The short answer
- 1The biggest difference comes from Settings › Advanced › Battery and Animations.
- 2Switching off automatic download in groups and channels makes chats lighter.
- 3Manage local storage clears the cache and sets limits; your chats are not deleted.
In this article
Where to look when Telegram is slow on an old PC
Telegram Desktop starts with animated stickers and emoji, interface animations, and automatic media download and playback all switched on. On a low-spec computer, turning some of them down makes the app feel lighter. Everything below is a setting you can switch back at any time.
| What you notice | Look here first |
|---|---|
| Scrolling and switching windows stutter | Battery and Animations (power saving options) |
| Chats feel heavy because of stickers and emoji | Animated Stickers · Animated Emoji |
| Free space on drive C keeps shrinking | Manage local storage |
| Photos and videos download by themselves and slow things down | Automatic media download |
| The PC is sluggish right after it starts | Launch Telegram when system starts |
1. Cut animations: Battery and Animations
This is where you will notice the biggest difference. Open Battery and Animations and a Power Saving window lists the Power saving options. Switch off what you do not need and click Save. The same entry is on the main Settings screen and under Advanced › Performance.
- Animated Stickers: Autoplay in panel · Autoplay in chat
- Animated Emoji: Autoplay in panel · Autoplay in reaction menu · Autoplay in messages · Autoplay in emoji status
- Animations in Chats: Wallpaper rotation · Animated spoiler effect · Effects in messages
- Animations in Calls: moving effects on the call screen
- Interface animations: windows and menus sliding into place
- Main menu (☰)
- Settings
- Advanced
- Battery and Animations
This page is about the desktop app. On Android, the matching screen is Settings tab › Power Saving.
This page is about the desktop app. On iPhone, the matching screen is Settings tab › Power Saving.
Animated Stickers, Animated Emoji and Animations in Chats each have an arrow next to them; click it to switch the individual items off one by one.
2. Cut automatic download and playback
Under Automatic media download you decide, separately for private chats, groups and channels, whether photos, videos and files download by themselves. On a slow computer, switch groups and channels off first; you then click only the photos and files you actually want.
The desktop app has no separate switch just for GIF autoplay. If chats full of GIFs feel heavy, start with Animations in Chats in the power saving options and with automatic download.
3. Clear the cache and set limits: Manage local storage
Telegram keeps photos and videos you have already seen in a cache on the PC so they open quickly next time. Over months that cache grows. Clean it up in Manage local storage.
- Clear all removes the cache. Your chats and your login stay; media you cleared downloads again from the server when you open it.
- Manage limits sets a Total size limit, a Media cache limit and Clear files older than, so the cache never grows past them.
4. Keep Telegram from starting with Windows
Switch off Launch Telegram when system starts (Settings › Advanced › System integration) and Windows starts up lighter. To keep it starting but out of the way, leave it on and also tick Launch minimized. If you switch autostart off, no message alerts arrive until you open Telegram yourself.
5. Still heavy? A few more things
- Switch to a simple Chat wallpaper under Settings › Chat Settings.
- If Default interface scale has been set very large, try 100% again.
- On a very slow computer, Telegram Web in the browser is another option.
- If the app does not open at all or closes right after it starts, the hardware may not be the cause; see when Telegram Desktop won't open.
Common mistakes on a slow PC
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A guide's "Settings › Design › Use animations" does not exist | That menu is from an old version | Use Settings › Advanced › Battery and Animations. |
| Photos download again after you cleared the cache | Cleared media is fetched from the server when you view it | That is normal. If the cache fills up often, set limits under Manage limits. |
| No message alerts after switching autostart off | Telegram is not running | If you need alerts, turn autostart back on together with Launch minimized. |
FAQ
Does clearing the cache delete my chats?
No. Regular chats are on Telegram's servers. Photos and videos you cleared download again when you open them.
If I switch animations off, can I still see stickers?
Yes. They just stop playing on their own; click one and it plays.
What if my PC is really too slow?
Use Telegram Web in the browser alongside it; it needs no install.
Sources
At a glance
- 1Battery and Animations
Animated stickers and emoji, chat and interface animations. Save.
- 2Automatic media download
Switch groups and channels off first; open only what you need.
- 3Manage local storage
Clear all, then set a total size limit. Chats stay on the server.
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