Many Telegram users think that the admin’s permissions are limited to posting videos, deleting inappropriate texts, and pinning a message. That’s so wrong! Telegram allows the channel owners and admins to do a variety of things to manage their channel or group in the best way possible. However, many users have no clue what the Telegram admin rights are. That’s why we’ve decided to prepare this article to introduce all the features that Telegram admins can use. Plus, we have mentioned the points where their hands are tied.
Types of Roles in Telegram Channels and Groups
In a Telegram channel or group, there are four main roles:
1. Regular Users
Regular users are you and me when we are reading a message in a channel. Normal users can only view messages (text, video, picture), react to posts, leave comments, and (if the admin allows) forward messages to others. As you may already know, users are the audience of the channel or group, so whatever the admins do is for them. The more users a channel or group has—especially active ones—the better.
2. Owner
The owner of a group or channel is the person who created it or was assigned to it as the owner. They have the highest level in the group/channel and have full control over its setting. By full control, I mean they can delete or edit users’ messages, add new admins or delete the old ones, and more. More importantly, only the owner can transfer ownership to another person.
How to Transfer Ownership of a Telegram Group:
- Open the group or channel and click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
- Select Manage Group.
- Click Administrators and Add Administrator.
- Choose the next owner from the opened list.
- Give all the Telegram admin rights to it.
- Click on Transfer Group Ownership.
- If the Telegram asks for a 2-step verification, set the passwords.
- Save the changes.
Note: Make sure to give all the rights to the desired admin before tranferring ownership to him/her. Look at picture below!
3. Admin
An admin (or, as some say, “administrator”) is assigned by the owner and has some permissions that the regular users don’t have. They can:
- Send content (in channel)
- Add members
- Change channel or group settings
- Change the profile photo or bio of the channel
- Ban users
An interesting fact: A Telegram group or channel can have up to 50 admins but only one owner.
4. Bots
Bots are small applications that run within Telegram and automate tasks. Since 2015, more than 20 types of bots have been developed by various organizations (including the Telegram itself) and programmers. The bots have different themes and features, but they have one common purpose: to speed up processes and save you from doing repetitive tasks. Some useful bots that you can use every day include:
- Crypto bots
- Content creator bot
- Online shop bot
- Game bot
- Task manager bot
- News and weather bots
- Customer support bot
However, the most important bots for the admins of channels and groups are the Group Manager Bot and Subscription Bot. Let’s see what each of them does.
What Does a Telegram Group Manager Bot Do?
A group manager bot automates various tasks, such as:
- Welcoming new users
- Restricting or removing users who don’t obey the rules
- Sending messages at the exact time you have set
- Warning users about sending spam texts or harmful links
- Deleting messages containing specific words (set by the admin)
- Answering users’ FAQs with pre-set responses, and many more.
What Does a Subscription Bot Do?
The main role of a subscription bot is to receive membership fees from users of premium or VIP Telegram channels and groups. However, it also has other useful features, which you can read here.
Telegram Admin Rights and Permissions
Now that you know the roles, it’s time to explore Telegram admin rights and permissions.
1. Send Messages
When talking about “Telegram admin,” the first thing that comes to mind is sending messages in the channel or group. They can send:
- Text messages
- Multimedia files (images, videos, GIFs)
- Various file formats (PDF, PowerPoint, ZIP, etc.)
- Polls
- Stickers, etc.
2. Edit or Delete Others’ Messages
Admins can edit or delete messages that have curse words, spam links, controversial topics, or prohibited phrases. In large groups where hundreds of people send messages at the same time, it’s hard to find and remove offensive or inappropriate messages, so many admins use group manager bots to do this automatically.
3. Add New Members
One of the Telegram admin rights is adding up to 200 members from their contact list. After that, they must create and share an invite link to add more users to the group or channel. Telegram imposed this rule after many users complained about being added to groups and channels without their consent. So, the “only-200-members-from-contact-list” rule helps prevent spam and user abuse.
More on this topic: 10 Ways to Increase Members in Telegram Groups and Channels
4. Manage Pinned Messages
Telegram allows all users to pin messages in a group. However, admins and owners can withhold this feature from them. Why do so? Imagine everyone in a group of 200 people wants to pin an “important” message. What happens to the poor group? Yes! That’s why!
