Telegram file size limit: 2 GB, 4 GB with Premium, and how to send more

The limit is per file. Telegram's FAQ says you can share "an unlimited number of photos, videos and files" of up to 2 GB each, so you only hit a wall when a single file is too big.

When you pick a photo or video from your gallery, Telegram sends a compressed copy by default, which loads faster but loses quality. To send the original, attach it as a file instead:

1. Open the chat and tap the paperclip icon.
2. Choose File instead of picking from the gallery.
3. Select your photo or video and send it.

It arrives as the original file in full quality, as long as it's under 2 GB.

Premium doubles the limit to 4 GB per file, and only you need it. The people you send to can download your 4 GB files on a free account. Premium also lifts Telegram's download speed limits: Telegram says subscribing "lifts any media download speed limits from your account on Telegram's side", and free accounts download at standard speed.

If you send big files every day on Telegram, that can be worth paying for. If you just need to get one file over 2 GB to someone, sharing a link gets you there without a subscription.

1. Share a link instead

Upload the file somewhere else and paste the link into Telegram. It works for any file type and size, and keeps full quality. With VeilShare:

1. Drop your file or folder onto the upload box on our homepage. It works on your phone too.
2. Pick how long the link should last, 6, 24, 48 or 72 hours, and add a password if wanted.
3. Click on the upload button, copy the link and paste it into the Telegram chat.

Files up to 3 GB are free without an account. With a free account, you can send files up to 5 GB, which is more than Telegram Premium allows, and keep links up permanently. Your file is encrypted in your browser before it's uploaded, so we can't see it.

2. Split it into parts

Apps like 7-Zip can split a file into parts under 2 GB that you send one by one. Your recipient needs every part and an app that can join them back together, so it's fiddly for anyone who isn't used to it.

3. Compress the video

If it's a video that's only just over 2 GB, lowering the resolution from 4K to 1080p usually brings it well under the limit while still looking sharp on a phone.

If you're building a bot, the limits are much tighter than in the app. Through the standard Bot API at api.telegram.org:

• Bots can send files up to 50 MB, and photos up to 10 MB.
• Bots can download files up to 20 MB with getFile.
• When you send a file by URL, Telegram fetches up to 5 MB for photos and 20 MB for other files.

To go beyond that, you can run Telegram's open-source Bot API server yourself. A bot using a local server can upload files up to 2,000 MB and download files with no size limit. The other option is to have your bot send a download link instead of the file itself.

Only in Secret Chats. Regular Telegram chats are cloud chats: they're encrypted, but Telegram's FAQ describes them as data "not covered by end-to-end encryption", stored in data centers around the world. That's what lets you open your chats and files on any device.

If you're sending something private, use a Secret Chat, or send a link to an end-to-end encrypted file. Files on VeilShare are encrypted on your device and the key stays in the link, so only people with the link can open the file. Hitting limits on other apps too? See our guides to WhatsApp's file size limit and Discord's file size limit.