telegramdesktop/tdesktop
#282 this week
Telegram Desktop messaging app
32.3K stars
6.9K forks
32.3K GitHub watchers
Updated 7/8/2026
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Use Cases & Benefits
- Telegram Desktop is a multi-platform messaging app built in C++ using the Telegram API and MTProto secure protocol.
- Key technologies include Qt 5/6, OpenSSL, WebRTC, FFmpeg, and various open-source libraries for encryption, media, and UI.
- Strengths are cross-platform support, active maintenance since 2014, and strong security; limitation includes GPLv3 license constraints.
- Organizations can deploy it as a secure, scalable desktop messaging client integrated with Telegram's ecosystem for internal or external communication.
- Ideal use cases include secure team collaboration, real-time messaging, and multi-device synchronization for businesses and individual users.
About tdesktop
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
Version 2.4.4 was the last that supports older systems
Version 1.8.15 was the last that supports older systems
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)
Build instructions
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