Quick answer: Telegram API can upload and download photos, videos, voice messages and documents available to an authorized account.
api_idandapi_hashare part of the integration; file permissions, size limits and request limits still apply.
Useful projects include a personal Saved Messages archive, authorized team media storage or attachment progress in a custom client. Compare Bot API and user-client behavior before assuming their file limits are identical.
Track more than a filename
| Information | Purpose | Common omission |
|---|---|---|
| Account, chat and source message | Preserve access context and provenance | A display name alone is insufficient |
| File identity and reference | Locate accessible content | References may need refreshing |
| Type, size and destination | Plan storage and presentation | Filenames may be unsafe or collide |
| Progress, checks and result | Resume work and verify completion | A full progress bar is not verification |
Keep each stored attachment linked to its source message. A folder full of date-named videos is difficult to audit, search or delete accurately.
A practical transfer workflow
- Let the user select accessible messages and generate an inventory.
- Check capacity, destination paths and filenames before writing.
- Bound concurrency, display per-file state and support cancellation.
- Resume according to the selected library's capabilities; refresh expired references from an accessible source.
- Compare actual files with the inventory and report incomplete items separately.
Libraries differ in how they handle chunks, data centers and retries. Prefer TDLib's file state and transfer mechanisms when using TDLib. A lower-level implementation must follow the official transfer requirements itself.
Handle expired file references
A file reference is not a permanent public download link. Refresh it through the file's source when possible. If the source was deleted or the account lost access, a retry may not be possible. Replacing api_hash does not restore access.
Distinguish a refreshable reference from a permission failure to avoid endless retries. See the file and reference guide.
Protect uploads and stored media
Show the target chat before sending, particularly when switching accounts. Isolate temporary files and archives, and avoid exposing private attachment previews at unauthenticated public URLs.
Respect content-protection restrictions. Previewing an unknown attachment and executing it are separate operations and should be treated differently by the product.
When application assistance helps
If your tool requires credentials you do not yet have, start with the API application guide. For developer portal ERROR issues, contact GetTGAPI at gettgapi.com/en/help#contact; access-code holders can use the application page.
Existing credentials are not the cause of every transfer problem. Check permissions, file references and the tool's actual error before applying again.
Common questions
Is this unlimited file storage? No such guarantee should be made. Account state, service limits and retention behavior still matter.
Can I keep only a permanent download URL? Do not assume references or temporary URLs last forever. A long-term archive needs files and a verifiable inventory within the permitted scope.