How to add a bot to a Telegram group or channel
In a group, open its profile, tap Add Members and search for the bot's username. A channel takes bots only as admins, through Administrators > Add Admin. Give the bot only the rights its job needs, and mention AI bots with guest mode instead of adding them.
To add a bot to a Telegram group, open the group's profile, tap Add Members, search for the bot's username and confirm. You can also start from the bot's own profile with Add to Group or Channel. Channels accept bots only as administrators, so there you go through Administrators > Add Admin. Give a bot only the rights its job needs, such as Delete Messages and Ban Users for a moderation bot. An AI bot with guest mode doesn't need adding at all: you just mention it.
Does the bot need to be added at all?
There are several ways to use a bot in a group, and only some of them put the bot on the member list. As of September 2026:
| What you want | How the bot gets into the chat | Admin rights |
|---|---|---|
| Ask an AI bot something in a group | Mention its @username; it answers if it supports guest mode | None, it isn't added |
| Send a poll, a game or a picture a bot finds | Type the bot's username in the message field (inline mode) | None, it isn't added |
| Play a quiz or a party game the bot hosts | Add it as a member | None or a few, see the bot's card |
| Remove spam, check newcomers, keep order | Add it as an admin | Only the rights it uses |
| Publish posts in a channel | Add it to the channel as an admin | Post Messages |
The bot's card in our catalog says how it starts. Moderation and captcha bots such as Rose (@MissRose_bot) and Shieldy (@shieldy_bot) are added as admins, while UNO Bot (@unobot) runs a whole card game in inline mode without joining the group. If inline mode is new to you, read how inline bots work.
How do I add a bot to a group?
You need permission to add members. If the group's admins have switched that off for ordinary members, the Add Members item won't be there, and you'll have to ask an admin.
Android
- Open the group and tap its name at the top.
- Tap Add Members.
- Type the bot's username, for example
MissRose_bot, and choose the bot in the results. Compare the username letter by letter: clones add extra letters or underscores. - Confirm. Telegram may ask whether to add the bot as Admin or as Member.
iPhone and iPad
- Open the group and tap its name or photo at the top.
- Tap Add Members, search for the bot's username and tap the bot.
- Confirm that you want to add it.
Telegram Desktop
- Open the group and click its name in the header to open the group info.
- Click Add Members, search for the bot and select it.
- Confirm.
From the bot's profile or an "add to group" link
This works the same way in every app:
- Open the chat with the bot and tap its name to open the profile.
- Tap Add to Group or Channel (in some versions, Add to Group).
- Pick the group. If the bot requests admin rights, Telegram shows the rights it suggests, and you can switch any of them off before you confirm.
The "add to group" buttons that bots post on their websites and in their chats are links with ?startgroup at the end. According to Telegram's bot documentation, opening one brings up the same group picker.
How do I make a bot an admin?
Moderation, captcha and anti-spam bots can't do their job as ordinary members: they have to delete messages and restrict people. If the bot is already in the group, you'll find it in the same search.
Android
- Open the group, tap its name, then tap the pencil icon.
- Open Administrators and tap Add Admin.
- Choose the bot, switch on the rights it needs, switch off the rest and tap the checkmark.
iPhone and iPad
- Open the group's profile and tap Edit.
- Tap Administrators, then Add Admin.
- Choose the bot, set its rights and tap Done.
Telegram Desktop
- Open the group's ⋮ menu and choose Manage group.
- Click Administrators, then Add Administrator.
- Select the bot, set its rights and click Save.
Two limits apply. You can give a bot only the rights you have yourself, and appointing admins at all takes the Add New Admins right, which the owner always has. Keep in mind, too, that a bot with admin rights receives every message people send in the group, not just commands. What that means for your members is covered in how to tell if a Telegram bot is safe.
Which admin rights does a bot need?
