Huh, the export function in Telegram Desktop (https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/) is still there. Click on the three dots while in a chat and then Export.
In I analysed 20 years of my chatstelegramdesktop
tdesktop
C++2015–2026
telegramdesktop / tdesktop
tdesktop
Telegram Desktop messaging app
51Distinct people
62Mentions
2Explicit recommenders
33.5KGitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
Telegram Desktop messaging app
GitHub
Where it is used
No documented product use was verified in the last source check.
What people are saying
I love Desktop Telegram for many reasons but mostly because it's Open Source: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
hu3 used a recommendation phrase. 2 indexed comments match. This is a phrase match, not a verdict.
No classified warning is attached to this page. Read the discussions before treating silence as approval.
Also in these discussions
- drklo/telegram · linked in 4 of the same discussions
- overtake/telegramswift · linked in 3 of the same discussions
- zhukov/webogram · linked in 3 of the same discussions
Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 1:49:46 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year62 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2015-12-01 17:37:31 UTC to 2026-05-28 10:11:15 UTC.
* An incomplete calendar period is marked with an outlined bar. Its count is not directly comparable with a full period.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 16 | 1 | 15 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2024-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2025-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2026 (partial) | 2026-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2027-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
From the project README
An excerpt from the repository, fetched Nov 13, 2026.
Read the project’s introduction
Telegram Desktop – Official Messenger
This is the complete source code and the build instructions for the official Telegram messenger desktop client, based on the Telegram API and the MTProto secure protocol.
The source code is published under GPLv3 with OpenSSL exception, the license is available here.
Supported systems
The latest version is available for
Windows 7 and above (64 bit) (portable)
Windows 7 and above (32 bit) (portable)
macOS 10.13 and above
Linux static build for 64 bit
Snap
Flatpak
Old system versions
Version 4.9.9 was the last that supports older systems
macOS 10.12
Linux with glibc < 2.28 static build
Version 2.4.4 was the last that supports older systems
OS X 10.10 and 10.11
Linux static build for 32 bit
Version 1.8.15 was the last that supports older systems
Windows XP and Vista (portable)
OS X 10.8 and 10.9
OS X 10.6 and 10.7
Third-party
Qt 6 (LGPL) and Qt 5.15 (LGPL) slightly patched
OpenSSL 3.2.1 (Apache License 2.0)
WebRTC (New BSD License)
zlib (zlib License)
LZMA SDK 9.20 (public domain)
liblzma (public domain)
Google Breakpad (License)
Google Crashpad (Apache License 2.0)
GYP (BSD License)
Ninja (Apache License 2.0)
OpenAL Soft (LGPL)
Opus codec (BSD License)
FFmpeg (LGPL)
Guideline Support Library (MIT License)
Range-v3 (Boost License)
Open Sans font (Apache License 2.0)
Vazirmatn font (SIL Open Font License 1.1)
Emoji alpha codes (MIT License)
xxHash (BSD License)
QR Code generator (MIT License)
CMake (New BSD License)
Hunspell (LGPL)
Ada (Apache License 2.0)
zxcvbn-c (MIT License)
FrequencyWords by Hermit Dave (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0)
Build instructions
Windows (32-bit and 64-bit)
macOS
GNU/Linux using Docker
Thanks to
CI infrastructure sponsored by Depot — fast GitHub Actions runners.
Read the full README on GitHubWhat Hacker News says
62 sourcesIt's made with Qt indeed, the source code is here: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
Facebook could just take the app, change the colour's to make it green, and replace the messaging protocol with their WhatsApp library, and they'd get an actually usable chat client practically for free.
In Meta replaces WhatsApp for Windows with web wrapperYou screenshot doesn't show how you achieved this or that you're even using Linux. There is no option to start a secret chat for me on a right click. Where did you download your client?
This ticket suggests that there's no such option: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/issues/871
See also: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/issues/6491
In Subverting Telegram's end-to-end encryption (2023)Telegrams desktop client[0] is native (C++ with Qt) and it's a joy to use. I don't want an Electron chat app.
[0] https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
In Developers should embrace creative coding againThe out of date source is mainly for the Android Telegram client, but not that much, it's usually 1-2 minor versions away at max.
https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram
tdesktop one https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop gets updated directly, not sure about the iOS and macOS ones.
In Tell HN: Telegram is most likely doing client side scanning; I quit TelegramPlus the user experience is, imo, the best in class.
The client is open source in C++ which explains why it runs laps around Electron apps: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
It's so quick and intuitive.
Plus writing interactive bots for it is trivial.
In Tell HN: Telegram is most likely doing client side scanning; I quit TelegramI don't see how I can start an E2EE chat from my PC. If a feature only ever exists on phone it does not exist.
https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/issues/871
In Telegram has launched a pretty intense campaign to malign Signal as insecureSeems like a revive of:
https://github.com/desktop-app/lib_webview/commit/77b1712a8f... (2022)
where you could open an app by running window.open("C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe")
This is a guess based on the behavior in the video, and on the recent fix on Media Preview feature of "Instant View" attachments:
https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/commit/eaaa704fa... (3 days ago)
so potentially could be just to send an Instant View link pointing to an executable app instead of a website.
In Telegram RCENo, its UI is made with Qt/C++: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop/tree/dev/Telegra...
In Mozilla's abandoned web engine 'Servo' project is getting a rebootThey "look" outdated because many developers using Qt simply don't care about aesthetics, unfortunately. But there are some few good exceptions. Telegram Desktop uses Qt[1]. Another one is a new app I'm working on[2].
[1] https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
[2] https://www.get-plume.com/
In Too many Mac apps are being built with ElectronTheir Desktop app is written in Qt C++[1].
[1] https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
In A 2024 Plea for Lean SoftwareHow is telegram Electron if it's https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop C++/QT?
In Proton Mail gets a desktop app for encrypted email and calendarThis one is made with Qt: https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop I remembered this one.
But having checked clients for other platforms they are not made with Qt. You can check them all here: https://telegram.org/apps
In Scrollbars are becoming a problemThe source for the clients is available.
1. https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram
2. https://github.com/TelegramMessenger/Telegram-iOS
3. https://github.com/overtake/TelegramSwift
4. https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
In WhatsApp goes down for users globallyCheckout it's memory footprint on desktop. It is not using typical web tech (aka electron). It's just C++ & QT.
List of third-party tech in their desktop stack listed here:
https://github.com/telegramdesktop/tdesktop
In 700M users and PremiumShowing the 15 most recent of 62 sources. Enable JavaScript to search and browse every indexed mention.