_to_chat_id once, and a failed send to the old ID returns it too, so save the new ID and retry.
Do I need a supergroup to use Topics?
Yes. Turning on Topics upgrades a basic group. The switch only appears once the group has enough members; Telegram’s server sets that number and the Android app’s built-in default is 200.
Which guides go with this one?
How we checked this guide. On 27 October 2026 we read the group settings code of Telegram for Android (ChatEditActivity, ChatEditTypeActivity, ChatRightsEditActivity, ChatUsersActivity, MessagesController), Telegram for iOS (PeerInfoUI controllers and ConvertGroupToSupergroup) and Telegram Desktop (edit_peer_info_box and its texts), plus Telegram’s pages on basic groups, supergroups and migration, Bot API dialog IDs, the Bot API fields migrate_to_chat_id and migrate_from_chat_id, the client limits and the Telegram FAQ. Menu names can differ slightly between app versions and languages. Written by the AddTelegramMember team, a Telegram growth service since 2019.