Each right unlocks specific actions, so match the list to what the bot does. The names below are the ones the Telegram apps use, as of September 2026:
| What the bot does | Right to switch on |
|---|---|
| Deletes spam, links and flood | Delete Messages |
| Mutes, kicks or bans members, including newcomers who fail a captcha | Ban Users |
| Pins rules or announcements | Pin Messages |
| Approves join requests with its own check, such as a captcha | Process Join Requests |
| Sends the group's welcome messages | Send Welcome Messages |
| Creates invite links | Invite Users via Link |
| Changes the group's name, photo or description | Change Group Info |
| Creates, renames and closes topics | Manage Topics |
| Publishes posts in a channel | Post Messages |
| Edits channel posts published by other admins | Edit Messages of Others |
In practice, a moderation bot such as Rose or Group Help (@GroupHelpBot) needs Delete Messages and Ban Users. A captcha bot like Shieldy mutes newcomers and removes those who fail its check, which takes Ban Users. Game bots differ: according to their cards, TriviaBot (@triviabot) is simply added to the group, while True Mafia (@TrueMafiaBot) needs permission to manage messages. Process Join Requests and Send Welcome Messages were added in 2026; if you don't see them, update the app.
Two rights are rarely worth giving a bot. Add New Admins lets it appoint other admins with part of its own rights, and Remain Anonymous hides its presence in the chat.
How do I add a bot to a channel?
A bot can't join a channel as a subscriber. Try it and Telegram answers "Bots can only be added to channels as admins." So the route always goes through the admin list:
- Open the channel and tap its name.
- Tap the pencil icon on Android or Edit on iPhone. On Desktop, open the ⋮ menu and choose Manage Channel.
- Open Administrators and tap Add Admin (Add Administrator on Desktop).
- Search for the bot's username and select it.
- Leave Post Messages on if the bot should publish, switch off the rights it won't use, and save.
The shortcut from the bot's profile works here too: tap Add to Group or Channel and pick the channel.
Some channel jobs don't need an admin bot at all. With VoteBot (@vote) or LikeBot (@like), you build a poll or a post with reaction buttons in the bot's chat and publish it to your channel in inline mode. TGStat Bot (@TGStat_Bot) returns statistics for any public channel from a link. Posting assistants work the other way round: Controller Bot (@ControllerBot) asks you to create your own bot in @BotFather and add that bot as the channel's admin.
Does an AI bot have to be added to the group?
Not if it supports guest mode. Telegram introduced guest bots on 7 May 2026: you write the bot's @username in a message in any group or private chat, and the bot answers right there, although it isn't a member.
- The bot receives only the message that mentions it (with the message it replies to, if any) and replies to its own messages. It can't read the rest of the chat or see who is in it.
- You can mention up to three guest bots in one message.
- The developer has to switch guest mode on. If a bot stays silent when you mention it, it most likely doesn't support guest mode, and you add it the usual way.
For a group, guest mode is the lighter option: nobody grants the bot any rights, and it doesn't stay on the member list.
Do you still need a welcome bot?
For a plain greeting, no. Since the Telegram update of 25 August 2026, groups and channels have a built-in welcome message: open the profile, tap Edit > Welcome Message and send the messages newcomers should see. You can add several messages, media and rich formatting, and only the person who joined sees them, so the chat stays clean for everyone else. Besides the owner, admins with the Manage Welcome Messages right can set it up.
Telegram's announcement describes a greeting and nothing more: no captcha, no muting of spam accounts, no rules command. Those still take a bot, and the candidates are compared in the rating of welcome and rules bots.
What if the bot can't be added or doesn't respond?
- "This bot can't join groups." The developer has turned groups off for this bot. Nothing on your side changes that, so pick another bot.
- "Bots can only be added to channels as admins." You tried to add the bot as a subscriber. Go through Administrators > Add Admin instead.
- "There are too many bots in this group." Telegram caps the number of bots in a chat. Remove the ones you no longer use, as described in how to remove a bot from a group.
- You blocked the bot earlier. Telegram won't add a bot you have blocked. Unblock it in its profile and try again.
- You can't switch on a right. You don't have that right yourself, so you can't pass it on. Ask the owner.
- The bot joined but ignores messages. Without admin rights, a bot works in privacy mode and mostly sees commands meant for it and replies to its own messages. Send the command as
/start@botname, or make the bot an admin if its job is reading the chat. - "Sending inline content isn't allowed in this group." The admins have switched off Send Stickers & GIFs for members, and in Telegram that permission also covers inline bots.
- The bot doesn't show up in search. Check the username for typos, or open the bot through its t.me link and use Add to Group or Channel.
Where to go next
If you're choosing a bot to keep order in the group, start with the rating of moderation bots. Torn between the two most used ones? Read Rose vs Group Help.
