How to Search for Public Telegram Groups and Channels

The short answer

Type a word into the search box above your chat list. Under your own chats, a Global search section appears with public groups, channels and bots you have not joined yet. Telegram has no browsable directory of groups; search is the built-in way to find them, and it works best with a single English word that a group would put in its @username.

On a computer the search box is at the top of the chat list. On iPhone, pull the chat list down a little to reveal it.

Reading the results

Each result shows the group's or channel's name, its @username, and how many members or subscribers it has. The highlighted part shows which piece of the name or username matched your word. A row of tabs above the results narrows them down:

Tab	What it finds	Use it for
Chats	Your own chats first, then public groups, channels and people under Global search	A quick look across everything
Channels	Public channels only, more of them, with subscriber counts	Finding something to follow
Apps	Mini apps and bots	Tools and games
Posts	Words inside the posts of public channels	A topic nobody put in their username
Media and the rest	Photos, links, files and so on from your own chats	Things you already received

Tap any result to open it. You can read a public group or channel before joining: scroll through the recent messages and see what actually gets posted there. Only tap Join once you have seen enough.

Why some words find nothing

Telegram's developer documentation describes this search as finding chats by a part of their username. Usernames can only use Latin letters, digits and underscores, so a word that is unlikely to appear in one, such as a word in another alphabet or a long phrase, often returns nothing even when matching groups exist.

• Use one word, not a sentence. "gardening" finds far more than "groups about gardening".
• Try the word people would put in a username: "jobs", "crypto", "london", "python".
• If you know the name, search its @username. It is the most precise thing you can type.
• Groups that do not show up may be private. A private group or channel has no username and is never in search; you can only join with an invite link.

If a channel opens with a notice that it cannot be displayed, it is restricted where you are; that message is explained separately.

Searching inside public posts

The Posts tab looks at what public channels have written, not just their names, so it finds topics in any language. Type the word, then tap the search button on the tab.

This search has a daily allowance: the tab shows how many free searches you have left today. When they run out, the app tells you when the next free search unlocks, and offers further searches for Telegram Stars or with Telegram Premium. Tap a result to open the channel at that post.

What to watch out for in results

Search lists whatever is public. Nothing in the results means a group is official, safe or what its name says.

• Check the username, not just the name. Anyone can call their channel "Official News"; the @username is unique, and a copy of a well-known channel uses a slightly different one.
• Large numbers prove little. Subscriber counts can be bought.
• Nothing needs your phone number or a code. A group or bot that asks for your login code, password or phone number to "verify" you before joining is trying to take your account.

To find messages and files in chats you already belong to, see searching all your chats at once. To peek at a public channel without the app, see reading a channel in a web browser.