How to get a chat_id for the Telegram Bot API

A chat_id tells the Bot API where to send a message. For a private chat it's the user's ID; for groups and channels it's the chat's ID. The quickest way to get either is @userid_bot; developers can also read it from getUpdates.

The fast way

• Your own chat_id: open @userid_bot and press Start. Your ID is your private chat_id.
• A group or channel: tap Group or Channel in @userid_bot and pick it.

Open @userid_bot

With getUpdates

1. Send any message to your bot (or post in the group or channel where your bot is an admin).
2. Open this URL in a browser, with your own token:
   https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates
3. Find "chat":{"id": ...} in the response. For channel posts look in channel_post.chat.id.

If the response is empty, send a new message and reload. If you get a "Conflict" error, your bot has a webhook set; getUpdates doesn't work while a webhook is active.

Send a test message

curl -s "https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/sendMessage" \
  -d chat_id=-1001234567890 \
  -d text="Hello from my bot"

chat_id formats

Common errors

• "chat not found": wrong ID (often the -100 is missing), or the bot isn't in that group or channel.
• "bot can't initiate conversation with a user": the person has to press Start in your bot first.
• "not enough rights to send": make the bot an admin with permission to post (channels).

Never paste your bot token into websites or share it. Anyone with the token controls your bot.