5. Add or Remove Other Admins
The owner and admins can promote regular users to admins or remove the existing ones. Here is an important tip you should know:
**Only the owner of the group/channel can grant or revoke admin privileges. However, if the owner toggles the “Add New Admin” button on, the current admin can add or remove other administrators.**
6. Restrict or Ban Users
Admins can ban users who send inappropriate messages or do not obey rules in the discussions. When an admin bans a user, they cannot enter the group—even with an invite link—unless the admin removes the ban. Note that this is one of the Telegram admin rights and is different from being banned by Telegram itself.
7. Manage Story Settings in Telegram Groups
It might sound new, but Telegram allows admins to post stories in groups. Wondering how they are different from regular stories in Telegram? Let’s see its features:
1) Only Premium users can post stories. If you’re using the free version of Telegram, this feature is unavailable to you—even if you are an owner or admin.
2) If the group is public, anyone can view its stories and reply to them, so be careful with what you are posting.
3) Admins can edit or delete stories posted by other admins or regular users. But normal users cannot post stories unless the admin(s) allow them.
8. Change Group or Channel Information
One of the critical Telegram admin rights is changing the group or channel’s information. They can remove or change the channel’s:
- Profile picture
- Name
- Description (bio)
- ID
- Invite link
Two Important Notes:
- All the above-mentioned information is important, so make sure to give editing access only to your trusted admins.
- Only the admins with Full Permission can do these changes.
Limitations of Telegram Admins
Although Telegram admins have so many accessibilities and permissions, they have some limitations worth mentioning:
**Note: The owner can give admins access to the following tasks if he/she wishes.** For example, the owner can let the admins change the group’s name or withhold this right from them.
Telegram Owner Vs. Admin |
||
|---|---|---|
| Action | Owner | Admin |
| Transfer ownership | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Remove the owner | ⛔No | ⛔No |
| Change channel/group name | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Delete group/channel | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Modify group type (public/private) | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Edit the group/channel bio & description | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Change monetization settings | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Add bots to the group or channel | 🟢Yes | 🟢Yes |
| Give full access to bots | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
| Restore a deleted group (within 48 hours) | 🟢Yes | ⛔ No |
| Access members private info | ⛔No | ⛔No |
| Add more than 200 users manually | ⛔No | ⛔No |
| Create invite link | 🟢Yes | 🟢Yes |
| See story archive | 🟢Yes | ⛔ No |
| Enabling “Restrict Saving Content” | 🟢Yes | ⛔No |
How to Disable Forward in Telegram Channels
If you share unique content (like tutorial videos or poems), you must use the “Restrict Saving Content” option. When you toggle it on, the users cannot copy or forward the content.
How to Enable “Restrict Saving Content” in Telegram:
1. Click on the three dots on top of your group page.
2. Select Manage Group.
3. Go to Group Type (the first option).
4. Enable Restrict Saving Content.
5. Now, the users can only copy the message link—not the content itself.
Note: If you don’t see the Restrict Saving Content, that’s because you are NOT the owner.
A Quick Review
Telegram has defined 4 main roles for channels and groups: owner, admin, user, and bot. Needless to say, the owner and admin are the most powerful roles, respectively. They can restrict users, manage messages, pin messages, and use bots to automate tasks.
If you’re managing a subscription-based (VIP) channel or group, we recommend using SmartBotsLand to:
- Make VIP codes
- Get membership fees
- Send a reminder for subscription renewal
- Delete expired users
- Define payment methods, and doing many more tasks that you can read here.
FAQs about Telegram Admin Rights
How Can I Become a Telegram Admin?
You can only become an admin by the owner or an existing admin. So, if you cannot contact with the owner or admins, you are not able to become an admin.
Can Telegram Admins See My Phone Number?
Admins can only see your phone number if your privacy settings allow it. Go to your settings, click on Privacy and Security, tap on Phone Number, and change it to “My Contacts” to hide your number from admins.
Can Admins See My IP Address?
No. Even the group or channel owner cannot see your IP address.
Can Admins See When I Joined a Channel?
Yes. By checking the Recent Actions, they can see the date and time you joined. However, this section only stores data for 48 hours.
Can Telegram Admins See My Profile Picture?
If you have chosen the “Everybody” option in the Profile Photo setting, then admins can see it too. Also, if you have a public profile picture, admins can see it.
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