Getting something out of Telegram and into somewhere else is a copy, and Telegram offers several kinds: part of a message, a whole message, a link to a message, a link to a person, the contents of a code block.
Each has its own gesture and its own result, and choosing the wrong one is why people end up pasting a paragraph to convey a postcode.
What you will be able to do
- check_circle Copy exactly the words you need, not the whole message.
- check_circle Copy a link to a message, a chat or a person.
- check_circle Know what formatting survives the journey to another app.
- check_circle Understand why copying is sometimes not offered at all.
The handles appear on the second press, over the words — the first press selects the message as an object.
content_copy Five things you might mean by "copy"
Part of the text — hold the message, then hold again on the words, and drag the handles. This is the one most people do not know exists.
The whole message — hold it once and choose copy. Fast, and usually more than you wanted.
A link to the message — also in that menu, in public chats. What you want when somebody else should read it in place rather than receive a fragment.
A code block — tapping monospace text copies it in one action, with no selection at all. This is why commands and addresses should be sent that way.
A person or a chat — their username or the chat's link, from the profile. The right thing to paste when somebody asks "who" or "where".
What are you actually moving
Four things people copy, and the right mechanism for each.
text_fields One line out of a paragraph
code A command, a code, an address
link Pointing at something rather than repeating it
lock When copying is not offered
Prefer a link to a quotation, and monospace to either — copy the smallest thing that answers the question.
settings The gestures
- Part of a message Hold the message, hold again on the text, drag the handles, copy.
- Whole message Hold it once, choose Copy.
- Message link Same menu, Copy Link, in public chats.
- Code block Tap it. That is all.
- Username or chat link From the profile or chat info screen.
- On desktop Select with the mouse and right-click; the same options without the two-stage hold.
This page is getting text out. The curriculum step is the alternative: pointing at the original instead of copying it, quoting a part inside Telegram, and keeping a long conversation navigable by linking rather than repeating.
At a glance
- 1Copy part
Select just the words you need.
- 2Copy links
Copy a message, chat or profile link from the menu.
- 3Copy not offered
Protected chats disable copying.
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