The short answer
- 1The official Telegram installer is signed and usually opens with no warning at all.
- 2If a warning appears, read the Publisher line first; Unknown Publisher means do not run it.
- 3Do not switch off SmartScreen or your antivirus; download again from the official site.
In this article
The official installer usually opens without a warning
The Telegram Desktop installer for Windows carries a digital signature from Telegram FZ-LLC, the company behind Telegram. Downloaded from the official site and opened on Windows 11, it goes straight to the Select Setup Language window, with no warning in between.
So if a warning appears when you open a Telegram installer, the first question is where the file came from, not how to get past the warning.
The two warnings Windows can show
Windows protected your PC (Microsoft Defender SmartScreen)
According to Microsoft, SmartScreen compares a downloaded file with a list of well-known, frequently downloaded programs and also looks at the reputation of the certificate it was signed with. A file or certificate with a good reputation runs without a prompt; one with no reputation gets this blue screen.
At first the window offers only Don't run. Click More info and it adds the app name, a Publisher line and a Run anyway button. The Publisher line is what you decide on.
Open File - Security Warning
Opening an unsigned program downloaded from the internet can bring up this smaller window instead. It says "The publisher could not be verified" and lists Publisher: Unknown Publisher, with Run and Cancel buttons. A genuine Telegram installer has a verifiable publisher, so this message on a file that claims to be Telegram is a red flag.
What to check when a warning appears
- Read the Publisher line. If it says Unknown Publisher, choose Don't run or Cancel and delete the file.
- Think about where you got it. If it did not come from desktop.telegram.org or telegram.org but from a forum, a file-sharing site or a message, delete it.
- Look at the signature. Right-click the file, choose Properties and open the Digital Signatures tab. The signer should be Telegram FZ-LLC. Checking that an installer is genuine walks through it in detail.
- Download it again from the official site. A fresh official installer normally runs with no warning at all. How to install Telegram on Windows shows every screen.
When an antivirus blocks or quarantines the installer
If your antivirus quarantines the file, the order is the same: check the signature first.
- The signer is not Telegram FZ-LLC, or there is no signature. The antivirus is probably right. Leave the file in quarantine and download a fresh copy from the official site.
- The official signature checks out and it is still blocked. Report a false positive to your antivirus vendor. If the blocker is Microsoft Defender, the built-in Windows antivirus, you can ask Microsoft to review the file through its file submission page at microsoft.com/wdsi/filesubmission.
If the installer will not download at all, or stops partway, see when the Telegram download won't start or is very slow.
Common mistakes with installer warnings
| What happened | Why it matters | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Clicked Run on a file from an Unknown Publisher | It may not have come from Telegram at all | Scan the PC with your antivirus, then on your phone open Settings › Devices and end any session you do not recognise. |
| The warning shows no Publisher line | That is the first screen of Windows protected your PC | Click More info to see the publisher before deciding. |
| A warning appeared for an .exe inside a .zip file | The official Windows installer is not shipped inside an archive; only the portable version is a .zip | Delete it and download the installer again from the official site. |
FAQ
Does Windows protected your PC mean the file is a virus?
Not necessarily. It appears for files that few people have downloaded. The official Telegram installer is signed, though, and normally does not trigger it, so check the publisher and where you got the file.
Is it safe to click More info and then Run anyway?
Only if the publisher reads Telegram FZ-LLC and you downloaded the file from desktop.telegram.org or telegram.org. If it says Unknown Publisher, do not run it.
Wouldn't it be easier to turn SmartScreen off?
Keep it on. It is what stops fake installers, and the official Telegram installer installs with it switched on.
My antivirus blocks the official installer. What now?
Confirm the signature first. If the signer is Telegram FZ-LLC, report the false positive to your antivirus vendor; for Microsoft Defender, use Microsoft's file submission page.
Sources
At a glance
- 1No warning is normal
The signed official installer goes straight to Select Setup Language.
- 2Publisher decides
Click More info. Telegram FZ-LLC: fine. Unknown Publisher: delete the file.
- 3Keep protection on
Download again from desktop.telegram.org; report a real false positive to the vendor.
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